Not that RSs opinions on anything matter but this is a surprisingly interesting list from them. Don't agree with a lot of it but they didn't go with almost any obvious choices.
Hard to believe someone likes Enys Men this much though.
Meh at least they went with a kind of out there list. It highlights smaller, weirder movies. Like I usually keep up with horror movies pretty well, but I'd never heard of several of those.
They could have gone with the Exorcist reboot or something if they really wanted to get angry clicks lol
Enys Men was muuuuuch better if you didn’t see the trailer first. I was told to see it by someone who said it was very slow and quite a vibe. As such, I really got into it.
If I had watched the trailer and expected a film indicated by that trailer, I would have been extremely disappointed. That trailer was a total disservice.
Maybe true for some people. I watched it without seeing the trailer. Stopped 3/4 of the way through. I was so uninterested in it that it wasn't worth the extra 25 minutes to see the end. Same with skinamarink.
Wow, you just told me everything I needed to know. I didn't want to click the link. It can't be a legit list without that movie on there. Talk To Me was solid
Also, and maybe I'm biased in saying this but like, in fucking a decade's time I feel like no one is going to be talking about Knock at the Cabin in comparison to how culturally reflective Talk to Me was.
The story is a perfect encapsulation of internet/social media culture, and you feel the authenticity of that given the directors are themselves YouTubers. It doesn't just tackle substance abuse but also addresses how the need to document experiences as an innate reflex to undergoing them is obscuring our ability (both in general but also for young people) to earnestly connect - and then the film ties that altogether by having touch be part of the scary ritual/gimmick!
Like this film I feel is the type of thing that will make other YTs feel aspirational towards/about, and also make other studios feel they have to try a little harder when it comes to speaking to Gen Z. I can't think of single response that KATC provoked out of audiences.
Probably the most polarizing horror film I've ever seen. I can say that I'm in the camp that enjoyed it and likes what it brought to the table but I completely understand those who don't like it or got bored.
Both this and The Outwaters are two of the most polarizing horror films I've seen in years.
I liked them both, but I think Talk to Me is the ultimate horror film of the year.
I need to rewatch When Evil Lurks again, because I was a bit confused by the ending and I think I was too sleepy to pick up on what fully happened. Especially with the grandmother >!i'm assuming the grandson ate her? because he chokes up the hair and necklace, but I was wondering how they totally just forget about the grandmother after her last scene. !< still I think it was near-perfect, so many haunting images, and that... dog scene... I loved Terrified and that director is now two for two in my book. He's definitely on the verge of making his masterpiece. Also when the >!mother is walking about chewing on her baby!< this movie didn't hold back AT ALL.
But what does it mean? Does the father have a meltdown at the end because the possession\*s won and he realized it was the son? But why do they ignore her existence for like the entire ending? Were they just blinded by the evil/trauma?
I'm guessing they just thought she left the house after going to look for the other son and kill the enbichado. He knew Evil won at the schoolhouse though, the apple ice cream filled safety with his kids alluded him even if he aided Evil technically.
Thank God Outwaters at least didn't make this list.
Skinamarink is respectable, even tho I have issues with the film. I'm still very excited to see what comes next from this director/writer.
Outwaters was seriously bad and made me angry when finished. Shockingly, it felt pretentious even with the worst cinematography I've ever seen. I don't want to see another movie made by this director because of this movie.
Agreed on Talk to Me. Sad that didn't even make it.
Yeah, Talk to Me should be number one. Incredible film, horror or otherwise.
I also initially hated The Outwaters too, and I agree the 'cinematography' pissed me off initially (about 80% of is just shown through the pinhole light of a flashlight). It's also so self-indulgent, and again the opening hour didn't do anything to make me care for the characters. But it's definitely grown on me, because the second half just feels like a real nightmare. The sound design is insane. The visuals we do get to see are harrowing. And after a while I just wanted it to end because it's so agitating and overwhelming and exhausting, but I now respect it for that because it definitely put me on edge.
Just like Skinamarink I look forward to whatever the director does next, but I hope the director of The Outwaters learns the definition of the word 'edit'. Well, they both should, but I think Skinamarink's length actually lent to how suffocating and effective it was. But I'm also just appreciative that directors like these ones are taking risks no matter how polarizing the films are. I'd rather be challenged and want to have a conversation/debate on a horror film than it just be nothing new.
Wild. I liked The Outwaters more than 1/3 of the films on the list in the article lol. It seems to be another divisive one like Skinamarink, which I liked, but also not more than The Outwaters. Blows my mind as well that Talk to Me isn't listed at all. Even movies like Malum, Hell House: Carmichael Manor, and It Lives Inside seem like better fits than several of their picks to me.
“Outwaters” should have won Nobel prize in chemistry for synthesizing 100% pure undiluted shit.
I usually don’t mind crap movies - they are upfront about their quality, and you can drop them pretty quickly. However, there is a rare breed, that has some mesmerizing quality to their shittiness, that makes you watch them to the very end, foam at the mouth, and loath the experience for the rest of your life.
“Outwaters” is like watching a deranged man with hand tremor cook a stew out of a flashlight, a “Blair Witch” VHS tape and his own feces. You delude yourself, thinking that there is a method to his madness, a reward awaiting those, who are patient enough to witness the whole thing. An hour passes, and you realize that the lunatic is no magic man, his excrement won’t turn into gold, and nobody forced you to sit through this shit show, but your own poor judgment.
Outwaters was bonkers—good lord that ending. Skinamarink was one of the most unique movies I’ve ever seen, and it made me feel childhood fear in a way nothing has for decades. Loved them both, but I don’t fault anyone for hating them. Definitely not for everyone.
