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This movie was simultaneously the most bored/terrified I’ve been in a movie. Nothing going on for 45 minutes and then the scene when the daughter goes upstairs has me scared asf lol, such an odd experience
I found Skinamarink to be really terrifying and suspenseful. I was personally surprised by the shots of the house creeping me out as much as it did and I was very impressed by it. The scares terrified me and I totally connected with it as I found myself terrified of the dark when I was younger. I thought the ambiguity was very interesting and it got me thinking a lot. I totally get why it wouldn’t work for you but I just found it fantastic.
The movie worked for me actually. It reminded me of the terror I would feel as a kid when I fell asleep watching a movie to wake up to a snowy screen or some bizarre nightmare. I recommend putting the film on late at night then going to sleep. You’ll likely wake up to something frightening. Love your channel and reviews.
Sad to hear you didn't like it. I have the absolute opposite perspective of the movie and Bell. I think it's a bold and personal work that deliberately ignores typical structure, story, and action to instead focus on being an aesthetic audio-visual experience that tries to capture a deep-rooted human fear of the dark. The kids aren't characters, but simply personas for us to inhabit, to try and help us return to that state of childhood where deep-rooted fears had a stronger hold on our imaginations. I think it's interesting that you pointed out it would almost work better as a game, cause my viewing experience definitely reflected my approach to getting immersed in games. After my showing of the movie, Bell connected with the theatre for a Zoom qa and we got to see his personality. I think he's pretty unpretentious in that he was extremely humble and grateful to anyone and seemed like he had a lot of childhood influence in regards to the fear of the dark and being lost. Also, he noted the Sims game as an influence since he played that a lot as a kid, and specifically the idea of an entity locking the doors and terrorizing the sim characters. This is all to say, the guy and his vision have clearly been recognized by many, but its almost always with those that plugged themselves in the dark analog experience of the film.
Why it terrified me: the darkness that made me not being able to quite make out what I could see, the jarring noises made and the slight moving of objects, which made me on edge, I also love how we only heard the evil entity in the movie and never saw him, and I loved how this movie used sound to scare me more than visuals. What you don’t see scares you, and despite some creepy imagery in here, Skinamarink lives up to that saying. I always was scared of the dark thinking something was inside it when I was a child, and this reminds me of that childhood fear. There was also this never ending feeling of dread, not knowing when a jump scare was going to come, or if it was going to come. The muffled voices also creeped me out too, and the setting of the childhood home definitely was disturbing for me. And the weirdness and ambiguity to it all made me uncomfortable and nervous and stuck with me long after the runtime. That’s why I found it scary.
For me, this movie encapsulates the vague fear and dread one experiences in early childhood. It’s that feeling of being like 4 years old, playing with toys or watching tv, and becoming aware that your parents aren’t in the room. You begin to feel that you’re in danger, but at such a young age, you don’t really have a solid idea of what danger is. It’s just this abstract force. And suddenly, the home you usually feel safe and comfortable in becomes frightening. I can’t name another movie that gets anywhere close to this feeling, and for that I have to give Skinamarink a ton of props. Unfortunately, it is too long, and I agree that it has a sort of student-ish quality. Didn’t really like the jump scares either. Those things don’t ruin the movie for me, but they do knock it down a point or two. But again, I think the feelings and memories it evokes are pretty special and that definitely made it worthwhile for me.
deepfocuslens Please do a review of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. It's in my top five most beautiful films ever shot but the story itself and the in media res editing is brilliant.
Despite hating this film, I still respect the originality of it and it’s pretty impressive that a micro-budget movie has such a wide release that its being sold at Walmart next to MCU films
Wow, I think our opinions are exactly the same for this. I was so ready to like this and desperately wanted it to go in a deeper, more visceral direction. Or ANY direction really. I think what ultimately did this in for me were the jumpscares. Its masquerading as high art like you said & even if i was enjoying the sense of dread and uneasiness (reminded me of inland empire a bit in that way), it just does nothing interesting with it imo. Far too repetitive and tedious to be intriguing or entertaining. Felt the jumpscares were super manipulative and out of place. Will say though, it does give out some pretty thought provoking imagery and thats what I thought it was going to be at first. Just something to project ones own thoughts and meaning to but yeah the jumpscares just ruin all sense of imagination and wiggle room for theories.
