Skinamarink review
If you want your horror to get right into your brain and fester there like a soured herring then you’re in for a treat.
WATCH IF you dare… Skinamarink is coming to get you on Blu-ray, DVD and digital this summer.
This Shudder Original from writer-director Kyle Edward Ball – in his feature debut – has been striking fear into the hearts of horror fans and critics galore with its scare-inducing style that creeps up and hits you when you least expect it. Now this acclaimed chiller is set to bring the terror once more with Acorn Media’s home entertainment release on the 3rd of July 2023.
One of the first things most people ask about a film is “what’s it about?”
Well, to tell you the truth I didn’t have the first clue while I was watching it. I just knew it had reached deep into my psyche and pulled forth everything from the afraid of the dark stage of my childhood.
Stare into the dark abyss long enough and you’ll see movement, is that just shadow? Or a face? You know, that kind of fun stuff.
Commendably Skinamarink was shot over just seven days on a budget of $15,000 which was mostly crowdfunded.
The story (for what it is) revolves around Kevin and his sister Kaylee. Kevin appears to have injured himself in what his sister says is a sleepwalking episode. Kevin has been brought back home from hospital. We know this as we hear his dad telling someone that the hospital did not need to give stitches and he only hit his head.
The kids wake up in the middle of the night to find that their father has seemingly disappeared and that the windows, doors, and other objects in their house are vanishing as well.
What follows is a series of essentially still images and a jarring, psychologically horrendous soundscape consisting of whispered voices, static and 1930’s cartoon soundtracks.
Unexplained thumping noises, chairs upside-down on the ceiling, dolls on the ceiling, even Lego is disturbing in this film.
Amongst the grainy oddly unnerving imagery, a voice beckons Kaylee upstairs and says “There’s someone here.” From the closet we hear I think the mum calling out Kaylee’s name as well as moans of pain and breaking of bones. Nice!
Later the voice calls to Kevin, beckoning him into the basement, tells him to stick a knife into one of his eyes.
Kevin calls 9-1-1, when Kevin drops the phone it turns into a Chatter Telephone toy and the voice claims responsibility for it doing so, telling Kevin that it can “do anything.”
The film overall is quite a hard watch. It will definitely be one of those Marmite movies.
If you’re expecting a run of the mill, narrative driven horror movie with traditional scenes and cinematography you’re going to be very much disappointed.
If you want your horror to get right into your brain and fester there like a soured herring then you’re in for a treat.
You really do need to set the time aside to sit and watch this film, lights off and just take it as it comes, if you don’t you may get half way through and reach for the remote
Skinamarink brings childhood fear of the dark crashing back into your life.
It has a feel reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to it and the soundtrack of the old cartoon playing on the T.V. adds to the overall eerie nature of the film. You’ll soon be feeling discombobulated, wondering which way is up and which way is down.
Speaking of the cartoons seen on the television in the film, they are in the public domain and include Max Fleischer‘s 1936 Somewhere in Dreamland and The Cobweb Hotel shorts. Ub Iwerks‘ 1935 Balloon Land, and the 1939 Merrie Melodies short Prest-O Change-O.
Beware the things that go bump in the night, it’s not what you think, it’s Skinamarink, a wickedly creepy scare fest.
“Can we watch something happy?”
SPECIAL FEATURES include: Commentary with Writer/Director/Editor Kyle Edward Ball and Director of Photography Jamie McRae
Subtitles and Audio Description also included