Hulu Supernatural Horror makes you face childhood fears
Pa Robert Succi
| Published
Most effective horror films play on our fear of the unknown, and I can’t think of a film that evokes a sense of dread quite like 2022 Skinamark. With almost no dialogue – and even fewer shots that are really centered and well lit – Skinamark creates an atmosphere that is hard to shake, even days after the closing credits. Inspired by the analog horror movement slowly dominating YouTube (Mandela’s catalogue and There is no through road these are prime examples that will ruin your life) Skinamark boasts an aesthetic similar to some of the more unconventional web series, but has the uncanny ability to hold its own as a feature film.
Now that I think about it, “creepy” is the perfect way to describe it Skinamark.
Skinamarink’s plot is irrelevant
I may be using hyperbole when I say that Skinamarink’s the plot doesn’t matter much, but I can safely say that the storytelling is not as important as the cinematography.
Writer/director Kyle Edward Ball tells his story through feelings, images, and sparsely placed bumps in the night, rather than the more conventional approach of dialogue or narrative wrapped up in any form of exposition. Skinamarink’s the sense of terror is shown rather than told through random cryptic shots of the ceiling, off-center shots of the interior of the house, minimal dialogue between two frightened children hiding in a house that slowly morphs, and a disembodied voice trying to manipulate them into followed his orders, pretending to be their parents.
History exposed
Skinamark centers on a 4-year-old boy, Kevin (Lucas Paul), and his 6-year-old sister, Kaylee (DallyRose Tetro). After eavesdropping on a phone call from their father (Ross Paul), it becomes clear that Kevin suffered a head injury after falling down the stairs while sleepwalking. The father assures whoever he’s talking to on the phone that Kevin is fine and doesn’t need to go to the hospital.
From now on, Skinamark exists in a liminal space between this world and some unknown place you probably won’t want to visit anytime soon.
Kevin and Kaylee wake up in the middle of the night to strange noises in the house. Deciding it’s best to stay together, they head downstairs to the family room to watch cartoons together. The brother and sister try to keep calm, despite the fact that they know that they are not alone – someone or something is watching them. The door disappears and reappears, and Kaylee is beckoned upstairs, where her mother (Jamie Hill) and father speak in cryptic monotone voices, telling her to either look under the bed or close her eyes.
Seeking refuge below again, home in Skinamark continues to cheat on Kevin and Kaylee.
Perspective is everything
Filmed on a budget of just $15,000, Skinamark has no fancy special effects. With most scenes lit only by a glowing TV screen (according to Ball), and the disproportionately large number of off-center shots that round out the film’s visuals, I liken the viewing experience to a bout of sleep paralysis when you dream of an evil voice or figure in your room, but you are powerless to resist it. When 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 fight back.
Streaming Skinamarink
Established in 1995, Skinamark causes a feeling of abandonment at home alone with your siblings for the first time while your parents go out to dinner with friends. Suddenly, the refrigerator motor takes on a life of its own, and for all you know, it wasn’t the refrigerator, but an ax murderer trying to get into your house through the crawl space. That glowing red dot in the corner of the entertainment center that you see every day is now the blinking eye of a demon that keeps its otherworldly gaze on you.
While Ball’s directorial debut is certainly open to interpretation, and I have my own opinions about the film’s ending, which I won’t reveal here to avoid spoilers, one thing I can tell you for sure is that that this movie will stay with you for days.
Just for its atmosphere, Skinamark deserves a lot of credit for being one of the scariest movies I’ve seen in a very long time. If you are ready to experience dream-like horrors Skinamark can offer, you can stream the title on Hulu as of this writing.
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