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.