Photo: Kyle McMahon
Look, I consider myself a brave person. I once ate a gas station egg salad sandwich in the middle of July. I’ve survived family Thanksgivings where the Wi-Fi went out and the older people had control of the TV. But nothing - and I mean nothing - prepared me for the hour and forty minutes of staring at a dimly lit hallway that is Skinamarink.
If you haven’t heard of it, it’s the experimental horror movie that’s been traumatizing the internet. If you have heard of it, you’re probably either a cinephile who loves "liminal spaces" or you’re currently sleeping with every light in your house on.
I fell somewhere in the middle: crying in the dark while wondering if my Lego set was plotting my demise.
What is this movie even?
Imagine your childhood house at 3:00 AM. Now imagine all the doors and windows just… left. They went on vacation. They’re gone. Also, there’s a voice coming from the shadows that definitely isn’t your Mom telling you to go back to bed.
It’s grainy. It’s loud. It’s quiet. It’s basically a 100-minute ASMR video produced by a demon.
Why did I do this to myself and watch Skinamarink?
Because I love you guys. And because I have a deep-seated need to over-analyze things until they aren’t fun anymore. I sat down, turned off the lights, and let this movie melt my brain into a fine slurry of existential dread.
Did I understand every second of it? Absolutely not. My IQ isn't high enough to interpret a shot of a ceiling fan for six minutes without getting distracted by a loose thread on my sock. But did it make me feel like I was five years old again, convinced that a monster lived in my toilet? 100%.
The Big Question: Is It Actually Good?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn't it? Is it a masterpiece of lo-fi atmospheric horror, or is it just a very expensive screen saver?
I have thoughts. Spicy thoughts. Confused thoughts. Ones that involve me admitting I may have checked under my bed twice before filming the video. So I’m not going to spill all the tea here. I’m a professional (mostly), and I spent way too much time color-correcting my eyebags in this new video to let the spoilers fly in a blog post.
Check out the Full Review of Skinamarink
I’ve dropped a brand new video where I break down:
- Why this movie is the ultimate "love it or hate it" test.
- The exact moment I considered calling my therapist.
- Why grainy footage of a CRT television is somehow allegedly the scariest thing from 2024.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
Trust me, you’ll want to see my descent into madness. It’s much more entertaining than watching a door frame for ten minutes...I promise.
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Check out Kyle Mcmahon and subscribe to the Pop Culture Weekly podcast. You can follow him on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram and check out his official Amazon Store.