Post Skinamarink Thoughts That Are Weird

I watched the movie during all the buzz. But like most people who feel like they got it, I can't stop thinking about it. I watched it the way I feel you should. I concentrated on it. I didn't let my attention wander. I focused deeply. I let it get under my skin. Then proceeded to have the weirdest panic attack I've ever had post-viewing. Firstly, horror movies don't give me panic attacks, so this was a singular kind of experience. Also, it wasn't until much latter that I realized my manic running around the house and laughing hysterically and making my niece come downstairs so I could regale her with a recap was... panic. Disguised as excitement that made it nearly impossible to sleep. The movie got to me. 

If you are willing to take the time, the core story reveals itself. It's dark as shit. Again, I'm not talking about the cinematography. I'm talking about what happens to the kids, especially Kevin. I'm not here to do a SKINAMARINK EXPLAINED! I'm just saying what I got out of it was... Kevin is in a kind of hell now. And he's just a baby, so what kind of understanding of that hell can he even have, which makes it even worse. It wasn't just visuals, is the point I'm trying to make. It fucked with me more deeply than that. 

I can honestly say it's one of the most powerful horror film experiences I've ever had, and I admire it a great deal. I also will never watch it again. Maybe in ten years when my memories are fuzzy and I'm trying to recall exactly what it was about it that made me feel like getting my house blessed. But this is not the kind of film I find rewatchable. Just my very biased opinion. 

In digesting all of this, I realized something. What the hell is Kyle Edward Ball supposed to do next? In directing Skinamarink, he divided horror fans straight down the middle. He rocked the industry, and whether you like it or not, Skinamarink is going to be talked about among films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Eraserhead, The Blair Witch Project, Psycho... You know, the ones that made filmmakers make their films differently forever after. The reason we have sudden BOOMS in a certain kind of film, for better or for worse. There will be imitators. It will become trendy. Even if just on the indie scene, especially because movies like Skinamarink aren't expensive to make compared to the Hollywood machine. 

So is he supposed to make another Skinamarink? I think most people would NOT recommend that. Because at this point, it so split audiences I think he'd automatically have half of the people he had in the first place just from buzz. He has to know that. Directors read reviews. So then... do you make a narrative film? With a normal set of characters and a story like everyone else? Does anyone especially want to see the Skinamarink guy do that? He appears to have skills, but Skinamarink is so incredibly experimental, it makes it hard to tell if those skills would lend themselves to non-experimental film-making. If he made a normal narrative film like every other Joe Shmo, would he fall on his face? 

And I bet you dollars to donuts he's asking himself this very same stuff RIGHT NOW. *Twilight Zone Music* This leads into another question. Do you take a break after kicking horror in the face this hard? Do you wait? Should you strike while the iron is hot before they call you a one hit wonder and forget your name? 

Honestly, I feel bad for this cat. Following this act is going to be a feat. If he has more nightmares to share, I'll watch them. He's intrigued me with his work more than I can say. I just hope this process and the aftermath hasn't chewed him up and spit him out. Because critics and that Hollywood machine I mentioned earlier are not gentle.