"The movie feels very full of itself" Exactly. It did nothing for me. Felt like someone was making a home movie and forgot to turn it off when they were done.
Good review, I personally felt like so much of the good ideas fell flat because of the length and the reliance on jumpscares as the punchline, repeatedly, which completely deflated my investment in the movie once the second one happened. The abstract stuff in the beginning with the windows, doors, and furniture and the use of the cartoon, as well as parents being used as a potential source of fear are all very cool ideas- But then we just get a jump cut and a loud noise to cap everything off. Really? The overly long, abstract lo-fi horror film is going to try to get me with the cheapest move in the whole genre? Over and over again? Okay. Nice “art film”.
Horror films can often get by on being pretty shallow films, as long as they communicate their desired effect: scaring people. They're like comedies in that way. So while Skinamarink was one of the most terrifying experiences I've had in a theater, I can't in good conscience recommend it to people, because it's a pretty bad movie overall. It's definitely one of the more 'Subjective' horror movies of the past few years, and I happened to be one of the people who felt like this film reached into my head and projected a nightmare of mine onscreen.
Couldn't stand a minute if this was a VR horror game but yes, really dragged with the current length. The director's "Heck" worked way better for me, and that one is for free on his YT channel.
I tried watching this months ago couldn’t get past the first 15 mins before turning it off. Tried again last night pushed through the entire movie and I have to say it’s obviously a hard watch but it is very dreadful and creepy. Doubt I’d ever watch again but it’s def unique
I totally agree and I can't lie, Ackerman's News From Home felt very similar in terms of how it really felt like it should've been shorter and its a movie that will never fail to put me to sleep... and I usually love slow cinema, these films just didn't have enough there to justify the "glacial" pace like you said.
I like the reference to the students who could get up in front of the class and make an artform out of lying. As a teenager I always envied them. I've got a better recommendation: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dlxGMOJ0jK0.html&pp=ygUSZ3JhZHVhdGlvbiB0cmFpbGVy Balled my eyes out while watching it. But I'm an easy weeper these days. 36 minutes into Gone With the Wind. The technical prowess is stunning. And yeah, Scarlett is complex. So vain and self-centered, yet courageous and spirited. Her spectacle matches the film's compositional brilliance frame for frame. Impressive.
I'd be interested in a re-review of this after a year of using it as a sleep film. Because that truly is the only way its run time could twerk, and I wonder if that was an intent.
Don't mind me I'm just polishing my English here real world general world of mouth tickled my curiosity recurring imageries of dreams that we share good at conveying the mood since the film is all about style in terms of what's driving it everything in this movie is implied montage of pillow shot off kilter angle, images barely able to decipher in the dark gimmick hugely relying on implication Understood and appreciated the concept and styles to a degree which is about how well the movie was exploited properly. stretching the simplicity of the premises too thin Insulting when the abstraction exhist just to embody hollow cliche which is universal imageries of nightmare. Interesting subject without directing ability to make it work inherently limiting to stick to the broadness of the concept for a feature would be more satisfying to breathe new life to cliches - barbarian 2022 in a way that is invigorating at times and unexpected forced mascaraed pretentious lofty press junket - young/innoccent artists feel the need to have to explain their work explanation comes from external sources defeats the purpose I found myself intrigued by the way we have to slowly piece together the narrative audiences members just through the image of a corner of a door or a child's feet that you can only see it because of the flickering blue television light in the background. A long dark hallway that disappear like an abyss which all have artfullness. There are good amount of details to build in that threading the story together in that way becoming slowly more cohesive. monotny of the flow Everything is shrouded in darkness that we fall too deeply into the ambiguity Hide behind the ambiguity as though it is some soft of deep thing too much fillers- does not build to anything there's no emotional resonance hone in on the kids much of these images are just static, lacking intentions. no dimensions or depth academia is often times clutch when it comes to art house and its aspect of self awareness Ozu films without the actual scenes just connecting shots in between muffled all part of the intent because of dichotomy between when we have the jump and all of that I flet manipulated by jump scare tactic 11:16 In the second half feeling of aimlessness (not enough to break off the atmosphere since it was not taken into any new direction) so far as finding out the ways to bring out the tension where it feels organic where we can feel the emotion of the character Loop of scenes - budget no way to reframe the action late half means more immersed and intense which we should be able to watch it move a little bit more right angle and more personall
Skinamarink gets 1 star for style but the rest if the film was extremely dull. I fell asleep 2 times trying to finish the movie. This movie should have been a short film 10-30 min max. I praise the potential but ultimately disappointed.
