Director Kyle Edward Bell's unconventional horror film, Skinamarink, has been calling me for a while, and even though it seems to have garnered a lot of negative reviews, I was interested in checking it out for myself.
What Is It About?
It was the year 1995, and in a home lived two young siblings named Kevin (Lucas Paul) and Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault). One evening, they noticed that a door had vanished from the house. Before long, a window followed suit, and then, their parents disappeared without a trace.
As more and more items began to disappear or appear in unexpected places, the children found themselves transfixed by the flickering images of cartoons on the television, completely unaware of the sinister presence lurking within their home.
My Thoughts
I did not like this movie much at all...
- The characters of Kevin and Kaylee remain elusive throughout the film, with only glimpses of their feet or disembodied voices. Even the involvement of their parents is presented in a disconnected manner, which left me feeling detached and uninvested in the characters.
- The vocal performances in the film are a mixed bag, with many lines being difficult to discern. Subtitles occasionally appear to clarify mumbled dialogue, but other times I was left wondering what was said.
- At one point, the camera fixates on a dark doorway for five minutes, leaving you to decipher any potential details in the grainy texture of the film and I was constantly asking WTF am I watching here?
- Although there are a few instances of implied violence, such as a menacing voice commanding someone to stick the knife in your eye, the reactions to these events are often met with little emotion or response.
- Even when the parents of the children disappear, they simply call out for them before retreating to the living room to watch cartoons or wander around the house. This emotional disconnect created by the film makes it difficult to care about the characters or what is happening to them.
Clocking in at 100 minutes, Skinamarink felt like a tedious endurance test of an experiment. I made it through to the end, but I wish I hadn't bothered.
The film was a total borefest.
While I said before it has got many negative reviews, it does also seem to have found a cult like following too, which some terrible movies do. While I appreciate new things being tried, especially on a low budget like this film had, I am not sure how anyone found this interesting in the slightest.
It's more of an experience than a story I suppose, I am just not sure what sort of experience it is. It asks the viewer for a lot of interpretation, which is difficult when not much is happening.
The premise was interesting, the execution most certainly was not in my opinion. 3/10. Check out Skinamarink on IMDB.
What did you think of the movie? Let me know your thoughts on the movie in the comments or connect with me on my horror twitter and horror Instagram pages.
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