I am not a snob about it, but not many movies really scare me anymore. I don't really watch horror movies to get scared though, it's something I live and breathe out of pure enjoyment. After 35 years of being a horror fan, I kind of saw it all. At least I thought I did. I'll admit, sometimes a movie gets me, it happened with the first Paranormal Activity, but only the first time I saw it, after that, it was kind of lame... still is. But it reached me in a terrifying way at first. I grew up in a "haunted" house, and they nailed the reality of the situation to make me feel uncomfortable. That was the last time anything really affected me in a negative way. Until I watched Skinamarink, it was an experience I won't forget anytime soon.
I went into this movie expecting a really dumb something or another. I hit play, and it sunk in immediately. From the opening credits alone, it starts to get a little unnerving. Not that anything is "scary" it's worse. The movie relies on a few things that really drag you into an anxiety-induced trance. You know it's making you uncomfortable, but you still can't stop watching. The old grainy film, the silence, accompanied by high-volume speaking sinks deep into your psyche. This is a new type of jump scare because it mainly relies on noise, and it's a different kind of horror movie. It takes the idea of a jump scare and flips it on you. I agree with Jason when he says jump scares are tired and played out. However, this caught me off guard. You never know when to expect something. Anytime you tell yourself a jump scare is coming, it doesn't. It waits and festers until you aren't expecting it.
In the end, I really enjoyed it, but this movie definitely flared up some hidden anxious feelings I haven't had in years. It will most likely be a one-time watch because I don't want to feel like that again, other than that, it was such a fantastic setting, its dark, creepy, and the only dialogue put into this movie is only there to make you feel more weirded out. The sound of the grainy film, the voices and noises at an almost intolerable volume. It kind of felt good to let some of those hidden fears out, but what a trip! Don't expect a story, or for anything to make sense. It does what it's supposed to do, it's a child's view at... Something different.
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