This was the most pretentious thing I have seen in ages. Why did it have to take place in 1995? That was just stupid. It could have been anywhere from 1990 to 2010. This person blows at trying to make something period specific It seems like someone born in 2002 just got into liminal spaces and thought it would be “hip” to make a horror movie with it I would maybe be okay with this if it was just a 20 minute short film of shots 😂
Ya. It was terrible. All the headache flashing. The WANT to be Lynch but not coming close. The BORINGNESS. It all sucked. It was the worst thing I've watched since Begotten. I think the first scene in Begotten was better than the whole movie. I'll never forget it though. That was basically two hours of my life I'll never get back. NEVER watch this guy's.
Horror is my favorite genre of any media I consume because of the strength of the emotional responses it can bring to one. Skinamarink wasn’t the most disturbing or shocking film I’ve ever seen but it was easily the scariest because I was unnerved throughout the entirety of its runtime. The nostalgic era feel, the raw vulnerability of the children, and the focus on the audiences psyche being the source of dread and tension in the midst of overwhelming darkness, all worked perfectly to me. I understand people’s gripes and I understand how it fell short for multiple people. I also understood your critiques of it, and it resonates with me as a critic. What I can’t ignore, however, is the feelings that the film gave me. Even upon rewatch I was filled with dread and unease. Could it have done more, of course, could it have been more involved in terms of plots and whatnot, yes. Despite these issues, it had a vision and it succeeded in bringing it to fruition in my opinion. I gotta respect it because of these feelings.
If Skinamarink was a 30-40 minute short I would call it one of the best pieces of horror media ever made. You're so right about the gimmick not being able to sustain a feature length.
I agree. This was the film he did that led to Skinamarink. It didn't need to be more than this. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HVQzEzW4faA.htmlsi=Tf7IN02fy_C1XwJj
I saw this movie 3 times in theaters back when it came out. It is easily the scariest movie I have seen in maybe about 20 years. I thought I was at the point in my life where movies could no longer scare me, I enjoy horror movies but they don’t freak me out. Skinamarink evoked a sense of dread and fear in me that I didn’t have since I was a kid. Those times when your a kid and you wake up in the middle of the night and your house becomes unfamiliar and your just waiting for daylight, this movie for me perfectly took those feelings from long ago and made a movie about just trying to make you feel that way again. I know the movie is extremely divisive, but I never thought the movie was boring. The entire 100 minutes was slowly getting creepier as it went along. Maybe watching in a pitch black movie theater helped immerse me more in the movie, I don’t know. But Skinamarink is definitely one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen.
I think this was terrifying for me because I watched it in a movie theater with only a handful of other people scattered throughout the room. I have yet to watch it at home to see if it will still scare me!
I can see why people are split on this. I always used to have intense fears as a kid of dark rooms and hallways, and it seems odd that the movie reminded me of a nightmare that I had but can't really recall much of it. I just know that it revolved around being alone in the house with no logical explanation as to what's going on. The upstairs scene with the father and then the mother sitting at the edge of the bed really got me. There's just something unnerving about an individual sitting facing away from me in the darkness of a room doing absolutely nothing that awakens the fight or flight response, keeping me on edge just waiting for that jumpscare
I largely agree with your analysis, but it did last a bit longer for me before it became tedious. I think the key to whether you enjoy this film may be if you experienced hallucinations as a young child. I don’t know how true this is of others, but I used to hallucinate all kinds of weird things before the age of five. About the time I entered grade school was when I outgrew it. This film goes right to the heart of that. Hallucinations are just dreams you have while wide awake.