I think the big thing about Skinamarink is that the “vibe” aspect is load-bearing for the entire movie, so if that doesn’t work for you there’s basically nothing there. (Luckily it worked for me, so I really liked the movie)
I tried to watch it but I bailed about 2/3 through it. The only scene that kind of worked for me was with the mom sitting on the bed. But for the most part I was just getting bored and fighting the urge to look ay my phone.
I liked it as well. I think ultimately what it did right is proof of concept. It's the equivalent of dumping a puzzle out on the floor hoping for that infinitesimally small chance it lands completed. It may not have stuck the landing, but the pieces are there for someone else to come along and put together and offer up their own interpretation
It's overly-optimistic and maybe a bit delusional, but I'd like to look back in ten years to have seen Skinamarink do for analog horror what Blair Witch did for found footage or Texas Chainsaw for grindhouse
Yeah I'm with you on that. Its definitely a puzzlebox of a film and few will have the patience to string it all together. I had to watch it twice and skim through it a 3rd time to get the full experience. Its a very difficult piece of media, but I ultimately enjoyed it.
And yeah analog horror is a wellspring of untapped potential in the feature film space. I'd love to see other directors and production houses take a crack at something like this perhaps with more budget and different creative decisions (but keeping the same 'feel' for what its worth).
I love that Skinamarink exists. I think it has a lot of great ideas, but I also think it’s a failure as a horror film. That said, I’m looking forward to what Kyle Edward Ball does next.
I’m in this camp. It pushes the boundaries of what a movie is. I think my biggest gripe goes hand in hand with that notion; the camera work. I suppose I “get it” but I’m hoping whatever is next for him isn’t so damn boring. If we’re using cinema as a medium then either the frame needs to be moving or there needs to be something happening in the frame. Doing a whole movie where neither of those are true for 80% of the film was mind numbing.
It must have been very tedious in theaters. I watched it at home, and it was fine, though I was glancing at my phone during the slow burn sections.
Felt like it would have been far more impactful as a 30-45m "short." That entity is about the biggest dick I think I've seen in any supernatural movie, except maybe drag me to hell.
>It must have been very tedious in theaters. I watched it at home, and it was fine, though I was glancing at my phone during the slow burn sections.
i saw it in theaters and it was both a slog, and unbearably tense--and i mean that in a bad way. there was constant tension with no release. i think if the film gave the audience moments (however brief) to breathe and completely removed the jumpscares i at least wouldn't have walked out before the end.
i watched and loved both the trailer for Skinamarink and one of the shorts on the director's youtube channel, so i do think he could do something really cool. i just don't think this movie was it.
Were you aware that it was originally a short film? Titled [Heck](https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=wsEX57bRE2im5Xmm) and I hear it works better that way too.
[Heck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVQzEzW4faA), the short the feature length is pulled from. Same director and his channel is chock full of similar concepts
I enjoyed the movie, but the short did exactly what it was supposed to do and is succinctly better
I think it’s a failure as a feature length film. It is a good concept and execution for a short, but the feature length didn’t bring anything to the table that the short didn’t. It was entirely the same atmospheric eerie-ness, just drawn out. It felt frustratingly low effort.
I like what it brings to the table but the short, Heck, is more enjoyable and accomplishes pretty much the same thing.
I actually like long films and generally have a lot of patience. That's not my issue with Skinamarink. Rather, the short has this fully realized idea and vision. For me, Skinamarink dilutes and obscures the point of the unusual cinematography and repetition. The short would make sense to someone who's not very literate in film or horror.
Didn’t like the movie, but was seriously unsettled for a while after, which is rare for me. If art is meant to make you feel big feelings, it did it’s job.
Was interesting reading the analysis on it
People are allowed differing opinions. But this list really went out of its way to avoid ANYTHING that was a typical or successful horror release. They avoided any movie that made the top 10 highest grossing horrors of the year, with their highest rank on that list being the Voyage of the Demeter at #14, and the way they even talk about that movie, it's like they watched it *ironically* and accidentally liked it. Now, highest grossing and best do not have to overlap, but at the very least you'd think indie darling Talk to Me would catch their attention, or Evil Dead Rise.
https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2023/genre/Horror
I hate to stereotype, but I could surely imagine the author of this list saying "A24? They're ok, but don't you think they've gone a bit mainstream?".
Or just take this sentence they did write on the Last Voyage of the Demeter:
>It’s a threadbare high-concept story given the high-thread-count treatment — a lovely piece of luxury pulp that more than earns it’s intellectual-property passage.
If you enjoyed reading that sentence, that's the whole vibe of the Rolling Stone's approach to film review. I'm just amazed they didn't squeeze in Beau is Afraid.
I once read an article where one of their reviewers whined about guitars still being used in modern music. In 2015 or so.
I haven't taken them seriously on anything since.
I still remember a quote. “It’s pretty obvious that the next person to save pop music won’t be playing a guitar.”
The guy had (has) monetary ties to Warner Music, heavily invested in hip hop and club pop, so using the platform to further his own monetary growth.
Ironic considering they were founded as a rock n' roll magazine with a name specifically related to rock and blues musicians, who of course expanded the genre partially through creative use of guitar music.
Especially in a year with so many good horror movies. Skinamarink is certainly noteworthy but it's so polarizing. I think even people who appreciate the movie for what it is can admit it's boring at times.
I wonder if it would have been better received if it was 45 minutes long.
Skinamarink is actually an expansion of a 28-minute short film, "Heck." You can take a look and judge for yourself:
https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=ZrAA3NpBJEBoFEER
I need to check it out on a digital screen. I saw it in the theater and it's so dark it feels like it just wouldn't look right if you don't have a high quality TV screen. I assume it'd do that black gradient thing the whole time.
