let's finally talk about Skinamarink (2023) | movie review
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- čas přidán 8. 03. 2023
- thanks for being patient with this review, I finally watched it, so let's talk about this new experimental horror movie that shook the internet...
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The fact you watched this movie during your kids naps showed how committed you are to this channel. Thank you for taking this time to watch this! And yes, we still care about it and your opinions.
So true
Lol wow so hard and brave lol she watched a movie in her house
"I didn't think this movie needed to be an hour and forty minutes."
It could have been a short film, 30 minutes.
I think "The Endless" deals with a similar theme but it's actually a watchable film with a story and plot.
Yes!!
horror movies with 40-60 min intros suck, outwaters suffers from the same thing
@@miahsbrokengarage the proof of concept 'heck' is on his CZcams channel "bitesized nightmares" it's a way more effective version of the movie in my opinion. It's only about 30 mins and goes through a lot of the same story beats.
that has been the review i've seen from people who love this movie and people who hate it. I think people who didn't like it (like me) would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't so long
I was PETRIFIED watching this in theatres. I truly felt like I had been knocked back into my child body and I felt so helpless and vulnerable. I can totally see though that this didn't work for a lot of people, but I loved it so much and appreciated it's originality and how layered it was. I'm so excited you got the opportunity to see it and that you ended up liking it!
Same! It filled me with so much dread the entire time. I felt like I was in a legit nightmare start to finish. Really got under my skin. The final shot freaked me out because I've had a nightmare where I walked over to a bed and saw a thing sit up and look at me, and it looked like the thing shown in the final shot. I started screaming in my dream and woke up screaming. lol
@@Omni-Blast oh gosh yea that ending shot was BRUTAL
@robyntm Yes! Imagine seeing that in the shadows and you talking to it and it just stares at you without making a sound. Shiverssssssss
Please don't think that just because "everyone" is talking about a movie on line that there won't be someone out there that your opinions will reach. Your channel is my go-to for all things horror and from what you've said about Skinamarink, I will be waiting for my chance to check it out. Thanks, Sarah!
🙌🙌🙌
literally! me and my partner take your opinions as horror gospel
this!! sarah is one of two horror reviewers that I will watch every single time and always always want to know their opinion and I’ll be here for every video. thank you for the content we love you and your dedication!!
@@PossessedbyHorror someone is attempting to phish peeps by spamming your comments (with your pic on their profile). I've reported them. Can't stand phisherpeople. Lol. Here's the profile:
youtube.com/@whats_apk..1307....._
i saw the trailer and didn't think i would like it, BUT i had a dream that i was watching it the next day and i woke up singing "skinamarinky dinky dink skinamarinky doo" and THAT convinced me to watch it and i loved it 😭
I was about to comment the name reminds me of this song from my childhood. So it does have that song in it, interesting.
OMG SAME!!! i cant for the life of me remember where the song comes from tho!!
@@nope19568 Yeah, I feel like it's just one of those songs that everyone hears as a kid, so everyone just knows it from when we were kids.
SKIMAMARINKU DINKY DINK LMAOOOO
people really still find these comments funny huh
This movie was actually based on a short film by the same director called 'Heck'. SOOOO much better and more effective. I would recommend checking it out.
My boyfriend didn’t want to go see it so I saw it in an almost completely empty theater alone. I thought it was really effective and kinda was based on what your mind would do with the long dark scenes of “nothing”. It reminded me of being in a hotel or air bnb you aren’t familiar with and you’re trying to go to sleep but you swear you see something in the dark corner when you know nothing is there. I absolutely loved it.
I feel like an empty theater would be the perfect setting for this movie. I didn't enjoy it the first time but honestly I wasn't paying much attention to it.
