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MOVIE REVIEW
'Skinamarink' Is The Next Horror Movie Destined To Become A Cult Classic
By Sal LoCicero | January 27, 2023
This January has been surprising with the number of successful theatrical feature films getting released. Whether you’re looking for comedy, action, animated, suspense, or musical, the movie theaters got it all, especially for the horror genre. Writer/director Kyle Edward Ball made his debut feature, titled ‘Skinamarink’, an experimental indie horror movie with the found footage effect. Ball’s feature garnered attention on social media from TikTok, and through word-of-mouth.
Taking place entirely inside of a house, two siblings wake up late at night only to discover that their father is missing and all of the doors and windows have vanished. That is all you need to know going into this, because that is (pretty much) what it’s all about.
It is more than obvious that ‘Skinamarink’ is inspired by both ‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999), and creepy pasta, with the entire movie focusing on low angle and close up shots of furniture, a TV, bedrooms, and scenes of complete darkness, and it takes place in 1995. If you are the average moviegoer who expects blood and gore, and jump scares, then this is not the movie for you, simple as that. If you are the type of person who is looking for a new filmmaking style from the horror genre, then you may be in luck.
While there are a lot of obscure angle shots that add to the film’s creepy feel, it mostly consists of sound. On a visual level, only a few shots create the illusions of mysterious figures that are perfectly camouflaged in the dark. The audio is what truly terrifies the viewer by capturing the emotional and psychological fear we’ve all encountered at night with no lights on. When no sound is to be heard until a random noise appears echoing through within a room is only one out of other elements that Kyle Edward Ball focuses on. Some sequences depict the unusual nightmares that others have experienced when they’re asleep, and the scenes are done so accurately that it’s shocking. The abrupt edits and sound effects, inspired by many creepy pasta videos, also makes this a challenge to sit through.
The first act sets up for what could potentially occur in this movie. It’s very haunting and unpredictable. The second act is a mixed bag, at times there are moments where literally nothing is happening and it drags out for such a long time that you may easily doze off within less than a minute, other times it continues to get even freakier with some of the dialogue that is either caught on caption or not. Anytime the camera goes towards the TV showing a static screen, it causes the feeling that something sinister can pop up out of nowhere.
The last act is the most unsettling part, but what’s also impressive about it is how nothing is captured on camera, as mentioned before it is mostly sound, a perfect example about the impact of sounds and how it can cause a mental effect on those depending on their surroundings.
Even though people who’ve heard about ‘Skinamarink' know that it is a movie, unlike 1999's audiences, it is definitely the new ‘Blair Witch Project’ that horror fans have waited so long for. Some will hate it and others will love it, which in other words means, this is another horror film that is destined to become a cult classic.
Grade: A-
What are your thoughts?
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