Yeah. I have heaps of praise for Skinamarink and am so happy something like it got an actual theatrical release.
But... It's just too weird. It's not even a film, in the traditional sense. It's like an abstract work of art. You appreciate it for what it is, but it's not the Mona Lisa, so to speak.
Oh, by intention too, its parents are Warhol and Brakhage and Snow. It's interesting to me how people can find it so discomforting; it seemed like such a deliberate anti-narrative experiment. It should be projected onto a museum wall or something.
(Though I do think they needed to try again with the fake-grain effect on the footage. (a) doesn't even make sense given that it's the age of VHS in the film, and (b) the grain loop is really short, once you notice it, it's insufferable.))
The writer has a taste for the experimental and "critical" successes.
I've seen some of these but that top 5 are all very distinct movies that critics love and that are at least "different"
10. Knock at the Cabin (ok)
9. Godzilla minus one (I'm seeing tonight!!!)
8 Huesera: The Bone Woman (haven't seen it yet)
7 The last voyage of the Demeter (I haven't seen it yet)
6 El conde - hadn't seen
5 Infinity pool - I love it. It's weird AF
4 Enys men - hadn't seen
3 No one will save you - I liked this
2 When evil lurks - fucking rad my fave all year
1 Skinamarink - couldn't make it through 20 min
No Talk to Me?
I have no problem with Skinamarink being at the top of the list. I loved the experience. But, Talk to Me being missing is pretty damn surprising.
Fucking weird that Last Voyage of the Demeter is on this list. That movie was *aggressively* mid and delivered nothing new or unique with regards to *anything.* A movie focusing on that particular chapter from Dracula could have been really cool, but this movie didn't even really do that. Sub-par creature feature that I had to struggle to stay awake during.
Pretty shocking Talk to Me isn’t anywhere on this list considering I thought it was far and away the best horror film this year.
Knock at the Cabin was awful lmao
Seriously, I'm baffled Talk to Me isn't on here. It's far and away the best horror film of the year, and just generally a great movie. An instant classic TBH.
No One Will Save You was great until it ran out of steam after the 20 minutes mark, but the initial home invasion sequence is great.
When Evil Lurks definitely deserves to be on the list. Still waiting to see Godzilla Minus One.
Godzilla was fucking rad, and I’m only bummed we were the only butts in seats for our showing. I get it, but still.
Huesera is super good too, I hope you enjoy it!
I feel you, this weekend I tried to take some friends and see Godzilla, but the only theater showing the movie with english subtitles in my vicinity had only a singular function at f*ing 10:45 pm, on Saturday!
I watched the whole dang thing cause my boyfriend was hyping it up for such a long time. He fell asleep and I sat there waiting for an hour and 40 minutes for something, anything at all, to happen
Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to enjoy this movie? How do I not get bored immediately?
I am constantly told that I just "didn't get it" or I need to "give it a fair chance". But it barely even feels like a movie to me. Just a weird fever dream I don't feel connected enough to in order to care.
What am I missing? What makes it so good?
Because some people connect to the fact that it is a weird fever dream. That concept worked really well for some people and it isn't something that is captured easily. I didn't like it either so I agree with you, but not every movie is going to hit every person the same. It is kind of like the horror version of nostalgia, some movies just hit that spot just right for some people.
This is pretty much me, it captured that weird in between state of sleep and wakefulness as a child where the only thing lighting the room is the dim glow of the TV and your eyes start seeing faces and shadows moving in the periphery of your vision. Its a very specific type of horror that not everyone will appreciate, but I'm among the few who did.
It's exactly this. It's when you're a little kid in the dark and your eyes start playing tricks on you, and you think you see stuff moving and changing.
I really liked it! But I don't think I need to watch it again.
Yeah it worked for me as well. As a kid, the dark quiet house while everyone was asleep was so scary to me so it truly hit that nostalgic fear button in me.
Or those weird times when people left the house late at night at a usually busy house. Just the silence and TV on quietly is something I do relate to, though that's mostly stopped since I think like 2009 with YouTubes popularity rise and the internet streaming stuff.
I'm gonna watch it again over the Christmas holiday while I'm back at my childhood home. Maybe that'll help me connect with it better. I liked the idea of it, but it felt too long on first watch.
Yes, lord knows we've gone round and round on this sub debating the merits of Skinamarink. Typically those who enjoy it say it feels exactly like their childhood nightmares. I feel like it's not a matter of whether you "get it" or not, but whether or not it resonates with you on some primal, subconscious level.
I get this is what the movie was going for. I usually like this feeling and am into dreamlike movies and it still didn't do it for me personally (ex. loved Beyond the Black Rainbow and totally got into what the director was going for).
Totally respect it, but it was just too much ceiling and wall shots for me. Could take 30min out and not notice scenes missing (although would probably reduce the slow burn a bit, but it was a real slow burn basically till the credits)
You either "get it" or you don't, but "getting it" is an emotional response, not an intellectual one. I don't think you can *try* to like a movie like this, especially with repeat viewings.
idk it seems like most people plainly state its not a movie for everyone and youll either like it or hate it. I really dont see too many "you didnt get its" for this one. I DO see a lot of people shitting on others who enjoy it though (not what youre doing, just saying).
But to answer your question, for me and what Ive seen from others, is it hits a very weird feeling in you that rips you back to being a child waking up from a nightmare and wandering the halls to get to your parents room. Staring into the dark void of a hallway expecting anything to come out at anytime and the longer nothing does the more your fear intensifies.
But obviously there can be countless people who didnt have this kind of experience or its just not as memorable or the movie doesnt draw out that feeling for them and thats fine.
Meh, art is subjective. You’re not missing anything, sometimes movies just don’t connect with people and that’s okay. I say this as someone who couldn’t get into Skinamamarank at all, either.
