This sense of “following you home” is so potent with Skinamarink to the point where even though I was mostly bored and confused when watching it, I was constantly watching my windows and doors all night afterwards to make sure they were still there

Skinamarink is an Expressionist nightmare undulating from the subconscious of a 4 year old boy that's trying to be remembered almost 30 years later.

The screenplay is like a tapestry of perspectives I remember fixating on as a kid. Nothing was taken for granted. Everything was a mystery. Why is that like that? What's up there? So much empty space everywhere... I'm genuinely confused about the upside down furniture on the ceiling. And I have no idea what the malicious force is supposed to represent, other than the manifestation of the suspicion that all wasn't quite as hunky-dory as it was fed to me.

I share this sentiment and experience, I should not have watched Skinamarink after not sleeping for a day writing a report. Horror movies like this shrink your world for a brief period of time and cut you off from your connection to it making it all the more worthwhile to return to living.

Made me feel like a little kid again, in the way that being a little kid felt like trying to figure out what innocuous things I had to avoid to keep The Scary Grown-Up World from getting mad at me.

Aww I didn't know he had a baby, that's wonderful.

The dread is temporary, but the funny memes Kyle Edward Ball retweets are forever

I liked it. The basics of horror don't scare me like they do for everyone else. Uncanny creepiness scares me. Silence, internal imagination running wild, the unnerving feeling of not knowing what or why. Then the gut punch of the fact that this inescapable nightmare is happening to 2 helpless toddlers that have absolutely 0 chance of fighting back. It Follows, Under the skin, the ending of Blair witch project, horror that just forces you into the ride with no explanation or guidance gives me that same feeling as a child that the dark did.

I'm so glad you mentioned Paranormal Activity. That movie scared me so bad, but not until I got home. It turned all silence into pregnant silence and it made every creak the sound of a demon coming to get me. 😫

Ohh man this was so good, loved the writing, repetition, the *vibes.* this and the essay on "Men" are like a marriage between video essay and spoken word prose poetry and i had no idea i wanted that until now 🤣

Skinimarink does absolutely everything it can to alienate the viewer. But for those that it connects with, it will stay with you for a long time. And it has one of the most disturbing, horrific line of dialogue I've seen in a film.

So Nathan, you took up ASMR in order not to wake up the baby or what? This was very funny, but I have a very dry sense of humour... Always happy when you share with us!

This 🎥 will be the closest we'll ever get to an adaptation of House of Leaves

Amen, my dude. Does fascinate me that a movie that seems to only be comprised of shots of dark corners and creepy hallways has captured the imagination of so many. I have wondered if part of the reason it exploded pre release on Tik Tok is because so much of its user base is so young and a lot closer to the original experience of having these fears. With me, personally, I'm beyond too old to be afraid of the dark and yet I still sleep with a nightlight. I think maybe those who are still in touch with that primal fear can still feel it and appreciate it. Many who are well over it will tell you to just turn off the light and go to sleep. That's a big reason why this movie is so, so divisive. A lot of people said the same thing about Paranormal Activity. Boring static shots of a darkened door ajar. But that's what got me. This movie didn't grab me as hard as Paranormal Activity, but I did feel a few of its scenes pretty intensely. I think the analog, static effect distracted me after a while because it looked too much like an effect sometimes. Took me a bit out of the experience. But I do adore the concept and the fact that this film has awoken something in horror that seems so new, but is very old.

I adored this movie! I love/hate horror movies. Sometimes they’re clever, most of the time they’re doo doo cash grabs. I watched this one on my phone with ear buds and just kept this Erie feeling of helplessness. I could barely see so I felt like I was looking for stuff that wasn’t there, I held my breath trying to listen for details to follow this kids, not being able to see enough to know for certain what was going on. Kicked my senses into over drive and actually gave me a bit of anxiety.

Can you do The Menu next?? I'm obsessed with your video essays. They're so we'll done and exactly the type of synopsis I crave

Guy looking back and forth,wispering"i dont know what wtf means?..." Girl wispers"shuuut upp..."