You were the only person in the theater or were you
@@adderon7476 there were maybe 4 other people scattered throughout
this movie, REALLY worked for me! i felt the nothing shots built tension because anything could happen at any moment and in the scenes where dark things did happen, it got dark so fast. the world these kids have to deal with is the most terrifying nightmare i can imagine. that worked for me
I'm also a new mom and also found this heartbreaking. I thought it was more upsetting than scary or creepy. It just felt so lonely and sad and isolating. Made me feel bad for those poor babies and I was upset, not creeped out, for days after I watched it.
my partner had the same reaction! put him in a bad headspace and was upset
I think one's experience of this movie depends on your childhood. As a 5 year old I was terrified of the dark. At night I was convinced that "something" was creeping around the house at night, and that I was in real danger. I'm now 65 years old, and have been an avid horror fan for over 45 years. However, this movie terrified me! It took me all the way back to that dark scary place that made my childhood a living nightmare. I watched this in the dark, but my next watch will be in the daytime, and after a couple of drinks! 10 out of 10
I took an edible and went to see this at like 4pm and I was the only person in the theater lol. I was struggling to stay awake. I really do get what they were going for and on paper I like the concept but there are only so many shots of corners and ceilings I can look at before I got angry and wanted to shout "just show me a shot of the room!!!" Surprisingly I love Blair Witch Project but this I am truly in the middle on. Wouldn't say I like it and wouldn't say I didn't like it haha.
had the same feelings. the short film version of it (Heck) is likely much better since it doesn't have the corner of the room padding that the full length has
I feel like Skinamarink is possibly the most hit or miss horror movie I've seen.. It wasn't the scariest movie, but I'm a massive fan of analog horror so I adored it
There's going to be a massive rainstorm this weekend in the Bay Area, and I feel that that's the perfect time to watch it
You are the reason I got a Shudder account and watched Skinamarink. I was looking forward to your reaction
I definitely really really enjoyed this! I also think it was one of the scariest films I’ve seen in a long time which surprised me as a horror buff. Love it or hate it, it makes me really happy that a film this small and experimental got so much visibility, hopefully it can get other small experimental movies off the ground.
I agree. I was pleasantly surprised. Most horror movies don't get me. But I think it's because so many horrors rely on gore now and not the tension and mounting dread that makes a great film.
I felt the same way you did Sarah. It actually stayed with me for days afterwards.
I loved the experience and it made me do a video on analog horror (its in German so no ad here xD). Thanks for your review. Ive been a long time viewer, but I’m „studying“ your videos over the last weeks (not as creepy as it sounds) to become natural just like you in fron of the camera. For me its still pretty stiff even after 10 years, but you seem to be so comfortable in front of the cam.
I am so over discussion about this movie but watched because your opinions are always interesting and often a different perspective from mine. I mostly agree with you on this one tho.
I saw this in theater and was really scared for the first half but tafter the jump scare you mentioned, I felt like it was downhill after that and I got bored. However, over the next few nights I could not stop thinking about it. I'd wake up in the middle of the night looking into the darkness. I dont think a movie has done that to me since I was a child.
Finally your review is out😄 We appreciate your patience for it, honestly it's not my type nor do I plan on watching it since to me it seems like a waste of time. I don't get the hype or why it's scary, my opinion of course!! Hope you are doing well👏🏻💗
Same, don’t plan on watching it based on what I’ve heard about it. Glad some people love it but I’m pretty sure it’s not for me
I would love to see your review of The Outwaters! I saw it in theaters and couldn't stop thinking about it for like a week! Completely scared the shit out of me in a way I haven't been scared in YEARS. The Skinamarink director and The Outwaters director have done some interviews together and supported each other which was awesome, both experimental indie found footage horror
Have you seen Yellow Brick Road? You might enjoy it
I liked the Outwaters more than this film. But the twenty minutes or so with the tunnel vision in Outwaters was dizzying and frustrating. But I loved those last ten minutes! lol
@@Rose_from_UKi havent heard of it, but it’s definitely on my watch list now, thanks!!
@@pamelabodensame, and those …trees… at the end, insane!!!
This film definitely worked on me. I was on an edible at the time, and my house was very dark. I kept seeing faces in the grainyness and shadow people. Took me back to when I was a kid and was afraid of the dark where my imagination went wild. Really loved it, and it left me feeling sad too.
