Go to Sleep: Skinamarink (2023) Review

Director: Kyle Edward Ball

Notable Cast: Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault, Ross Paul, Jaime Hill

 

When a film leaks online, it often spells for sabotaged release schedules, loss of money, and a skewed marketing campaign. Working on the fringes of the industry, I’ve seen it capsize some films - particularly independent ones. Yet, there’s always the anomaly where this kind of piracy oddly benefits the film. Skinamarink, coming to y’all from genre stalwarts IFC Midnight and Shudder, is one that seemingly took a massive technical error that leaked the film online and turned itself into an internet urban legend. 

 

The combination of mixed word of mouth from its film festival appearances about its suffocatingly lo-fi style and unnerving tone and a sudden burst of interest in social media sites like TikTok and Twitter, made it the must-see horror film of the moment. Skinamarink was apt to join the likes of films like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity as an indie film catching mainstream attention for its scare factor. 

 

Although the film is certain to be one of the most divisive films of the year for its choices, it’s understandable why the internet became incredibly latched onto it. Skinamarink is superficially similar to Creepypasta or other experimental horror films that have littered the video services online for the last ten years. It’s toying with the audience’s sense of reality, blending a dreamlike - or more nightmare-like - tonality with abrasive home-videos-from-hell visuals, and it features some distorted and unnerving imagery that is apt to capture the attention of its viewers. 

 

Relic (2020)

Directed by: Natalie Erika James

Notable cast: Emily Mortimer, Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote. Jeremy Stanford

 

I've said before, both briefly in writing and many times broadly in my life, that the reason I love horror as a genre more than any other is that it's the only genre that can tell any kind of story. This is for a few reasons, it and comedy share pacing concepts, and it shares drama's allegorical abilities. It shares action's spectacle and still brings a flavor uniquely its own. It's why the genre ranges from titles like Gingerdead Man to The Silence Of The Lambs. I have always felt, however, that it's greatest strength narratively (there are psychological benefits to enjoying horror as well, as it's a safe space to explore the darker emotions of life) is that of metaphor. By exploring the horror that's generally popular at any given time you can see what society at large was afraid of. Relic uses horror as a lens to explore some of the most fundamental fears that exist, and I think that feat alone makes it worth viewing.

 

The Wretched (2020)

Directed by: Brett and Drew T. Pierce

Notable cast: John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Madelynn Stuenkel, Jamison Jones

The quick and dirty review of this movie, and a comparison that everyone has pointed out, is Fright Night but with a witch. It’s one of those comparisons that’s got to be a little frustrating, in that it’s a great pull quote and it’s true enough that no one is going to disagree with it outright. A coming of age horror story about a troubled kid with a monster neighbor that no one believes him about. It fits as a series of bullet points. That said, I don’t think it’s necessarily a fair comparison, and it’s not just the significant tonal differences. Firstly, a small bit of business. As a long time nerd, and especially a DnD nerd (3.5 for life, I’ll fight anybody), I don’t think it’s accurate to call the monster in this movie a witch... It’s obviously some kind of hag, a witch-like creature. I refuse to bog this review down with that detail, but my soul needed it said at least once.

Depraved (2019)

Director: Larry Fessenden
Notable Cast: David Call, Alex Breaux, Joshua Leonard, Ana Kayne, Maria Dizzia, Chloe Levine, Owen Campbell

Iconic indie filmmaker Larry Fessenden had always wanted to make a modern Frankenstein film (or so I've heard) and after seeing his latest, Depraved, it's a wonder why it never got off of the ground until this point.  In general, Depraved is a brilliant modern rendition of the Frankenstein lore. It takes all of the themes of the classic horror and science fiction tale and spins it to resonate with current social and political elements - never in a way that bombards its audience with agendas or messages, but in a brilliant way to show just how universal (pun intended) the story remains.

The Blood Splatter: Escape Room / Rust Creek (2019)

ESCAPE ROOM (2019)

Director: Adam Robitel

Notable Cast: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, Nik Dodani, Kenneth Fok, Yorick van Wageningen

After the cult status that The Taking of Deborah Logan reached quickly within horror circles, director Adam Robitel almost immediately became a name to watch. When his second film, the fourth Insidious feature, became a box office hit, it seemed as though Robitel was not some kind of one trick pony. He had style, a knack for creating tension, and horror fans were willing to stand by his work. His latest film, Escape Room, looked to be Sony’s next bid for a yearly horror franchise in terms of both mainstream appeal and fantastic gimmick. With Robitel at the helm, there was a great chance that they might be able to pull it off even if the concept seems a bit eye-rolling on the surface.