I don't understand people who don't get what's going on in the movie. IMO it's not too much of a leap from some omnipotent, malevolent trickster being like Freddy Krueger or Q from Star Trek to the home invader in Skinamarink. I understand not liking the filmmaking choices and there are a bunch of shots I would have cut, but the story is really straightforward.

I watched this one late at night with all the lights off and noise cancelling headphones on. It took me a bit before the movie sucked me in. I had to sleep with a light on. The last movie I took to bed with me was Mirrors when I was 14. Thank you for covering this one!

Only the natural progression to follow making your own horror movie

This feels like asmr

Love your take, Skinamarink followed me home too and no one has put it as eloquently.

When I was 2 I was allowed to watch the first Gremlins movie. As silly as it is I had nightmares until I was 12, and I would wake up in the middle of the night, only to find that I had not woken up at all and from the darkness of my room I would be attacked, and then I would wake up to the same dark room. The false awakenings erased the line between nightmares and the waking world and I would shake myself to try and make sure I was awake as I lay staring at shadowed doorways at night. It didn't work.

So disappointed by all of the "well, I fell asleep" comments I've seen. Haven't felt like this since the same remarks were flying around about The Green Knight, another viewing experience I considered to be rather unique. It's like some people who, on the one hand, are unwilling to embrace a film that isn't 100% in line with every other watching experience they've ever had and will then, on the other hand, complain about how so many movies feel "the same".

I watched this and I was hyped to do so because I heard such great things about it. I turned off all the lights, got my popcorn and blanket, and settled in. I was so disappointed that the film was the horror equivalent of watching paint dry. I love experimental and other kinds of films. And I gave myself over to this film and it STILL didn't work for me.

I love the allusions to The Navidson Record. That’s got to be one of my favorite films.

I just finished this movie on Shudder, and holy hell if this isn't a perfect review. Thank you so much.

Argh you have put me in a spot, I haven't seen it yet. Be back in 2 hours.

Can't wait for your next work

I'm not sure it really hit me like it did for others. I don't think its bad at all though, its actually something I applaud for trying something different with the Found Footage and Horror Genre at large. Having it involve children as the victims definitely is unsettling and not actually directly seeing the kids being harmed was reminscent of the original Texas Chainsaw. So solid movie, definitely not for everyone.

What an interesting video! An art piece and commentary video on one 💖

Ohhh, just as I wanted, we all needed your take on this one 👁👁 Edit: wow

It's very interesting how your videos sometimes replicate the style of the film being covered. I had a similar realisation watching the Annihilation video where it felt as if the commentary became fragmented to mimic the nature of shimmer zone. I do like the vids but I feel like this has made me realize that I watch video essays to make sense of and find a safe space to process the film and it feels strange to be emmersed back into the fear of a story instead of comprehending it. Not sure if I like it to be honest but you made me scared and I feel like as a horror analysis channel that'd be the intent.

all i needed was a blessing, and i received it with this upload

Loved this movie

seeing your videos on my feed always makes my day ❤ excited to watch this one!!

Your camera work and artistry is always compelling

I'm so happy to see another one of your videos!

Thank you so much for bringing me a bit of joy. I am so happy to hear a bit of your genuine happiness. It makes my happiness level rise. I wish the same for all my fellow listeners.

Your videos are incredibly good. I hope you return and make some more.

This was great as usual dude good job

God I loved this movie

I'm definitely going to have to watch this

This man would crush at ASMR

Come back dude! we miss you 🖤

This video is better than the actual movie

Brilliant film.

I've been debating whether or not to watch this movie. I probably will. In the meantime, Acolytes of Horror, seriously -- I love the way you presented this. As a reflection, not a tale or movie review. I understand that this movie is more or less an *experience* rather than a "horror movie" (which I think sounds very interesting). I have a few movies that followed me home, too.

I hate to say this movie, while promising and at least aestheticaly haunting, is just WAY too abstract for its own sake. Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to narratively ambiguous (even agnostic) movies. But this thing of having the protagonists off camera 99% of the time is just painfully alienating. Probably would be more effective in a constrained short film, but in a full feature gets tedious and frustrating very quickly. Listening to the kids whispers may hint that they are traped in some kind of limbo, but they aren't; we are. We are the ones condemned to stare at these grainy still shots of dark hallways until the eerieness worns out completely, and then a long while more. If anything, what this experiment did capture is the endless dread of being bored as a child at that age when the sense of time can stretch to an apparent eternity. And yes, that can be terrifying per se, but neither enjoyable, nor significative enough to justfy a 100min. film.