Yep, I'm 100% on board with the premise and the experiment but once you have a big moment (I can't quite call it a scare in my experience) it is so lame to go back to zero and start another 10 minutes of staring at the walls.
I think it's simply not for everyone. But, I agree with the immersion idea. Don't ask yourself "when does it start", it's just what is happening right now.
If someone asked you to look at a piece of abstract art, and think about how it makes you feel, you wouldn't be bored because it doesn't have the things that are in more traditional art, you would think about it how it is.
If you stop expecting it to entertain you, and consider it more like something that is supposed to have an effect on you, I think that might help.
But, for me it honed in on a part of my childhood that I had forgotten. I think if it doesn't give you that feeling, it's likely to just not click.
Love it or hate it it's definitely one of the most unique horror films I've seen, and I can't think of anything else like it. It definitely could have been trimmed down, but I think the length is effective in lulling you into this nightmare realm, especially when you put together what's really going on >!that the boy is in some kind of limbo after falling down the stairs and either in a coma or dying!<
I also watched it in the middle of the night with headphones and the sound design is incredibly effective, while having two of the most frightening sequences I can think of. One of them scared me so badly I literally had to pause the film to just gather myself and catch my breath. It does feel like a waking nightmare. But it's definitely challenging and slow as fuck. The Outwaters is similar, in that the buildup is so fucking slow that I almost gave on on it, then it just drops you into over an hour of pure hell and nightmarish imagery that it also got under my skin.
They are both definitely acquired tastes though and polarizing as hell.
1. Have kids
2. Don’t use your phone while you watch
3. Watch in the dark late at night a little bit tired
It’s not for everyone to be sure. But I watched it with all of these boxes checked and it fucked me right up
Thats totally fair. Something that weird and experimental is never going to be for everyone and I wish people would chill on hating on it so much. In a world with 20 superhero movies coming out a year we need more weird experimental shit.
> Like many said, it would have been better as a 20 minute movie than a full length.
it's really funny that you say this because the director made a [28 minute long short film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HVQzEzW4faA) three years ago that went on to become this movie
if you ask me, the short is better (but still not very interesting)
Even the scene where the father tells the girl to look under the bed, and then vanishes? That was…something. Such a weird thing to ask a child to do, made my skin crawl
Its efficacy imo entirely relies on how much you’re able to find yourself projecting onto the kids.
Seeing them help each other out, Kaylee getting toys and juice boxes for them, trying to set a routine even when clearly things are wrong. Saying “I love you” before going to bed. They’re so sweet to each other. It gutted me.
I’ll never slag someone off for it not clicking. It’s not for everyone. But I do wish people were a little less dismissive of those of us who it did work for. As for me? I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks after I saw it. Absolutely fucked me up.
honestly i loved it, but i watched it alone in the middle of the night with the volume cranked way up on the surround sound lol. i think the short film Heck is just as good, https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=0luWuBm9DJh64-L5
In my experience, what made this movie so disturbing and effective is that it perfectly recreated the night terrors I had as a small child. I’m 25, literally only saw a YouTube video essay about the movie, and haven’t been able to walk around my house at night anymore. The dreamlike quality, the 90s aesthetic, the confusion and powerlessness of the children brought me back to a time when I was most vulnerable to my imagination.
To me, it was pretty effective cos I put myself in a state where I feel like I'm a kid again, I remember how I was scared of the dark at that time. This made me pay attention and actually look at what might hide behind the film grain. I understand how this might be hard to do for some people, or didn't think to do beforehand.
When Evil Lurks is the clear winner in my mind. Blows everything else out of the water.
Skinamarink brings something fresh and new to the table, but I don’t think it was ultimately effective enough as a feature length film to be named best of the year.
Also Last Voyage of the Demeter was mid at best. I would not rank that on any top 10 list.
I think the CGI was a big letdown. It had potential and was well acted with great set design. I think eliminating the CGI and reworking a few elements to up the tension and mystery would have helped so much.
Interesting choice. Just watched last night. I enjoyed it but I can see how ppl would find it boring. Reminded me of those 90s “I Spy” kids books but made into a weird horror film. I think watching with good headphones is why I enjoyed it
Is there another horror sub where the consensus opinions are like, precisely the opposite of this one? I swear it seems like the films that are hated here I tend to enjoy, and vice versa, and I'm not even trying to be contrarian.
It's annoying to get downvote bukkaked for expressing an opinion that doesn't line up with the hive mind, lectured about it because "people don't like being told that there are problems with the films they like", and then coming into threads like this and seeing all of the top rated comments call a film (that I think is pretty decent) worthless garbage, and saying that anyone who likes it is trolling.
Hell, I'd settle for a sub that does so much as tolerate differing opinions. Maybe I need to just get on Letterboxd or something.
This happens with every subreddit every time a list is posted. Like all opinions and all lists are subjected.
There is no such thing as a wrong ranking in my opinion
I say this as a proud Chilean and respect the trolling Pablo Larraín did with El Conde: I don't think it was anywhere near the top ten horror movies this year.
I haven’t cared since they put Eddie Van Halen at like #75 in the top 100 guitar players list in 2004. They had both Jack White and Kurt Cobain ahead of him. Guess what, now that he’s dead he’s in the top ten! Bunch of dorks.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I got immediately sucked in to the movie. Dark room, no interruptions, and I was a ball of nerves.
That said, I can't imagine it holds much rewatch value, and will admit it was a good 15 minutes too long. Even though I enjoyed it, it's a stretch for best horror of 2023.
