Skinamarink
I'm not sure I've ever been more defensive of a movie as I am of Skinamarink, which is unfortunate, because it's easily the most controversial movie I've ever seen (artistically, not morally.) While I understand why people don't like it- it's avant-garde for sure, so if you're really attached to the artistic choices used in more mainstream horror movies, this might not be for you. I, however, am a sucker for experimental horror, so if you're going to not just dislike Skinamarink but actively talk shit about it around me, I'm definitely going to bitch about you behind your back, sorry.
Anyway, onto the actual movie. If you consider that a tense and suspenseful tone is the most fundamental aspect of horror- hence its 'other side of the coin' relationship with comedy- then Skinamarink truly is the undistilled essence of the genre itself. It's a beast made only of atmosphere. Sure, there is a creature behind all this dread, a childlike demon that plays with human children like a little girl with her Barbie dolls, but we never see it onscreen. While it acts as a plot device, the fact remains that Skinamarink strives to terrify through atmosphere alone.
For me, it succeeded- by the end of the movie, I was watching it out of the periphery, too filled with dread to look at the screen lest I get a whole direct view of something too scarring to see in full. I will admit that, even at age 24, I'm still afraid of the dark, and this captured that fear perfectly- except this time, the monster isn't invisible because it's not real, it's invisible because it's more an evil god than a monster. With Skinamarink, though, I was caught in those few moments of running up the stairs after switching off the light for the entirety of the film. There was no escaping the dark for the children or me.
Reluctantly, I'll cede the point on the most common criticism of the film: that it's boring. Personally, I don't think it is, but I can acknowledge that it reaches a very niche audience. If I were, say, a slasher junkie, I probably would find Skinamarink dull and pretentious. Obviously I am not, and so here I am with a new top-ten-favorite movie, but the point is, I feel like discussions about this movie would be a lot less heated if we could acknowledge the fact that it's just not for everyone- nor does it try to be.
... But again, don't talk shit about it around me, because that's a lot easier said than done.
Final rating: ★★★★⯨
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