I'm in the camp that liked (not loved) this film, but I agree with you on a number of points. First of all, I wanna say that I already knew going into it how this film was dividing audiences and why, so to really give it an honest, serious shot, I decided to watch it on my own, past midnight, in complete darkness, with headphones at full volume, and you know what, that really worked wonders in terms of immersion. I also think that's how a film like this should be experienced, because I can see how in a group setting people would be a lot quicker to make jokes and say how boring/slow it is, which it kinda is, I guess, but yeah I feel like experiencing it solo should be the way to go to really get into it. As I've told others, it'll either put you to sleep rather quickly, or it'll make up for a pretty terrifying experience. And I did find it terrifying at times, to the point where I was dreading in anticipation of what was (maybe) going to happen, so much so, that I had to remove one of my headphones cause I just couldn't deal with it (the looking under the bed scene, the very very last final sequence as well with that barely perceivable "face", etc.). Those loud-ass jumpscares however, fuck them, I understand the film is very low budget, but when it was doing so well (in my opinion) at what it was attempting to do, it was sad seeing it resort to cheap, loud scares. Those really weren't necessary. So yeah, I can safely say that on one hand, I love that "Skinamarink" exists in this form, that it was made, shown in theaters/festivals, etc. I guess I'm also biased cause I'm a sucker for analog horror and stuff, but yeah I'm perfectly fine with how it turned out. However, as you pointed out, I don't feel like the film earns its runtime. Mind you, I had 0 issues with it being 1h40mins myself, but a film like this, I think it would've been more palatable, accessible, and perhaps even more widely, warmly received, if it had been cut down to something like 70mins, because then the runtime would, I think, better reflect what the film is at its core, an experimental experience of sorts. But see, here I can also argue against this and say that I kinda get it being 1h40mins, because it feels like you're stuck in a nightmare that you can't wake up from, which is pretty much what the kids go through in the film. I mean, at one point, the film even tells you how it's been like 500 or 600 days since they've been stuck, so I get it. Even if there was a lot that could be cut from the film, I think if it had been too short it wouldn't quite go on long enough to really give you that half-asleep/half-awake vibe. At 100mins I think it manages to really suck you into that world and hold you captive there. Make it too short and it would maybe come off as just nothing but a short, bad dream you quickly woke up from, but as it is, it feels like an actual nightmare that might even stick to you as you go to bed and look at the shadows in your home in a whole new light (heh). But yeah, of course, conceptually a lot of this can and does make sense (for me), but at the end of the day this is still a film that plays out in the real world, in real time, for us real audience members, and some things just don't translate as well even if conceptually, on paper, it's all there. I wonder if you've seen "Sleep Has Her House"? I feel like that might be something you'd enjoy even if it's just another film to slowly fall asleep to.
Utter waste of time. I love slow horrors where nothing happens for long periods (I LOVE the Paranormal Activity films and the OG Blair Witch) and those that build atmosphere, but this was just taking the piss. Outwaters was just as bad but at least things were happening in that one.
I remember watching this in the theater and afterwards thinking that this was gonna be my "worst movie of the year"..........then I saw "The Outwaters". 😄😄
well i saw it at 1.5x and was more tolerable and likable than the first time that i felt like an opaque or if not negatively said, dense experience. This director created a minimalistic style which i find it unique and charming, yes, but the big mistake he is too pretentious to show this slow pace at 1 hour and 40 min, because being pretentious on this kind of movie, is like wanting to do a "heavy handed" artsy movie, but it fails on his form. I honestly really would like to see more of this director, but not going too far with boredom experimentation
I really wanted to like this one more. Unfortunately, I found is dull and pretentious. This could have been really great had the grainy lo-fi visuals been attached to a story. Hallucinations (1986) is a great comparison point, a low-budget surreal horror that did it much better.