Perfect video for this movie

Skinamarink made me return child. The darkness full of mistery, and the mistery full of darkness

I wasn't a big movie person as a kid, I read more. I looked up twice when my sisters watched The Princess Bride, once with the eels, missing the "she does not die at this time" and another time with what I understood as the six finger man sucking the life from a screaming, writhing man. I screamed and ran into the basement, hiding behind a couch and sob-screaming "how could you like such a film"

Wow, so very very good!

this seemed like such a good recommendation yesterday, when I was looking for what film to watch at night. Guess I expected too much :/

Go to an AA meeting every day for 90 days, and come back.

It would great if you did a deep dive of this movie like midsummar ❤

Awesome review man..thought you were taking the piss at start..but damn you kinda scared me in the end lol i wasn't gonna watch it but I'm going to now

Whispering was uncomfortable

miss your content, hope life is treating you well!

Bro new video??????????? Did you forget about this channel??????????

Everything I learn about this movie makes me more certain that I will never watch it. I'm sure it will kill me.

Hi Nathan, I have a question for you. When making these analysis, you seem to dive into deep psychological or philosophical reasonings. Example is how you compared the odd screening of the house to your house. However, what if the camera itself is an entity. A 3rd person omniscient who watches the choices and actions of its test subjects and vaguely judges them from afar. Perhaps the camera is god, a god, or a demon. Perhaps the camera is conscious enough to make its own summary judgment and decide to show (or in our case, not show) us what is happening. What I do feel for certain is that the camera can not be us, the viewer. We do not control the direction of the camera. If i wanted to see the monster in this movie i could not as i do not control the camera. Perhaps this is because the entity communicates with us. A story passed down visually. As humans we speak with our voice, this entity speaks with his eyes. What do you think about this?

Okay maybe I will watch this movie actually.

Bravo. I often will do a time check in videos to see if the important parts are coming because of the structure of normal scenes. It took everything I had not to check the time, I felt it would be cheating, especially after you said “you lose track of time” and what an unnerving and perfect job you did making your room, feel you might have been looking at mine.

What did you use for lighting and would recording with an android work? Planning on doing a Skinamarink short parody, also for the flickering vhs filter what would you recommend? Left a like as well 👍

My gma let me watch Child's Play when I was about 4, I went home and had my mom yard sale all my dolls.

I love the content, but I always want to watch the movies before seeing your videos. Feel torn since I also want to support the channel.

Can i make oatmeal out of film grain?

Just watched it last night. Really captures the feeling of being a kid and being helpless to whatever lurks in the darkness of our own homes.

I'm very interested in watching this movie but actually afraid that my ADHD+ASD would keep me from paying attention and enjoying it properly. I have a hard time watching even an upbeat and action packed movie without having something else to do at the same time. Just sitting and watching something and not doing anything else makes me squirm uncomfortably and pick apart my clothes or shove an infinite stream of popcorn in my mouth. I missed a ton of what was going on in Heriditary because I tried to watch it "properly" without having a project to work on in my hands.

Comment for engagement

where are u king

Artsy Fartsy

Pretty please do nope!

#asmr

Any one else extremely confused by watching this?

P r o m o s m

I refuse to watch this movie.

I sat through this movie, naively waiting for something to happen, and it didn't. My husband actively hated it and was considering walking out. 1/10 stars, would not recommend.

I love art films, and appreciate movie experimentation, but this thing was just plain dumb

the movie is pretty much pure trash if this scare you u well will have definetly some other issues going on

The movie is terrible

Deadpool when hes saying"your start drifting and thinking.",deadpool="did i leave the stove on?..."🚗🚐✈️🪂☄️🌊black ops song playing in the 1st mission when all 3 of them are slowed down"para secovis para..."

The 🧇 🏠 has found its new host.