Skinamarink
Plot
In a eerie and isolating atmosphere, two siblings, Kevin and Casey, are awakened by an unexplained phenomenon that leaves them trapped inside their house with no apparent escape route. The windows and doors, once a means of entry and exit, have mysteriously disappeared, leaving the children bewildered and disoriented. As they frantically search for any clue or explanation for this bizarre occurrence, they begin to uncover cryptic messages and strange noises that hint at an otherworldly presence lurking outside their home. The siblings' initial fear and confusion gradually give way to a sense of unease as they realize that something supernatural is afoot, playing on their deepest fears and insecurities. As the night wears on, Kevin and Casey are forced to confront the darkness head-on, using their wits and resourcefulness to survive this surreal and terrifying ordeal. But with each passing moment, the lines between reality and nightmare become increasingly blurred, leaving the children questioning what is real and what is just a product of their own fevered imaginations. In this unsettling and thought-provoking horror film, Skinamarink masterfully crafts an atmosphere of creeping dread and existential unease, challenging viewers to confront the unknown and the unknowable. As Kevin and Casey fight for survival against the forces that seek to consume them, audiences are left questioning the very nature of reality itself.
Reviews
Josephine
Disappearing doors and windows, gravity-defying dislocations, vanishing parents by the bedside, self-harming games and ominous guidance, disintegrating spatial recordings, ghostly snapshots of children... Noisy, long takes of light and shadow, missing faces, it's like Abbas Kiarostami returning from hell and using the distorted audio-visual language of "24 Frames" to remake "Paranormal Activity." A sensory experience more sinister than mere found footage.
Roman
A turd of a film. Some decent shots reminiscent of YouTube horror. Stick to making short films. #TheScreeningRoom
Angelina
Stretching a 20-minute short film concept into a feature-length runtime feels utterly unnecessary. Generally, withholding information (both logically and visually) can be an effective tool for creating fear through the unknown, but in this film, it induces more snoozing than suspense. Only in the latter half, when the narrative delves into an alternate, upside-down dimension, does the visual and auditory style truly shine. The feeling of being trapped between this dimension and reality, so close yet so far, along with the nightmarish, infinitely extending sense of time, is remarkably well-executed. Two concepts stand out: firstly, the use of animated segments playing on the television as plot dividers and hints (the siblings entering a dream, their struggle with the demon, their disappearance from the real world, etc.). Secondly, the repetitive return to the LEGO blocks...
Carson
The runtime and the concept are at odds. Why wasn't this made into a short film? The sprawling 100 minutes quickly turns from a novelty into an ordeal.