I'm not a mom yet but I am an aunt and I find kid stuff way worse and way more heartbreaking than I ever did because I love my nieces and nephews so much.
I very frequently have very different opinions on movies than you but I always come back to your channel because I love how well spoken you are! You have a great energy and I love hearing your thoughts. Congrats on the new addition to your family! Sending lots of light🤍
Now we just need to hear your thoughts on The Outwaters.
Thank you for reviewing this! I've been on the fence about watching it. I'll definitely watch it now. I love your channel by the way!
The Blair witch Project is one of my all-time favourite movies. I saw it in theatres twice, and I love it so much I think back in the day there was a rumour that it was based on a true story, so that added to the whole effect of the movie too
I know this has nothing to do with nothing, but I really love your eyebrows like this- they look so nice very very light. Super vampy punk look.
Thank you for taking the time and attention necessary for the project.
I watched it alone and my room was pitch black, so even the grainy look of the film got to me. It made me feel like my skin was crawling. But in the end, it was just okay to me. If it had been shorter, way shorter, it would have been a better experience IMO and I would want to go back to it. As it is, I know I won’t rewatch but I’ll keep my eye on this guy’s work.
I was definitely waiting to hear what you thought and I'm so glad you liked it! I got to experience seeing it in the theater, and it really is a once in a blue moon type of movie you get to see on the big screen and well worth it, in my opinion. If you haven't seen "Heck" by the same director (his only other film, I'm pretty sure), you should give it a go in a dark setting as well.
I have mixed feelings about this film. I saw it in the cinema and absolutely hated the first half. There were some really tense and creepy scenes but it definitely felt like an effective short film with tonnes of filler to bulk it out to feature length.
This movie reminds me of the nightmares that I use to get younger. The amount of times I had dreams where the setting feels like home, looks like home, but something is off. The darkness is prevalent, and the feeling is unsettling. It's insane how someone manages to represent a dream like this! Weird and indeed scary!
layers of fear supremacy!! it’s so good!
Definitely a slow paced fever dream. I liked it too. It challenges the attention span though!
I'm so glad you finally reviewed this! This was terrifying in theaters, especially since I watched it alone. When you watch this in true darkness like in a theater setting you do actually think you're seeing things in the grainy darkness.
HUGE The Blair Witch Project advocate here lol. I feel the same way that you feel. In my opinion, what adds to the scariness is that we don’t officially know what’s going on. I have my own idea, that I love, about it that I haven’t heard anyone speak on. I think I may watch it again once i’m off for Spring Break.
I appreciate your comments, but I had a completely opposite reaction to this film. It reminded me of the book the Emperor’s New Clothes and an art exhibit I saw at MOMA in New York City once.
The art installation consisted of a woman in dark brown leotards laying down in a pile of leaves in a room the size of a small closet. That’s it. That was the exhibit. This woman laid in these leaves all day long. Never moved. Except for her breathing.
If there was a story here, I missed it. And I had a great setting to see this movie. I waited until it was dark, I turned off my phone, I put the cat away in another room, and I took it in. The problem is, there was nothing to take in for me. Just grain and occasional disembodied voices strung together. At one point, I found myself examining the grain to see if I could find any looping visual effects that were added. I entertained myself with this for quite some time.
I did appreciate the effort and mood, so I will check out what the Director does next. 2/5
Oh my god thank you!! I really wanted to hear your thoughts on this movie bc I was way too scared to watch it!!
Love your honest, full stop horror fan reviews and perspectives.
