Review: Skinamarink

Skinamarink is a perfect movie to watch; for those who never ever want to fall asleep again. The micro-budget debut film from Kyle Ball has the entire internet buzzing after its festival rounds, and for good reason. Skinamarink is terrifying in a way I have never quite seen before. By the end, I felt like I had reverted to my 5-year old self in the house I grew up in, scared to death to look up from under my comforter. Here’s why.

The plot of Skinamarink, while frightening, is not the film’s most horrifying aspect. The movie focuses on two siblings under the age of seven, Kevin and Kaylee. They awake one night to find their father missing, and the doors and windows of their house slowly disappearing as well. In an attempt to comfort themselves, the two camp out in the living room and watch cartoons. However, it soon becomes clear that there is an entity within their home, stalking them…taunting them. Their (and the audience’s) hope of help grows smaller every minute.

In Skinamarink, Ball and his cinematographer, Jamie McRae, take that spooky premise and elevate it to true nightmare fuel through their expertly created sense of atmosphere. The grainy quality of the film, the use of light and (mostly) darkness, the shots framed as though from the perspective of a small child, and the eeriness of the cartoons all add to a tremendously dreadful atmosphere. Ball is also extremely adept at using shadows and dark spaces to make us wonder if there is something sinister hiding there. He understands that sometimes what the audience imagines is in the darkness is scarier than anything that can be put on film. His restraint and power of suggestion are incredibly powerful at creating dread and tension. Because of this, the few actual jump-scares in Skinamarink are deliciously effective. One in particular will remain in my mind as among the best ever.

Skinamarink‘s sound design is also amazingly creepy. After all, the title of the film is based on a children’s song, which is now traumatizing. The voice of the entity terrorizing the children, the occasional use of subtitles, the surreal songs from the cartoons, garbled speech, and more add to the horror. When I first saw the trailer for this film, the sound affected me almost immediately. The ominous “In This House” coupled with the eerie whispering had me scared within seconds. I was not at all surprised when I discovered that Ball has a Youtube channel featuring short films about nightmares that viewers submitted to him appropriately called Bitesized Nightmares.

Also, as a member of Gen-X, the nostalgic feel of Skinamarink REALLY well, got under my skin (sorry). The shag carpet in the house, the old-timey cartoons, the outdated toys and furniture felt a little too familiar. This is why the terror felt so incredibly relatable. The filmmakers absolutely nailed what it felt like to be a scared child growing up in the 1980’s. Not to say that this movie won’t scare people of all ages, because it will. Skinamarink will resonate with anyone who has ever woken up from a nightmare in a hazy fog, and been too scared to go back to sleep.

Finally, I have to say that this film does NOT shy away from showing two adorable and innocent young children in extreme peril. It is not an easy watch. Obviously this is a fictional piece of art, but it certainly does not always feel that way. That is a testament to the skill of the filmmakers, as well as the child actors. However, if this is a particular trigger to you, please do not watch.

Skinamarink is easily one of the scariest films I have seen in recent memory. It’s a slow burn, but will stick with you long after viewing. Horror is certainly subjective, but this one really got to me. One of the reasons is the ending. Without giving anything away, I will say that the film acknowledges its audience. Which brings me back around to my opening statement about this movie. Good luck sleeping after watching this. I cannot wait to see what Kyle Ball has up his sleeve next.