If anything, Escape Room not only makes a strong statement for a new yearly horror franchise with its Cube inspired puzzle meets trap solving exercises and its fantastic use of an ensemble cast, but it allows Robitel and company make a highly entertaining film to stand on its own. Most of this is due to the impressive use of sets and the director’s knack for creating tension and suspenseful thrills out of some of the most asinine scripting elements. While the overall world building, about a secret organization that has seemingly brought together six strangers to survive increasingly strange and outlandish Escape Rooms, is fairly ungrounded and occasionally formulaic for horror fans to experience, the execution brings it back home to sell the entire thing. There are multiple set pieces that are instantly memorable and Escape Room makes use of the concept impressively well. In particular, there is an ‘upside-down room’ sequence that is both fascinating to watch as the characters attempt to survive the traps and solve the puzzles, but it’s shot in a way that’s wholly disorienting and fascinatingly well-paced. Throw in some rather stock, but fun characters to watch as they try to navigate their own past assumptions about everything and one another and we have a highly entertaining horror film runs with its strengths.

Considering the decent box office and threaded plotting for a sequel, Escape Room is primed for the franchise it was obviously crafted to kick off. Although the film leans towards fringe horror than anything, since it shies away form showing the violence and instead focuses on the fun visuals and thrills of its pacing, this is a franchise that I am more than willing to follow. Particularly if Robitel stays on board to direct. It sounds like both are going to be happening, so you know that I will be in the theater next year when it comes out.

RUST CREEK (2019)

Director: Jen McGowan

Notable Cast: Hermione Corfield, Jay Paulson, Sean O’Bryan, Micah Hauptman, Jeremy Glazer, Daniel R. Hill, John Marshall Jones, Denise Dal Vera, Laura Guzman, Virginia Schneider

IFC Midnight did a great job of marketing Rust Creek when it first premiered, using the strong initial reviews of the film to spin a campaign that the film was the first great indie survival horror film of the year. In a way, they aren’t wrong. Rust Creek is a fantastic film. It has a great sense of grounded reality to some great performances, the tension is tight and effective, and the film loves to play with its audience in its narrative. However, calling it survival horror might be a stretch. Now before I get lambasted with people pulling the genre card on me, I keep a pretty open mind to what horror cinema can be interpreted as. While the film certainly uses some survival horror elements, particularly in the first act, it’s pretty light and definitely on the very outskirts of the genre. It’s just fair warning for those who might carry in the wrong expectations. If I was to label it anything, I would call Rust Creek a brilliant dark thriller.

With that bit of context out of the way, Rust Creek is able to dig its heels into its concept and deliver some truly intense and surprisingly thoughtful cinema. It very much starts off as though it’s going to be the survival horror that it was marketed as, when our young heroine finds herself lost in the backwoods and two crass and creepy guys try to take advantage of her. The resulting survival sequence, with her in the woods on the run from these two guys looking to make sure she stays lost, is of the usual variety. It’s impeccably well made though as it doubles down on the reality of the situation starts to build its characters through it. However, Rust Creek is not content in staying in the formula and starts to deviate quite a bit in the second half to some surprising results. It plays on the audiences’ expectations, layers in a bit of more traditional thriller elements, and never pulls away from the characters. To give too much more away would be detrimental to the experience, but the choices that director McGowan makes, the strong and nuanced performances, along with how the tension and pops of thrills unfold make it quite the impressive watch.

Although Rust Creek will probably still fly under the radar as the year goes on because it refuses to sell itself out to wild style or gimmicks, it should be one that genre fans should check out. It’s realism, performances, and strong detailed direction make it a sleeper hit in quality for the year. Rust Creek comes highly recommended.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

The Blood Splatter: Malevolent (2018) and What Keeps You Alive (2018)

MALEVOENT (2018)

Director: Olaf De Fleur

Notable Cast: Florence Pugh, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Scott Chambers, Gerogina Bevan, Stephen McCole, Daisy Mathewson, Charlotte Allen, Nicola Grier, Cecila Imrie

Ghost stories are a dime a dozen in the horror genre, so when Netflix rolled out Malevoent as an original for the Halloween season it was a somewhat overlooked release. No real fanfare or Netflix red carpet, which is the shame of the entire release structure of the streaming giant as things tend to drop and quickly get buried in a thousand other releases. As it turns out, Malevoent is quite the little horror find. Not only does the film take its rather hum drum concept and execute it with a sense of purpose, but it takes a wild turn in the third act that ought to surprise a few fans (like myself) in the process.