Funnily enough, after I saw the movie last week, I was waiting around for a video on your thoughts on the movie. Happy to hear that you enjoyed it for what it was! I genuinely felt unsettled by the film but at the same time a little frustrated about the runtime and desperately trying to make shapes out of the darkness. I'm still thinking about it now, so it's clearly left an impact (for better or worse)
I watched this while my son was napping, and it really stuck with me. Watching it on my laptop with headphones was so visceral--even in the middle of the day. The cinematography and the sense of emptiness and futility were so effective. And I totally agree with you: it felt like found footage; like I was watching something not meant for me. But I loved every scene and appreciated the vision. Thank you for your channel! ❤
I think I only got one jump scare and that was when there was a loud scream. I really tried, but I just didn't like it. There wasn't enough going on for me to keep me intrigued. It really was just too long. I'm still glad that I watched it and gave it a chance though, and I'm almost tempted to wait a while and try watching it again in total darkness. 😂 I'm so glad you liked this movie though and your dedication makes me so happy!
It doesn't matter if it took you a while to give a review on this. You still took the time to watch it and gave your thoughts and that's what counts! ❤️
Maybe it's because I'm older and I couldn't connect with this film like so many others could. I was a teenager in the late 90's and I grew up in a town in the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire, so I connect more with The Blair Witch than I did with this film.
But I can definitely appreciate art and give credit where the har work is seen!
Just too long, too many corners, walls and floor shots.
Would have been better as a short film to me.
I didn't like the film at all. I love The Blair Witch Project, however. I'm older too, older than you even (I was 32 when TBWP came out). This one was just too boring for me. Don't know if it's my age or not.....
This review was amazing. I randomly stumbled upon another review of this movie and watched the trailer and was instantly intrigued and almost haunted by how beautifully Immersive it feels. Cant wait to watch it tonght!
This is the first review that I’ve respected bc you actually say more than ‘DUDE NOTHING HAPPENS’ so thank you ❤
I never thought you would like this, what a nice surprise! I was crying watching this movie, to me was so sad and scary 😩
Same
BEEN SO EXCITED FOR THIS VIDEO TODAYS A HAPPY DAY
would love to see your review on missing, the sequel to searching. it's more of a thriller/mystery, but it does have some horror elements here and there!
I freaking love 13 ghosts I saw it when it came out I was young can't remember how old, I'm 36 this year lol but still watch it like once a year or 2 and still love it every time
I am glad you enjoyed this movie! I was looking so forward to it because the concept was so intriguing, but I am definitely not someone this movie works for. If this would have been a short film I think I would have appreciated it more, but paying $15 to sit in a theater seat and look at a movie that was 80% static just left me walking away confused at first and then slightly angry. It stayed with me a few days after, but not how scared I was…just how annoyed I was! 😅
I’m honestly relieved to finally find a review that I can agree with. I personally didn’t love it and so it’s kind of annoying to me that every review just endlessly praises the movie like it’s a masterpiece. The filler really hurt the experience for me. I just got bored.
Watched this film late at night on a laptop with headphones and, yes, this was one of the scariest films i have ever seen.
yesssss I agree with a lot if not all of the things you said!! It made me anxious and scared but excited about watching it which rarely happens nowadays with the horror movies that's come out... the unsettling feeling kept with me even after it was done which I loved xD
I respect you and what you're doing. I respect your videos and opinions. I really did enjoy this review and was also a little surprised lol. Thank you for giving us your take on it. I feel as if you don't hear this enough. Keep up the hard work, I know alot goes into making these reviews. Thumbs up👍
I totally agree with your comparison to Layers of Fear, (which I also love). To me this movie was not as scary in the actual theater but it was absolutely bizarre which kept me on my toes. I think the real fear of this movie set in afterwards. The original concept was super relatable and it reminded me of the terror in the ambiguous darkness as a child. Loved your review
I appreciate this review. I have not watched it yet. Because I have kids and no time between Paw Partol. Thanks, I'm actually looking forward to putting it on now
It’s gonna be a rewatch for me. Because one I wasn’t fully invested upon first watch. Two, I think a full immersion might help improve my view of it
So glad to hear your thoughts on this movie! Since it has been so divisive, I always love hearing people's thoughts as I can see the logic, no matter where you end up as a viewer. I too found this movie effective, but I do think it could have been more so. And shaving 10 minutes off would have done wonders for most. Although supposedly the run time was edited down from 2 hours to what it is now. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Outwaters as this film has been compared to Skinamarink. Although wildly different, it's experimental nature has drawn understandable comparisons. While it gives you more to work with, many still found it to be frustrating. But it does have camping in the desert which should be a plus for you :)
I didn't find the movie particularly scary, imo. The jumpscare scenes got me obviously because they are jump scares but like, I got tired of the trope of "oh is there or is there not something in the dark" after a while. I think this wouldve been so much more effective as a horror if it was shorter. Less than an hour. It had a good idea but lacking in the execution. I understood what the fear it wanted to play on was, but this movie really reminded me of a mediocre creepy pasta while also trying to take what makes the Mandela catalogue creepy. Maybe its just me, but I get tired when a movie forces me to analyze every scene just so I don't miss a tiny detail.
