Skinamarink (2023) is the Best Horror Film of all Time (NO SPOILERS)

Now that I've titilated you with the title of this thread, I need to clarify that Skinamarink may not be the best horror film of all time, but it is certainly the most effective horror experience of all time; for, it exists far beyond the definition of a film.

I won't get into the "story" of the movie. There's a TRAILER on the internet, and the trailer will offer no more than you will learn by the end of Skinamarink. Instead, what you need to do is prepare yourself for an experience. If you've played the Visage video game or seen the so-called PT trailer for the canceled Silent Hill video game, you'll have somewhat of an idea what you're getting into. Even alluding to The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity doesn't do justice. If you were a child terrified by the paradoxical nature that mundane objects such as digital displays, bedspreads, Lego blocks, and off-air televisions could take on during lampless nights at three AM, then you'll have a much better idea what you're getting into.

Skinamarink isn't a film about a quippy slasher out for revenge, a person possessed by a devil, or zombies overtaking the earth. What it is is an artifact of a house haunted by its ghosts--an artifact that exists when no one is around to experience it. As a viewer, it feels like something never intended for the living to experience. That's no spoiler, either. I purposefully avoided reading up on the film before seeing, and after viewing I was able to find not much else. So that's my interpretation of events, and I could be completely wrong. No doubt, each viewer will have his or her own.

This is a film that should be studied in film theory classes in every film school. Its use of visuals and especially sound is groundbreaking. But films like Skinamarink don't win Academy Awards, they change the language of cinema forever. Individual shots are framed in disorienting ways, almost from the perspective of a four year old. Except for the constant soundtrack hiss, there are long stretches with no additional audio, moments of jarring audio transitions, moments of muffled whispers that require subtitles, and moments of terrifying clarity. Lighting is minimal and rarely are we allowed to directly look at the central element appearing in a setting. We, the viewers, are left to fill in the blanks. And like a mind left to its own devices, each us fill in the void based on our own childhood experiences and the worst of our imaginations. When it becomes apparent there will be the safety of no conventional narrative to cling to, dread and terror begin to build with each new shot as we realize the worst things imaginable could potentially happen. The filmmakers have completely thrown out the rule book.

Skinamarink is an amazing experiment and work of art. It will produce unimaginable anxiety and terror in many viewers. Many will dismiss it out of hand, be angered by it, and label it The Worst Movie of All Time. Many will question whether it's a movie at all. (It isn't.) If any of what I've written seems intriguing to you, then you're the intended audience for this experience. If not, M3gan is fortunately playing right down the cineplex corridor. If you do decide to see this in a theater setting, which I highly recommend you do, you're going to have to see it with a well-behaved audience and be willing to sit with it during its entire 99-minute run time. Again, this is an experience, not a movie, and you're going to have to know this going in to allow its grip to slowly squeeze around your throat.

If you have a sensitive nature, be forewarned. When it comes to creating true horror, Skinamarink is the real deal. It puts to shame all other horror films. Don't say I didn't warn your inner child.