The film didn't work for me, but I'm just so grateful that a microbudget film can still get a theatrical release and be successful in the current cinematic climate.
I think about 50 minutes would've made for a much better film. Among the more positive reviews I've read, I felt like some flabbiness and excesses of the film were frustratingly explained away by the "you don't get it, it's Avant Garde" theme.
Many years ago i was hospitalized and underwent surgery that lasted for several hours. I remember after waking being in a semi lucid state due to the anesthesia and painkillers. the movie reminded of that feeling and triggered some weird memories . The feeling of not exactly understanding what is happening around me but also being lucid enough to understand that i am not dreaming.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on another small indie horror (ish) called "We're All Going To The World's Fair". Contrary to this I found it had much more fleshed out ideas and things to chew on beyond just it's lofi horror atmosphere
I hated that movie. You want to talk pretentious long films it’s We’re All Going To The World’s Fair. I get the movie is better understood by teens, but horror movies are for adults. So if that movie was made in like 10-15 years it might have had more of an audience who could truly get into it. But yeah that movie f’ing sucked.
This low-fi, analog horror style has done really well in indie games. There's some genuinely horrifying games (particularly by a creator named Chilla's Art). This film feels like excerpts of them strung together.
Thanks for the excellent review 😁👍📽🎥🎬🎞 i'm going to watch Skinamarink tonight, so i am intrigued to see if my opinion differs, but on the whole i admire your reviews... 😁👍📽🎥🎬🎞
I've been on the borderline for this movie. I think you've talked me down. I'll watch Pearl instead. Hope you have a wonderful summer, but that you find time to RU-vid (and Insta).
Yep, the movie was too long for what it was. But all criticisms of it are the entire movie's point. The frustration and lack of control - just like in a nightmare.
wow you totally destroyed my latest favorite experimental film, but I get what you're saying first viewing when I still don't know what will appear in the dark (nothing) made me really anxious all throughout. my brain keeps on expecting for the worst. spot on with the repetitiveness. The movie could be shaved off 30-45 minutes esp. the scene with the toys. but I think his short films greatly differ as they are far emptier
Most of everything you said was pretty accurate. With that said, this movie achieved its job at being remembered. Remembered for both the right reasons and the wrong reasons. This director will be remembered for doing a whole lot with very little. In horror, a mood can sometimes carry a story with no arc. The scene when the daughter goes into the parents bedroom will be remembered by horror fans forever. Yes the story gave us nothing, we never saw anyones face, and the deadspace and drawn out awkward camera shots were downright absurd, but the mood and dread was scary as hell.
For me, this movie was kind of boring the first time I saw it, but the second time it grows a lot, when I left the tedious of long shots of nothing and became more aware of the story. Gosh, what a cruel story is! The girl abandoned in the cellar without eyes and mouth, for almost two years! And the little kid being forced to hurt himself in his eye with a knife; and then being killed and reverse to life, again, and again, and again. That is cruelty at its best. That demon can control time and space, and just want to torture these kids, even when their mother just pass away and father is in mourn. I don't know, but at the end I feel like the mother was possessed at that house, she died, and the demon stays. By the way, the camera effect to recreat that the house was upside down, or the the little boy was walking at the cealing, is very effective. In less words, is a movie that needs to be watched two or three times for a better experience.
Yeah I was mostly bored watching it the first time. But I found myself watching it again the next night because some of the scenes were haunting me. That "look under the bed" scene in the parent's bedroom in particular. I feel like I had that dream as a kid. Or a very similar dream. Overall I admired the film for trying for something unique and interesting, even if a bit simplistic. It seems a bit wrong that it got a wide theatrical release, making it into a big deal. It's definitely more of a cult film.