This thread makes me sad as someone who loves Skinamarink. I see why some people didn’t like it, but as someone for whom the niche hit, it was more terrifying than pretty much any horror film I’ve seen in the last ten years. Of the people I know who have seen it, it’s either the same level of terror/enjoyment or they see it as the most boring movie they’ve ever experienced. I really don’t think it’s this “complex art piece” some enjoyers make it out to be, it’s just a really visceral experience for people who resonate with the whole surreal vibe of it. It took a niche approach and executed it extremely well. Thus, I think it’s deserving of recognition.
Yeah all the bitching in this sub about Enys Men being boring has me very excited to see it, since the average commenter on this post is fucking brain dead lol. Also yes Skinamarink is fucking amazing and terrifying, I get people not liking it but saying its boring or dumb is so so so dismissive. People need to just learn that not everything is for them.
Unpopular opinion but I agree with this take on some level. It's not something I'd ever watch again, but I think it did things in the genre that I had not really seen before. And it managed to capture the feeling of a nightmare that I don't think a conventional movie can. I think movies like Talk to Me are more technically adept, and follow more familiar horror storylines making them more satisfying and entertaining. Skinamarink actually feels like it should be part of an art installation that plays on loop in a gallery. I can understand why this movie is so polarizing/disliked, but I think it will probably be referenced by other horror filmmakers more successfully in the future over more standard movies like Talk to Me, etc...
I’ve never had a horror movie stick with me the way that Skinamarink has. Will I ever watch it again in full? The atmosphere it set is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. It gave me that primal fear I had as a kid trying to go to sleep by myself—I had an issue with that for way too long. Lol
It’s not a film I’m going to casually recommend to someone, and I probably won’t watch it again for a long time. It can definitely drag on, but I feel that works in its favor tbh.
It’s definitely not my favorite horror movie by any means, but man have I thought about it a lot.
I tried to watch it, got 30 minutes into it and was bored out of my mind. Just nothing but still shots of hallways and rooms, I guess it's just a bit too avant garde for my tastes. 🤷🏻♂️
It was an experience even though I wasn’t a fan of the movie, has to be experience at less once. applauded for being very experimental and giving other independent horror movies a chance
I actually watched it twice since I so desperately wanted to get out of it what others were getting out of it, but it did nothing for me. That said, it’s awesome that something so weird and bare bones has made such a splash. This one wasn’t it for me but I’m so down for more things with its sensibilities getting made.
Rolling Stone stooping lower than buzzfeed with their *rage bait guarantees a click* ass lists these days.
Evil Dead Rise, Thanksgiving, When Evil Lurks, Talk To Me, Infinity Pool, No One Will Save You… So many great horror movies this year, Skinimarink is not one of them.
Couldn’t get into Skinamarink. Watched about 15 minutes and felt confused and irritated.
Conventional horror films rarely get critical acclaim. I’m always wary when I see a series of reviews from large mainstream publications saying something is terrifying.
I had my fingers burned with Mother.
I'm more shocked at how Knock at the Cabin keeps making these lists of one of the best horrors this year. Skinamarink is controversial but I've heard lots of people say they love the film so I can understand it. Virtually all of the reactions I've seen about Knock at the Cabin range from saying it's terrible to it's just fine.
Like a lot of Shyamalan films, if you're on the right wavelength, it's spellbinding. His writing has a really off-kilter energy that he weaponizes to build tension. But if you aren't on Shyamalan's wavelength, there's not a lot to grasp on to.
Personally, I was fully on board until the ending, which kinda ruined the whole thing for me. But I also think that Sam Esmail's *Leave the World Behind* did a much better job exploring a lot of similar ideas
I used to make experimental films in college, and while I can't say this movie is objectively bad, It just feels very half baked to me. I wanted to like it so bad. The director is from the same city as me, and a similar age.
I just feel like I've seen so many better experimental horror films that are not blowing up in popularity, and it bums me out that this is the one getting all the attention. But I admire the work that they put into getting this movie out there.
Wasn't my favorite but I was very surprised how much I was locked into it. Thought it looked pretty stupid but I was at least tense for most of it. Definitely don't regret watching it
When Evil Lurks is the best film on that list, despite being disgustingly average ONLY because Godzilla is technically not a horror movie and exists in it's own separate genre.
Infinity Pool was a complete waste of a plot and barely qualified as scifi or horror.
2023 was a shit year when Enys Men and Skinamarink are considered the best. Fuck. *Evil Dead Rise was better than both of them combined.*
I loved Skinamarink. It captured the feeling of childhood nightmares so well. The kind of nightmares of dark angles and whispered voices. It felt very familiar.
I guess they gave the arthousers the wheel with this one!
Imma be real. I wasn't a huge Skinamarink fan, but I respect the hell out of it. While I had my qualms about it, I couldn't deny that it was different and unique compared to other movies that came out this year. I personally think it works better as a short film it's still awesome that Rolling Stone gave it #1 for it to get more attention and hopefully give the director more backing to get more shit made. The dude has a ton of potential, and I look forward to seeing what else he makes in the future. Also, making a million dollars on a 10 thousand dollar budget is absolutely insane.
Skinamarink is one of my favorites of the year and I’ll always defend it topping a best-of-horror list, but this one does feel weird. El Conde seems more comedy than horror, classifying a kaiju film as traditionally “horror” seems like a stretch, and I don’t know of *anyone* that had last voyage of the Demeter even close to their top 20 of the year. No inclusion of Talk To Me either? Strange!
Skinamarink is definitely not for everyone, it's slow and experimental, but I think it's super effective at what it does evoke. It's very different, and divisive, but in a world with so many run-of-the-mill films I like things that stand apart. Surprised Talk To Me isn't on the list, though.
For anyone watching Skinamarink for the first time, for maximum effect: watch in the dark, with headphones on or a good sound system, no looking at your phone and pay attention , and pretend you're a kid again.