The concept of a young team of “fake” paranormal investigators who go into a house only to find their schemes of making a paycheck are going to be messed up by some real ghosts is old hat at this point. Yawn. However, in the case of Malevoent, the film has a strange knack for creating a lot of interest in it. It creates a slew of intriguing characters, hardly original by any means but well executed and heartfelt, and the film’s subtle old school haunted house approach to scares and ghosts is impressive. There are moments where the film leans into an almost 70’s subtle and nuanced tone, less focused on jump scares and more about crafting tension and atmosphere than anything, that betrays its 1980’s setting. The performances and smaller character beats are popping with chemistry and the use of great detailing makes the experience somewhat immersive. More than I was expecting, to say the least.

Naturally, the film takes a fantastic execution and turns it on its head for the third act. It’s not all that unusual to expect the ‘twist’ in a film of this ilk anymore, but the direction that the film goes is somewhat shocking in its own way. To give up more than that is to spoil a big part of why Malevoent is so impressive in the end, so it’s best to leave it at that. Outside of a few predictable subplots that don’t quite get enough attention to add a lot to the narrative and some odd smaller details that didn’t set well with me (why the static screen shots in some of the edits in the second act?,) Malevoent is a great find on Netflix and comes highly recommended.

WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE (2018)

Director: Colin Minihan

Notable Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha MacIsaac, Joey Klein

Although I have enjoyed most of Colin Minihan’s films, particularly after having discovered It Stains the Sands Red earlier this year and just how quirky and effective it was, he is a director that I have always associated with a modern style that would not necessarily work as well with a concept like What Keeps You Alive. The idea of a relatively non-gimmicky and traditional psychological thriller in his hands was one that just didn’t feel like it sat well with me. Still, after a few friends sang their praise of What Keeps You Alive, I decided to leap into the film and just give myself over. I’m sure glad I did. Every year I always end up finding a super surprise gem that shakes up my end of year list and this year, this is that film.

Whether it’s the layered and powerful performances from the two leading ladies, who essentially have to anchor the entire film (only spending a bit of time with a couple of other characters for some brief moments,) or the meticulously paced and often dread soaked tension that just continually builds throughout the latter half of the film, What Keeps You Alive impresses all the way around. It’s the epitome of a film that takes a well-worn concept and delivers a fresh feeling film purely on execution, but that’s what makes it so good. When the film does take smaller twists, it is hardly all that surprising, but it was easy to find oneself sucked into the story and characters to still be drawn further down into the plot which uses the limited setting perfectly.

Yet, despite a well crated script, some powerhouse performances, and a great setting, What Keeps You Alive truly feels like a fully realized artistic film by the director. His knack for using space, long takes, and truly unique moments (particularly in the final act) not only makes this one of the best films of the year, but easily the best film of his career. Although I’m sure there are some people that will find the film to be a bit slow or perhaps predictable, the execution of What Keeps You Alive easily uplifts it to a level that is a massive surprise. It’s one of the best of the year and also highly recommended.

Written by Matt Reifschneider

The Blood Splatter: 2018 Horror Vol. 1 [The Midnight Man, Terrifier, Pyewacket]

THE MIDNIGHT MAN (2018)

Director: Travis Zariwny

Notable Cast: Grayson Gabriel, Emily Haine, Gabrielle Haugh, Summer H. Howell, Keenan Lehmann, Louise Linton, Meredith Rose, Robert Englund, Lin Shaye

The reason why I’ve called you into my office today is that, well, to put it nicely, we need to talk about The Midnight Man. Recently, there has been some speculation that The Midnight Man could have been a good movie. Really, there is potential here. It has a fun monster/game concept at its core, it features a couple of roles for horror elite actors, and the production value is sharp. The problem with it is not how it looks from the outside. It’s the inside. The Midnight Man has one of the thinnest and most illogical scripts I’ve had the pleasure to experience in a long time, the performances of the two/three leads are perplexing at best (jaw droppingly awful at worst,) and the film has a confusing tone. In all honesty, I spent the entire run time of the film desperately trying to figure out if it was meant to be funny. If it was, I didn’t laugh. If it wasn’t, boy, I sure feel awkward that this is how it came out.

Den, The (2014)

Director: Zachary Donohue

Notable Cast: Melanie Papalia, David Schlachtenhaufen, David Shapiro, Anna Margaret Hollyman

Just when you thought that found footage horror had lost all the charm of its gimmick in limiting the visuals of film, The Den pops up to take it one step further. This little slasher horror flick tells its story completely through video screen captures on various mobile devices. While I wasn’t necessarily sold on the film by the end, the concept remains fairly unique and my respect goes to director Zachary Donohue and the other writers for even attempting such a ridiculously limiting gimmick. The results might be a rather mixed bag, but considering how found footage horror has already cannibalized itself into a corner then I will take a fresh spin.