"Pretentious, lofty, glacial, gimmicky" yes, all descriptions that reflect my experience in attempting to watch this movie. It's frustrating, because I picked up on the mood and was game for it, but it wasn't enough to carry my interest. I got annoyed with the overreliance on the gimmick, which took me out of the moment. Have you seen Lovely, Deep, and Dark? Would be interested in your review of that.
“This too to remember. If a man writes clearly enough any one can see if he fakes. If he mystifies to avoid a straight statement, which is very different from breaking so-called rules of syntax or grammar to make an efffect which can be obtained in no other way, the writer takes a longer time to be known as a fake and other writers who are afflicted by the same necessity will praise him in their own defense. True mysticism should not be confused with incompetence in writing which seeks to mystify where there is no mystery but is really only the necessity to fake to cover lack of knowledge or the inability to state clearly. Mysticism implies a mystery and there are many mysteries; but incompetence is not one of them; nor is overwritten journalism made literature by the injection of a false epic quality. Remember this too: all bad writers are in love with the epic.” - Hemingway
I really wanted to love this movie...but ended up hating it. It feels very aimless and pretentious, and, like you were saying so eloquently, relies so heavily on its style. It was hard for me to even pinpoint rising tension or even the climax because of the repetitive pacing, random hallway shots, and heavily grainy and dark scenes. With so much great analog horror out there, I think what I was expecting was an analog full length film, so it left me really disappointed.
I was so disappointed watching this movie, I thought I was crazy. I heard of this exciting new horror film (my favourite genre) so I go out and buy pizza with a drink and settle to watch it. The movie hooked me at the beginning because the mood was just different and offputting (in a good way). At some point after I was done with my pizza (yes, I ate the whole thing lol) I ended up skipping some parts and realized the whole fucking movie is like that and was so disappointed. I get where the director is coming from, and frankly I’m glad he didn’t try to make it something it shouldn’t be (as in a traditional movie). However, this is one of these interesting concepts that just shouldn’t be a full length feature film. I 100% agree with you max 1 hour and that’s if you’re stretching it. And you know what, if that was the case I’d probably consider this movie as one of the more interesting horror movies out there. But because it just tries so hard to be something it isn’t, it just fell flat. Glad I wasn’t the only one to be honest
This movie is so pretentious it ruins it's own incredible ideas. I mean on paper it sounds great: two children are being tortured infinitely by an omnipresent demon in some kind of limbo world / liminal space where they are trapped in the middle of the night for eternity. Chilling and disturbing when you break it down but the actual experience of watching this film is a complete snoozefest. So boring. So full of itself. So many missed opportunities. The jumpscares while being the cheapest element of the film are by far the best moments here and I was glad the film lulled me into these moments but they are few and far between. The concept and the themes just aren't explored enough for it to be a satisfying film. Everything about this movie culminates into a giant pretentious disappointment. I feel like even I could make a better film with the concept.
Fear is interesting because not everyone agrees on what is scary, terrifying, horrifying, etc. I saw this in the theater and found it to be one of the very few movies that has ever creeped me out (The Shining is boring to me and while the Exorcist is great, it's not even remotely scary to me. And if you want to talk pretentious, The Halloween series is the first thing that comes to mind). So it either does it for you, or doesn't, but I'm a little shocked to hear the thinly veiled insults thrown at the director.
I think all your criticisms are probably valid, and are things the director needs to hear. But if it were me I'd try to be gentler with amateur filmmakers. Maybe I just haven't seen many of your negative reviews but I can't remember you ever being this harsh. Which I can understand it's in some ways worse than your typical bad movie. But since it's an amateur film I think the criticism we'd normally give freely should be tempered somewhat.
I don't agree, but I have to accept that you made some solid arguments there. If anything, I think that your reaction has been skewed by your expectations, but that is purely a guess.
My wife & I fell asleep 40 minutes into the movie & woke up when the credits came on. If you have trouble sleeping or insomnia problems. Turn this movie on
If the style had been used for a few select scenes in an otherwise straight forward psychological horror film, it really would have been more impactful
Could not agree more. once the gimmick was up... these extended scenes just went on and on and on. felt like the only scene that was interesting at all, was with the sister after she goes to see her parents. apart from that, I was just bored.