Oo I’ve been waiting for this!
Not surprised that you liked this one. I saw it in theaters with my brother and his wife and then watching it again on Shudder (in the dark, at night, alone, with headphones on) this one is still really scary. It's like...I knew what was going to happen but because of how long each scene was I just didn't remember when which made it scarier than the theater.
I read the wiki page of this movie and because it has kids that suffer and it ends badly and the whole concept is just way too scary for me, I almost cried reading about it because for me something like that is really triggering. And I know I'm gonna feel bad for weeks now. But hearing you talk about it helped :)
I LOVE your shirt!!
I listen to your videos like a podcast and enjoy your take on horror movies.
One series idea now that you’re a new parent: rewatching horror classics from that new perspective of being a mom. I’ve been a parent for seven years and have found that a lot of movies/books have a completely different effect on me now. I’d love to hear your thoughts…
totally agree with your review here. I saw a lot of people saying it was the best horror movie ever made and some other people saying it was the worst thing ever made, and i personally find myself in the middle. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but i truly appreciate the originality of the way they told what was told. Agreed that it should've been wayyy shorter, right around the 1h mark the movie feels very stale like nothing's happening. IMO the first and last 30 minutes are very well executed, and everything in the middle should've been cut down. overall, solid movie, great review!
7:18 | SO… I was able to see this movie in a small theater and I’m so glad that I did - and I think I would agree with your statement here about it being 20 minutes shorter IF I hadn’t watched it in the theater. The theater was such a unique experience that I’ve never had watching a movie, and I think the extra time contributed to that. Not necessary - but improved it.
The way that the darkness and the sounds were in the theater was so horrifying that I can’t fully explain it and I wish more people got to experience it.
I think some brown noise HZ or something was layered into it because the second half of the movie had me increasingly feeling nauseated, some ear ringing, super buzzy and a little dizzy.
Usually I would absolutely hate this- but for some reason it just maximized the immersive-ness. The buzz feeling stayed with me until I slept.
The jump scares utilizing the sudden increase of disturbing sound and being so well timed and unanticipated was so effective with the extremely loud speakers that I would be jumping in my seat and I haven’t done that with horror movies in so long. My body was so tense throughout all the longer drawn out scenes in between because my body couldn’t help but anticipate the next scare, the next unanticipated thing.
All sense of time was lost, I had no idea how long it had been at any point it was just me and the kids and I was a kid there with them at their height, seeing through their eyes and it was frightening.
I think that the extra time added to this. (Maybe it needs a shorter at home watch version though?)
This is genuinely one of my favorite movies of all time, and I think if you had seen it in theaters you would have rated it a 5. Maybe you could argue a film should be able to be almost as enjoyable at home, though I know I will enjoy rewatching it at home - but in the sense of reanalyzing my fears.
Since another part of what was so terrifying was how it can so specifically touch on different childhood traumas. I first understood it to be the paradox of being afraid of your parents but also wanting them to comfort you when you are afraid. And then I interpreted as how children make sense of traumas their minds can’t comprehend, how we remember things that happened that were horrific in much more human ways. Considering it was filmed in his childhood home, I think it is a metaphor for something that happened in his own childhood but is meant to be left vague for us to remember our own.
