One of the wonderful things about the horror industry is the creation of the must see film. The urban legend that seems to grow from city to city. You know what films I'm talking about. The ones your parent didn't want you to see. Or maybe the movie that would come back to kill you seven days later? The lore around the indie cult hit lives on in the new feature from Canadian filmmaker Kyle Edward Ball SKINAMARINK. This will be the most polarizing film of 2023. You will either love or hate it. SKINAMARINK is a spit roast to the senses. It's been a while since a film felt so uneasy or so uninspired depending on how you look at it.
The argument can be made on so many levels on why you should hate or love SKINAMARINK and that's why it's fascinating. The story follows two small children Kaylee and Kevin. They seem to live with their dad and one strange night they wake up and he is gone. Things start happening around the house that becomes quite confusing to the children. Doors start disappearing , phones don't work. Only the small white glimmer of the TV becomes the guardian of these children. Also an evil presence seems to want to keep the attention of the kids. Poltergeist films are some of the best types of supernatural films because you are anticipating the unexpected. "What will they pull off next?" Even though many want this to sit alongside the Tobe Hooper classic I feel Oren Peli's PARNANORMAL ACTIVITY is a better suitor.
Obscure angles, muffled vision and scratchy noises guide you though this nightmare which Bell exceeds in creating. This excruciating night never seems to end so be prepared to be lost . SKINAMARINK is going to be a difficult movie to choose for some. I would imagine the most hardcore horror enthusiasts have already watched it so the mainstream is now getting their fairshare. I think that's where we will see the true responses to this film. Box office wise it will do fantastic which is great for Ball and allows us to see what he can do with a larger budget in the future hopefully. I find myself in the middle of this film. I know I will never watch it again but there are plenty of reasons to recommend it. Casual horror fans maybe the first to discredit the creepiness but also maybe be the main ones hiding their fear. This is what makes genre films fantastic and also what makes them art. Love it or hate it SKINAMARINK has placed it imprint in film history.
3/5
SKINAMARINK
is directed by Kyle Edward Ball
stars Jaime Hill, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, Lucas Paul
It's playing in select theaters everywhere
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