B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink into the ol’ VCR. 

Before I begin, I feel the need to include one of my trademark disclaimers. If you’re new to my writing or new to the blog, here’s the spiel: 

The great thing about movies is that we can discuss and debate them. Just because I think a movie is great doesn’t make it a good movie, and just because I think a movie is awful doesn’t make it a bad movie. Also, making a movie is extremely difficult and incredibly badass, and I don’t want to detract from the process. I also applaud the crew for making this movie on such a small budget. Seriously, it’s incredible 

Disclaimer aside, pretend all of your doors and windows have disappeared, and settle in for my review of Skinamarink. 

CW/TW: representation/allusion to child ab*s*, child harm/endangerment, su*c*d*

Oh Skinamarink, I was rooting so hard for you, and I think you have incredible potential. However, you were at least 45 minutes too long for me, and you relied on cheap jump scares when you didn’t need them. 

Let this also be a lesson in not underestimating your audience. The metaphors are there, and some scenes are masterfully done — there were even a handful that disturbed me, and I still think about them. However, we don’t need to be bombarded by abstract imagery and looped scenes to understand what’s happening In This House. 

Finally, and this is just a personal preference, but please add subtitles to all of the dialogue, not select pieces. I would probably be killed in the first few minutes of the movie because I would have to ask the sinister forces in the house to speak up because I couldn’t hear and/or understand them. 

Okay, all of the bad aside, let’s talk about what I really enjoyed from this movie and some of my theories. First and foremost, I’m not being hyperbolic when I say some scenes from this movie stuck with me. In particular, the scenes that made me crawl under my skin were: 

• The phone scene (not the jump scare, but the shadows) 
• The blood splatter scene 
• The Kaylee scene (IYKYK)
• And, last but not least, the whole knife scene 

These scenes are what kept me from hating this movie. They’re simple, yet impactful. Additionally, these scenes remind you that this film is from a child’s POV and take you back to your childhood nightmares. Remember the fear of not knowing what truly lies in the dark, or the shadows that common objects made at night. 

Remember not being able to comprehend what’s going on in the world around you, so you have to process events in terms you understand. It’s extremely powerful. On this note, I want to throw out my theories on what I believe Skinamarink represents. 

I know I put a CW/TW up top, but I want to give one more warning here. The metaphors, at least in my eyes, are very intense and could be triggering. Needless to say, I won’t blame you if you need to stop reading here. If so, jump ahead to the next section. 

I have two major theories for Skinamarink. The first is a bit more obvious than the other, so we’re going to go from plausible to “I watch a lot of true crime.” My first theory is the children are being abused, and it might even be at the hands of their own mother. Kaylee doesn’t want to talk about her mother when Kevin brings her up, and the entity presents itself to Kaylee as her mother when it calls her upstairs. I believe the guilt and/or the parents’ imminent divorce has also lead the childrens’ mother to commit or attempt suicide. This is why her discussion with Kaylee is cut off midway through. 

I know this is extremely heavy, so I’m going to take a beat. And again, I won’t blame you if you need to skip down.

Okay, here’s my second theory: I believe the children were abducted from their home and are being abused and tortured by a kidnapper. To avoid any confusion, this is the “I watch a lot of true crime” theory. The doors and windows disappear because Kaylee and Kevin are being held in a dark space, which also accounts for the feelings of perpetual darkness; it even explains the toilet disappearing and being replaced by buckets. Kevin also asks the entity for its name at the end of the film. 

The childrens’ parents are killed, and this is why Kaylee’s asked to look under the bed; they don’t want her to see their deaths. The presence later tells Kevin that Kaylee asked for her Mom and Dad, so it punished her. I buy into this theory more than my first theory, and I even thought we would be looking at crime scene photos when photographs initially began to flash across the screen. 

If you don’t want to commit to the full movie, Wendigoon does a really good analysis video over on his YouTube channel that I’d recommend. I don’t agree with his theories, but I think they might be right. Plus, Kyle Edward Ball made a short film called Heck, and it’s basically Skinamarink lite. I think it’s truly marvelous. 

I want to give Skinamarink kudos. For an experimental horror movie to have the theatrical run it did is unheard of, and I’m so glad horror movies like this, Terrifier 2, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, etc.. are having theatrical success. I think it’s remarkable, and Skinamarink’s divisive nature shouldn’t undermine its positive impact. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan, I’ll definitely check out Kyle Edward Ball’s work in the future. 

Unless the Fisher Price phone comes for me first. 

Skinamarink is now streaming on Shudder.