Anyways !!!! I’ve been in so much anticipation of this video- I’m so glad to finally hear your thoughts! I’d love to know what your interpretation was, and what you think happened. 👀
[Fun additional note: At my small down town theater, which this was first time going to, after the end of the movie the screen went black and the lights didn’t come on or anything. there was about 6 other people in the room and we all just sat there in silence staring at the screen, in anticipation. Still holding our breath. Waiting for the word “Skinamarink” with another jumpscare or something. After waiting, I don’t know how long in the darkness, we all eventually got up and started to leave, giving up and realizing the movie was over. That’s when the guy came out and manually turned on the lights. LMAO apparently none of us knew it was manual. Idk why he didn’t turn them on sooner, but it was wild.]
When I heard about this I just immediately knew this is what I've been waiting for my whole life lol! I never get that true sense of horror in scary movies, but this one managed to do it! The weird mix of uncanny and way too familiar, 90's cartoons, childhood nightmares and way too easy way to put myself in the kids POV, then the tension in some scenes were unbearable! It's been months and I still think about it! True horror imo! However I still believe it should've been shorter like 1h 20 mins like you said
i saw this in cinemas alone at night and it scared the shit out of me.
Personally, I was terrified the whole movie. The length of the movie made it that much more captivating and horrifying to me.
That’s an interesting way of putting it, I thought maybe it was too long but actually that helped to create that sort of inescapable feeling you get in an actual nightmare. Like you want it to end but it just carries on.
@@LeonardoDiCapri-Sun exactly! I was practically begging for it to end, but that felt intentional. Like being in sleep paralysis.
That makes one of us at least
I felt the same. The long lingering shots left me plenty of time to start imagining that I was seeing stuff, like faces in the film grain etc. or like, trying to look around the corner with those weird angled shots. I was so tense all throughout!
i've been procrastinating watching this but the layers of fear comparison was all i needed to get into it!
Great review. I was reluctant on watching this movie because of the negative reviews but now I think I’ll give it a try and keep an opened mind. Thanks!
I really wondered what you thought of this cause I don’t think this is going to be a movie for me- but I looked up the plot late at night and watched some videos on it before bed and it was unsettling to me.
I'm glad to see you reviewed this! I really enjoyed it too. I am also a huge Blair Witch fan. I was able to watch it at night in the dark and quiet which helped a lot. I absolutely agree that it was at least twenty minutes too long.
I havent seen the full film yet but I'm real excited. It looks like the kind of stuff I like
Funny how you said "all of you have decided wether to watch it or not" because yeah I have already decided that I wasn't watching it. But your review actually made me curious and now I kinda want to check the movie out
I liked the detail in the story like even the cartoons on the TV are symbolism
After watching this review, I might have to give this movie another shot. My fiance and I tried to watch it and he was a little more into it than I was but I was very bored. We turned it off at about 30 minutes in, but I've been thinking about it ever since and have read some reviews. This video is making me wanna go back and see what I missed, but I'm just not 100% sold. The long pauses of starring at doors and walls and ceilings and floors, it really took me out of it.
Thank you for your work and dedication. Horror films do not scare me but this one absolutely terrified me lol The creator actually said in an interview that this film doesn't belong to him any longer and the film is to be perceived by the viewer however it is as it belongs to the viewers now.. seems he didn't have an actual meaning he wanted to share just that when you watch it you perceive it in a specific way yourself I think that's cool. I love this film.
Every single time I go see a horror movie or watch one on streaming I check to see if you've done a review. We actually have very different opinions when it comes to horror movies but always wanna know your thoughts on all those type of movies I've watched, we definitely agree on Malignant though...