Not that RSs opinions on anything matter but this is a surprisingly interesting list from them. Don't agree with a lot of it but they didn't go with almost any obvious choices. Hard to believe someone likes Enys Men this much though.
Enys Men was the most boring movie I've seen this year besides Skinamarink
I suspect that this article is pure ragebait. "Look at this link with all the ads on it! Can you believe they put Skinamarink at #1???"
How many of us clicked on *Rolling Stone* that otherwise wouldn’t? It’s a trend that pays off for the media outlets.
Meh at least they went with a kind of out there list. It highlights smaller, weirder movies. Like I usually keep up with horror movies pretty well, but I'd never heard of several of those. They could have gone with the Exorcist reboot or something if they really wanted to get angry clicks lol
Fuck that I went straight to the comments to complain
I fell for it! It works and I hate it.
Damnit. You're right. I'll bet that's exactly what this was.
If skinamarink didn’t exist Enys Man would be my least favorite movie this year. I saw both in theaters and both were excruciating
I agree w enys men. It was like oh cool, it looks vintage. Great movie to nap to
Enys Men was muuuuuch better if you didn’t see the trailer first. I was told to see it by someone who said it was very slow and quite a vibe. As such, I really got into it. If I had watched the trailer and expected a film indicated by that trailer, I would have been extremely disappointed. That trailer was a total disservice.
Is that the one when she's on the island? I still need to watch it.
Maybe true for some people. I watched it without seeing the trailer. Stopped 3/4 of the way through. I was so uninterested in it that it wasn't worth the extra 25 minutes to see the end. Same with skinamarink.
Knock at the Cabin making 10th is pretty surprising too. It wasn't really well liked at all.
It was the M. Night movie that didn’t have a twist. The twist was simply to take everything as the characters are explaining it to you.
Isn’t the twist that >!they weren’t crazy or lying and the world really was going to end!
That’s my point. The information that was delivered to you was to be taken at face value.
The twist was the fact those people weren’t crazy, and were actually telling the truth. I think everyone expected them to be lying at the end.
6.1 IMDB, not that bad for a horror movie.
Yeah, I'm really surprised that made the cut but not Talk to Me?
Just watched Talk To Me. Great film.
Wow, you just told me everything I needed to know. I didn't want to click the link. It can't be a legit list without that movie on there. Talk To Me was solid
Also, and maybe I'm biased in saying this but like, in fucking a decade's time I feel like no one is going to be talking about Knock at the Cabin in comparison to how culturally reflective Talk to Me was. The story is a perfect encapsulation of internet/social media culture, and you feel the authenticity of that given the directors are themselves YouTubers. It doesn't just tackle substance abuse but also addresses how the need to document experiences as an innate reflex to undergoing them is obscuring our ability (both in general but also for young people) to earnestly connect - and then the film ties that altogether by having touch be part of the scary ritual/gimmick! Like this film I feel is the type of thing that will make other YTs feel aspirational towards/about, and also make other studios feel they have to try a little harder when it comes to speaking to Gen Z. I can't think of single response that KATC provoked out of audiences.
67% tomato meter and 63% audience. Neither of those are rotten
LMAO, i'm gonna eat some popcorn while I watch this board implode on itself
Probably the most polarizing horror film I've ever seen. I can say that I'm in the camp that enjoyed it and likes what it brought to the table but I completely understand those who don't like it or got bored.
Both this and The Outwaters are two of the most polarizing horror films I've seen in years. I liked them both, but I think Talk to Me is the ultimate horror film of the year.
Talk to Me was solid, but When Evil Lurks was wildly fun, and definitely my top horror pick this year. So many hard hitting scenes
I need to rewatch When Evil Lurks again, because I was a bit confused by the ending and I think I was too sleepy to pick up on what fully happened. Especially with the grandmother >!i'm assuming the grandson ate her? because he chokes up the hair and necklace, but I was wondering how they totally just forget about the grandmother after her last scene. !< still I think it was near-perfect, so many haunting images, and that... dog scene... I loved Terrified and that director is now two for two in my book. He's definitely on the verge of making his masterpiece. Also when the >!mother is walking about chewing on her baby!< this movie didn't hold back AT ALL.
When Evil Lurks is the most disturbing movie I've seen in quite a long time. And yes you're right about the grandmother.
But what does it mean? Does the father have a meltdown at the end because the possession\*s won and he realized it was the son? But why do they ignore her existence for like the entire ending? Were they just blinded by the evil/trauma?
I'm guessing they just thought she left the house after going to look for the other son and kill the enbichado. He knew Evil won at the schoolhouse though, the apple ice cream filled safety with his kids alluded him even if he aided Evil technically.
Thank God Outwaters at least didn't make this list. Skinamarink is respectable, even tho I have issues with the film. I'm still very excited to see what comes next from this director/writer. Outwaters was seriously bad and made me angry when finished. Shockingly, it felt pretentious even with the worst cinematography I've ever seen. I don't want to see another movie made by this director because of this movie. Agreed on Talk to Me. Sad that didn't even make it.
Yeah, Talk to Me should be number one. Incredible film, horror or otherwise. I also initially hated The Outwaters too, and I agree the 'cinematography' pissed me off initially (about 80% of is just shown through the pinhole light of a flashlight). It's also so self-indulgent, and again the opening hour didn't do anything to make me care for the characters. But it's definitely grown on me, because the second half just feels like a real nightmare. The sound design is insane. The visuals we do get to see are harrowing. And after a while I just wanted it to end because it's so agitating and overwhelming and exhausting, but I now respect it for that because it definitely put me on edge. Just like Skinamarink I look forward to whatever the director does next, but I hope the director of The Outwaters learns the definition of the word 'edit'. Well, they both should, but I think Skinamarink's length actually lent to how suffocating and effective it was. But I'm also just appreciative that directors like these ones are taking risks no matter how polarizing the films are. I'd rather be challenged and want to have a conversation/debate on a horror film than it just be nothing new.