I couldn’t wait for this movie to be over. How many shots of staircases, cabinets and doors can you have? Maybe it would’ve worked for like 10-15 min but 110 min? Unbearable
I borderline loved a few parts and scenes of this film. I also think it's a thin sketch of an idea that should have been a short film instead of a feature. Definitely had enough dread, atmosphere and style for me to be on the lookout for more from the director though!
I wanted to like this so much! The buzz was that some people were terrified and some were totally bored. The last film I remember with that particular controversy was The Blair Witch Project and it remains one of my favorite movies ever. So I had a totally open mind going in but unfortunately my eyes refused to be open. I tried twice and I just couldn’t stay awake. I’m really envious of those who were terrified by it. But you made a really good point when you said you didn’t care about the kids. We’re supposed to, but how can you care about characters the filmmaker refuses to even let us see much less get to know. 🤷♀️ I do respect all attempts to make different kinds of horror. Originality is always welcome. And this guy has potential but I agree he has a lot left to learn.
Super appreciated this. Helped me calibrate your voice in my head. (You finding this movie deeply valid and appreciable from a theory perspective, but having reasons for not liking it... love it.) (I haven't seen it, but I've been following reactions to this movie for like six months now. This was a needed voice and statement.)
I took Chris Gore's advice and watched it when I was sleepy and barely awake. Fit the mindset perfectly. Kind of intertwined itself in my thoughts as a nightmare handed to me in my dreamy state.
Been waiting to hear your thoughts on this! Yeahh.. you pretty much felt the same way I felt about it. We usually (but not always) have similar opinions. And this definitely doesn't touch Maya Deren.
I love horror movies because they're comfort food. They have absolutely nothing to.do with the real horror we experience in our everyday lives: racial strife, rape, racial strife, war, Donald Trump, racial strife, Donald Trump's followers, violent crime, homophobia turned lethal, racial strife, political correctness viewed as annoying instead of political correctness being viewed as actually trying not to hurt people, racial strife, the destruction of the environment, being anti-woke so we don't have to think about slavery or LGBTQ folks or the fact that America has only been a.democracy since about 1970 when the Deep South finally was rid of poll taxes and literacy tests, racial strife, the difference between police treatment of whites and non+whites (look at film of 1/6 and ask yourself if a mob of blacks from Black Lives Matter would have been treated the same as a violent white mob, Eve Carson, Kitty Genovese, and racial strife (race is behind EVERYTHING in America. Just ask William Faulkner or Ralph Ellison) Unlike Rosemary's Baby or Deliverance, fun horror movies stay on the screen where they belong (RB and Deliverance leap out from the screen and sit next to you,in the theater). Horror movies are The Brady Bunch for adults, unlikely to disturb your biorhythms, sleep, and memory. They are roller coasters ofthe cheap ... emotions (?) of bathos and sentimentality. Nothing matters except a,high body count done imaginitivy. And I love them.,if I want to think I'll,play a,challenging video game.Like Stephen King always says when someone points out that the black/gay/Jewish/Hispanic cultures/people he knows is watching Roots & Roots 2/The Boys In The Band/the Holocaust miniseries/Chico & The Man: "Well, if you're so smart why ain't you rich?"
I hope this director does something really good next, I agree this movie was pretty boring. But, I REALLY loved the ending, I like the eldritch horror feeling this movie conveys, but I don't like the pacing at all. The fact this movie costed sub $20,000 and made $2mil should be enough of a queue for this director to take it to the next level. This was a bit safe feeling, almost lazy but I don't think that's how he wanted to come across: it felt like a low budget movie through and through no doubt. Something about this movie almost felt like a really long music video rather than a movie, like I could totally hear some Boards Of Canada or Aphex Twin or Deftones playing in my head during this film, which I'd say isn't great. This is the epitome of style over substance. I'd say at the halfway point when things really started to happen was when I became interested, so this movie gets a 6/10 if I had to give it a score.