I watched it at 3am, in the pitch black, in my apartment where I live alone (newly in a foreign country where I don't know anyone either), on a large tv and I still didn't find it scary. It actually made me fall asleep in the second half. I saw the hype around it being one of the 'scariest movies ever', so I gave it a second go and I still don't understand it? Not sure if I'm broken or just have a good threshold 😂 I didn't enjoy it personally, but it's also great to see differing opinions. It was definitely too long and had too many filler moments where nothing happens, which didn't succeed in building tension for me. If it was half the length I think it might have been more effective. While you compared it to Blair Witch, I didn't understand the comparison since Blair Witch is one of my favourite movies of all time. There is so much more tension building in a movie like Blair Witch and I felt like Skinamarink would be my type of movie or at least scare me because of my love for artsy, low budget, found footage. The last 5 minutes of Blair Witch will always be one of the most frightening movie moments for me, and that scene alone is scariest than the whole of Skinamarink to me. Nevertheless, I am happy that the movie did as well as it did. With such a low budget, it gained such a hype online and even got a well deserved theatre release. Very happy for the writer/director, making over 2 million from only a $15,000 budget for his first feature film is pretty epic. Can't wait to see what he can do in the future and I hope it's more my style!
Heck was the concept for this and was enough for me!
so happy you liked this
I just finished watching and I still haven’t processed what I saw but I can say that that was the most terrifying movie I have ever seen
are you amish?
I was dying for you to review so I’m so happy rn, was worried you wouldn’t watch. I also thought it was too long but then again, the long shots of “nothing” almost makes you relaxed and bored which then made the creepy scenes more scary. Felt very uncanny lkle you said and reminded me of a child night terror. I thought they did great with such a low budget. What is strange is them at I hated Blair witch because nothing happened, where as this time thars what I found scary
I watched this movie in the middle of the night when It was about 12 am. I was falling asleep like in the first 20 minutes of the film but then I heard one of the kids in the movie say "I think it's time to get up" now that immediately woke up me up and it scared me lol Since It was just the first 20 minutes of the film, I rewind the movie and I finished it in one sitting. Yeah it's not for everyone, I enjoyed it!
Have you done a "best movies to watch alone in the dark" list? That would be cool.
ur the only source i have for horror recomendations/news and reviews so i indeed was waiting for your opinion :D And i think im going to watch it bc my adhd boyfriend will prob not have the patience for this one lol
I wasn't planning on watching it, but your review has kind of changed my mind. 9/10 times, we have the same opinions on movies, so I trust your judgement a lot, lol.
Like you said, I found that there was a lot more going on in the movie than most people seemed to say. I didn't expect much, I didn't expect to like it at all, I went in with the lowest of expectations. I was really surprised how much I did enjoy it and how effective it really is. It's genuinely disturbing. I remember times as a kid, waking up in the middle of the night, low light, TV from another room, disorienting feeling of dread not knowing where anyone is, maybe you're sick at the time. It took me back and it ramped up my anxiety. It's a really well made experiment. A study in fear nostalgia. Pretty sure I gave it 3.5/5 stars because it isn't perfect, it's definitely a bit too long and it could have used a tighter narrative. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, I just knew you would. 🙌
ah, my favorite classic review trope of you-either-hate-it-or-you-love-it-but-of-course-i-the-reviewier-am-in-the-middle
Two things I wanted to remark here:
- the length of the shots is not so much about tension as it is about the experience of “time” - in other words, they aren’t meant to stress the audience, but communicate the experience the kids have in this undefined period in the house. It isn’t necessarily meant to be scary in a physical way, but show the audience what it would feel like to be confronted with what is essentially an empty period of nothing. The kids aren’t just helpless, they also lack a proper ability to process time. Where an adult would likely try to find means to be creative or overcome this long stretch of time to fill the void (see the movie Nothing by the Cube director), these kids only have their toys and cartoons. We don’t see them ever try to read a book or make up stories or anything besides engage with what is right in front of them. Which, if you think about it, is a different kind of horror.
- I wanted to comment this on another video but as it came up here I’ll just add it: I think your description of movies as “artsy” is… kind of problematic. For one, all movies are art. People like to always argue there’s films meant to have some intellectual gravitas vs. films meant to entertain, yet some of the most straightforward B-movies are clearly made with sprawling artistic sensibilities in place. Dividing the medium into these two parts always feels reductive to me, because films are art, no matter what. And even if you think about a movie like 13 Ghosts - with the odd glass made cages and editing - is vastly artistic in its filmmaking choices.