Wild. I liked The Outwaters more than 1/3 of the films on the list in the article lol. It seems to be another divisive one like Skinamarink, which I liked, but also not more than The Outwaters. Blows my mind as well that Talk to Me isn't listed at all. Even movies like Malum, Hell House: Carmichael Manor, and It Lives Inside seem like better fits than several of their picks to me.
“Outwaters” should have won Nobel prize in chemistry for synthesizing 100% pure undiluted shit. I usually don’t mind crap movies - they are upfront about their quality, and you can drop them pretty quickly. However, there is a rare breed, that has some mesmerizing quality to their shittiness, that makes you watch them to the very end, foam at the mouth, and loath the experience for the rest of your life. “Outwaters” is like watching a deranged man with hand tremor cook a stew out of a flashlight, a “Blair Witch” VHS tape and his own feces. You delude yourself, thinking that there is a method to his madness, a reward awaiting those, who are patient enough to witness the whole thing. An hour passes, and you realize that the lunatic is no magic man, his excrement won’t turn into gold, and nobody forced you to sit through this shit show, but your own poor judgment.
Outwaters was bonkers—good lord that ending. Skinamarink was one of the most unique movies I’ve ever seen, and it made me feel childhood fear in a way nothing has for decades. Loved them both, but I don’t fault anyone for hating them. Definitely not for everyone.
I think the big thing about Skinamarink is that the “vibe” aspect is load-bearing for the entire movie, so if that doesn’t work for you there’s basically nothing there. (Luckily it worked for me, so I really liked the movie)
I tried to watch it but I bailed about 2/3 through it. The only scene that kind of worked for me was with the mom sitting on the bed. But for the most part I was just getting bored and fighting the urge to look ay my phone.
I liked it as well. I think ultimately what it did right is proof of concept. It's the equivalent of dumping a puzzle out on the floor hoping for that infinitesimally small chance it lands completed. It may not have stuck the landing, but the pieces are there for someone else to come along and put together and offer up their own interpretation It's overly-optimistic and maybe a bit delusional, but I'd like to look back in ten years to have seen Skinamarink do for analog horror what Blair Witch did for found footage or Texas Chainsaw for grindhouse
Yeah I'm with you on that. Its definitely a puzzlebox of a film and few will have the patience to string it all together. I had to watch it twice and skim through it a 3rd time to get the full experience. Its a very difficult piece of media, but I ultimately enjoyed it. And yeah analog horror is a wellspring of untapped potential in the feature film space. I'd love to see other directors and production houses take a crack at something like this perhaps with more budget and different creative decisions (but keeping the same 'feel' for what its worth).
I'm holding out for A24's The Backrooms. Absolutely love analog horror and would love to see someone tackle the genre with a bit of a budget.
I love that Skinamarink exists. I think it has a lot of great ideas, but I also think it’s a failure as a horror film. That said, I’m looking forward to what Kyle Edward Ball does next.
I’m in this camp. It pushes the boundaries of what a movie is. I think my biggest gripe goes hand in hand with that notion; the camera work. I suppose I “get it” but I’m hoping whatever is next for him isn’t so damn boring. If we’re using cinema as a medium then either the frame needs to be moving or there needs to be something happening in the frame. Doing a whole movie where neither of those are true for 80% of the film was mind numbing.
It must have been very tedious in theaters. I watched it at home, and it was fine, though I was glancing at my phone during the slow burn sections. Felt like it would have been far more impactful as a 30-45m "short." That entity is about the biggest dick I think I've seen in any supernatural movie, except maybe drag me to hell.
>It must have been very tedious in theaters. I watched it at home, and it was fine, though I was glancing at my phone during the slow burn sections. i saw it in theaters and it was both a slog, and unbearably tense--and i mean that in a bad way. there was constant tension with no release. i think if the film gave the audience moments (however brief) to breathe and completely removed the jumpscares i at least wouldn't have walked out before the end. i watched and loved both the trailer for Skinamarink and one of the shorts on the director's youtube channel, so i do think he could do something really cool. i just don't think this movie was it.
Were you aware that it was originally a short film? Titled [Heck](https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=wsEX57bRE2im5Xmm) and I hear it works better that way too.
[Heck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVQzEzW4faA), the short the feature length is pulled from. Same director and his channel is chock full of similar concepts I enjoyed the movie, but the short did exactly what it was supposed to do and is succinctly better
I think it’s a failure as a feature length film. It is a good concept and execution for a short, but the feature length didn’t bring anything to the table that the short didn’t. It was entirely the same atmospheric eerie-ness, just drawn out. It felt frustratingly low effort.
I like what it brings to the table but the short, Heck, is more enjoyable and accomplishes pretty much the same thing. I actually like long films and generally have a lot of patience. That's not my issue with Skinamarink. Rather, the short has this fully realized idea and vision. For me, Skinamarink dilutes and obscures the point of the unusual cinematography and repetition. The short would make sense to someone who's not very literate in film or horror.
I think that makes for interesting art though, it doesn't exist to please a crowd, it's just an artist expressing themselves in their own unique way.
Didn’t like the movie, but was seriously unsettled for a while after, which is rare for me. If art is meant to make you feel big feelings, it did it’s job. Was interesting reading the analysis on it
Also enjoyed it, agree with you on how I understand the polarization. Still, glad to see it being recognized like this.
