By Robert Scucci
| Published
Most effective horror films play into our fear of the unknown, and I can’t think of a movie that conjures up feelings of unease quite like 2022’s Skinamarink. With barely any dialogue – and even fewer shots that are actually centered and well-lit – Skinamarink establishes a vibe that’s hard to shake, even days after the final credits roll. Inspired by the analog horror movement that’s slowly dominating the YouTube landscape (The Mandela Catalogue and No Through Road are prime examples that will ruin your life), Skinamarink boasts a similar aesthetic to some of the more unconventional web series floating around, but has the uncanny ability to hold its own as a feature-length film.
Now that I think about it, “uncanny” is the perfect way to describe Skinamarink.
Skinamarink’s Plot Is Irrelevant
I may be speaking in hyperbole when I say that Skinamarink’s plot doesn’t matter all that much, but I can confidently say that its storytelling isn’t nearly as important as its cinematography.
Writer/Director Kyle Edward Ball tells his story through feelings, images, and sparsely placed bumps in the night rather than taking a more conventional approach involving dialogue or narrations folding in any form of exposition. Skinamarink’s sense of terror is shown, not told, through random cryptic shots of ceilings, off-center images of a house’s interior, minimal dialogue from two frightened kids who are hiding in a house that’s slowly shifting into different shapes, and a disembodied voice that’s trying to manipulate them into doing its bidding by posing as their parents.
A Bare-Bones Story
Skinamarink centers on a 4-year-old boy named Kevin (Lucas Paul) and his 6-year-old sister, Kaylee (DaliRose Tetreault). Overhearing a phone call from their father (Ross Paul), it’s made clear that Kevin suffered a head injury after falling down the stairs during a sleepwalking episode. The father reassures whoever he’s talking to on the phone that Kevin is fine, and doesn’t need to go to the hospital.
From this point forward, Skinamarink exists in a liminal space between this world, and some unknown place that you probably don’t want to visit any time soon.
Kevin and Kaylee wake up in the middle of the night to strange noises in the house. Deciding that it’s best if they stick together, they venture downstairs to the family room so they can watch cartoons together. The brother and sister try to remain calm despite the fact they know they’re not alone– that someone, or something is watching them. Doors disappear and reappear, and Kaylee is lured upstairs where both her mother (Jaime Hill) and father speak in cryptic, monotone voices that instruct her to either look under the bed or close her eyes.
Seeking refuge downstairs once again, the house in Skinamarink continues to play tricks on Kevin and Kaylee.
Perspective Is Everything
Filmed with a budget of just $15,000, Skinamarink doesn’t have any fancy special effects. With most scenes only being lit by a glowing television screen (according to Ball), and a disproportionate amount of off-center shots rounding out the film’s visuals, I liken the viewing experience to having a bout of sleep paralysis when you’re dreaming of a malevolent voice or figure in your room, but you’re powerless to act out against it. As the metallic taste of sleep lingers in your mouth, you try to shake off the nightmare, but the harder you try to resist it the more aggressively your fears push back.
Streaming Skinamarink
Set in 1995, Skinamarink evokes the feelings of being left home alone with your siblings for the first time while your parents go out to dinner with friends. Suddenly, the refrigerator’s motor kicking on takes on a life of its own, and for all you know it wasn’t actually the fridge, but instead an axe murderer trying to access your house through the crawl space. That glowing red dot in the corner of the entertainment center that you see every day is now a blinking demon eye that won’t break its otherworldly gaze with you.
While Ball’s directorial debut is certainly open to interpretation, and I have my own thoughts on the film’s ending that I won’t say here to avoid spoilers, the one thing I can tell you for certain is that this movie will stick with you for days.
For its vibe alone, Skinamarink deserves a considerable amount of praise for being one of the most frightening films I’ve seen in a very long time. If you’re ready to experience the dream-like horrors Skinamarink has to offer, you can stream the title on Hulu as of this writing.