I think what you’re expressing is that some films are more abstract in their portrayal of a story, or their interpretation of the character’s experiences. But I’m not sure that makes them more art than, say, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (which comes across like an expressionistic painting as film).
It’s a thing I mostly notice in American film reception - I think most Asian or European countries don’t have that distinction, as even commercial ventures are approached to express abstract visual or structural ideas that aren’t straightforward. That’s maybe due to Hollywood’s studio system being so keen to churn out quick products that fit genre tropes to make money fast, but then as I said earlier, even those B-movies ended up vastly artistically minded throughout the genre’s history. All the Platinum Dunes film directors come from music videos and commercials after all, which are arguably incredibly abstract forms of filmmaking.
Maybe it would be worthy to have a video discussion with another creator or explore this thought further in a solo essay to explore the dichotomy, I’d watch it for sure.
Please watch The Outwaters!!! I'm sure you are going to love it. Same thing with Skinamarink though where you'll have to completely immerse yourself to enjoy it!
I've been waiting for your review on this movie ever since I went to see it in theaters! I'm so glad that you liked it and I completely agree that it should have been shorter by about 10-20 minutes. Especially towards the end, as terrified as I was, I kept thinking "surely this is almost over..." only for there to be a lot more nothing shots.
This movie TERRIFIED me. I was in a theater with about seven other people and the place was dead silent the entire time (besides the jump scares, where we all collectively gasped each time). I think the movie did an excellent job of preying on a primal fear of the dark and what is or isn't lurking there. Even the nothing scenes had me tense because you just KNOW that the entity is there, watching, just beyond what you can see. I hadn't been that scared in a movie since Hereditary. The knife scene and the time loop bit had me feeling sick to my stomach as the realizations of what was happening in those scenes sunk in - as excited as I am about this movie in retrospect, I remember thinking "what the fuck am I watching, this is not fun-scary this is traumatizing-scary" during those parts. Still, I hope Ball makes more feature-lengths, because as horrifying as it was, it was an entertaining and exhilarating experience for me! Definitely one I'll never forget.
I do appreciate movies that don’t give away the scare, it stick with me a little longer and usually our imaginations can come up with something scary. I think it shows respect to the viewers to hold back a little bit. But I still haven’t seen the movie, I hear so much about it so I’m interested.
I was soooo looking forward to this one and I ended up fast forwarding through most of it
We saw this last night as a Sneek Peek at the theater......nope. We thought it was way too boring.
Richard
I do see the direction and overall intention of Skinamarink, but I only watched it once and won't ever watch it again (you'd have to pay me). It felt like I was losing a lot of my previous time with this one and at several points I was like "oof.. do I end it right here?" but then I decided to sit through the whole thing just to be able to talk about it. Oh and btw, not only did I not enjoy Skinamarink, I wouldn't even call this a movie/film in the first place. To me this is nothing more than an art project. It's like going to a museum, looking at weird photography of walls, doors etc.. while being like "wow this.. this is incredible.. fascinating". So yeah overall this "piece of art" was SUPER hard for me to sit through. ;)
I agree totally. It was scarier than I expected, but too long by at least 20 minutes. Other than that I liked it, but psychological horror is my favorite in this genre. Slasher movies bore me.
I've always been really creeped out by moments where the camera gives us a long look at something mundane with no music behind it. What *is* this thing? Why am I looking at it? Whose perspective am I seeing?? (Shudder.) Skinamarink uses that effect in spades. I absolutely loved it.
I've said this before...I adore experimental films and "elevated horror", both terms being used to describe this film, however, I just felt like it would work better as a short, or even if the run time was a bit shorter (as you mentioned). The concept is great, the visuals were great, the voices were creepy, but I just felt the effectiveness of those things was a bit diluted due to the length. But I always applaud risk taking and experimentation in filmmaking. I want to watch the director's short film Heck, which is on YT. Supposedly, it has a similar mood/tone.