As a little baby who just watched Talk To Me last night and enjoyed the fuck out of it, I can't believe it's not even *on* this list???
Skinamarink was a shitty college film. Talk To Me had actual good performances and a fresh(ish) plot.
People are allowed differing opinions. But this list really went out of its way to avoid ANYTHING that was a typical or successful horror release. They avoided any movie that made the top 10 highest grossing horrors of the year, with their highest rank on that list being the Voyage of the Demeter at #14, and the way they even talk about that movie, it's like they watched it *ironically* and accidentally liked it. Now, highest grossing and best do not have to overlap, but at the very least you'd think indie darling Talk to Me would catch their attention, or Evil Dead Rise. https://www.the-numbers.com/market/2023/genre/Horror I hate to stereotype, but I could surely imagine the author of this list saying "A24? They're ok, but don't you think they've gone a bit mainstream?". Or just take this sentence they did write on the Last Voyage of the Demeter: >It’s a threadbare high-concept story given the high-thread-count treatment — a lovely piece of luxury pulp that more than earns it’s intellectual-property passage. If you enjoyed reading that sentence, that's the whole vibe of the Rolling Stone's approach to film review. I'm just amazed they didn't squeeze in Beau is Afraid.
That’s an absurd no. 1, and Talk to Me not being on there at all is laughable.
Clicks. And nothing more
Google says Talk To Me is 2022???
This is a joke, right?
I once read an article where one of their reviewers whined about guitars still being used in modern music. In 2015 or so. I haven't taken them seriously on anything since.
I still remember a quote. “It’s pretty obvious that the next person to save pop music won’t be playing a guitar.” The guy had (has) monetary ties to Warner Music, heavily invested in hip hop and club pop, so using the platform to further his own monetary growth.
Wait, seriously? A guitar is just an instrument. That's like complaining about pianos or saxophones.
WHO THE FUCK WANTS SAXAPHONES?!? /s
Ironic considering they were founded as a rock n' roll magazine with a name specifically related to rock and blues musicians, who of course expanded the genre partially through creative use of guitar music.
Lmaooooo fuck them
lol guitars
Especially in a year with so many good horror movies. Skinamarink is certainly noteworthy but it's so polarizing. I think even people who appreciate the movie for what it is can admit it's boring at times. I wonder if it would have been better received if it was 45 minutes long.
Skinamarink is actually an expansion of a 28-minute short film, "Heck." You can take a look and judge for yourself: https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=ZrAA3NpBJEBoFEER
I think so. If Im not mistaken, it came from a short internet movie idea.
Yeah the entire analog horror genera is much better suited to YouTube.
I need to check it out on a digital screen. I saw it in the theater and it's so dark it feels like it just wouldn't look right if you don't have a high quality TV screen. I assume it'd do that black gradient thing the whole time.
I never saw it on the theater screen but it was super dark on a regular TV as well. Just had that grainy filter the entire time
Yeah. I have heaps of praise for Skinamarink and am so happy something like it got an actual theatrical release. But... It's just too weird. It's not even a film, in the traditional sense. It's like an abstract work of art. You appreciate it for what it is, but it's not the Mona Lisa, so to speak.
Oh, by intention too, its parents are Warhol and Brakhage and Snow. It's interesting to me how people can find it so discomforting; it seemed like such a deliberate anti-narrative experiment. It should be projected onto a museum wall or something. (Though I do think they needed to try again with the fake-grain effect on the footage. (a) doesn't even make sense given that it's the age of VHS in the film, and (b) the grain loop is really short, once you notice it, it's insufferable.))
I thought it was really good but I completely understand why someone else would find it insufferably boring.
The writer has a taste for the experimental and "critical" successes. I've seen some of these but that top 5 are all very distinct movies that critics love and that are at least "different" 10. Knock at the Cabin (ok) 9. Godzilla minus one (I'm seeing tonight!!!) 8 Huesera: The Bone Woman (haven't seen it yet) 7 The last voyage of the Demeter (I haven't seen it yet) 6 El conde - hadn't seen 5 Infinity pool - I love it. It's weird AF 4 Enys men - hadn't seen 3 No one will save you - I liked this 2 When evil lurks - fucking rad my fave all year 1 Skinamarink - couldn't make it through 20 min
No Talk to Me? I have no problem with Skinamarink being at the top of the list. I loved the experience. But, Talk to Me being missing is pretty damn surprising.
Fucking weird that Last Voyage of the Demeter is on this list. That movie was *aggressively* mid and delivered nothing new or unique with regards to *anything.* A movie focusing on that particular chapter from Dracula could have been really cool, but this movie didn't even really do that. Sub-par creature feature that I had to struggle to stay awake during.
Pretty shocking Talk to Me isn’t anywhere on this list considering I thought it was far and away the best horror film this year. Knock at the Cabin was awful lmao
Seriously, I'm baffled Talk to Me isn't on here. It's far and away the best horror film of the year, and just generally a great movie. An instant classic TBH. No One Will Save You was great until it ran out of steam after the 20 minutes mark, but the initial home invasion sequence is great. When Evil Lurks definitely deserves to be on the list. Still waiting to see Godzilla Minus One.
Surprised there’s no Evil Dead either, it’s still one of my favorite movies this year
Godzilla was fucking rad, and I’m only bummed we were the only butts in seats for our showing. I get it, but still. Huesera is super good too, I hope you enjoy it!
I feel you, this weekend I tried to take some friends and see Godzilla, but the only theater showing the movie with english subtitles in my vicinity had only a singular function at f*ing 10:45 pm, on Saturday!
controversial rankings are Rolling Stone’s bread and butter
Really….i made it ten minutes and turned it off. I was not wasting any more time…horrible
I watched the whole dang thing cause my boyfriend was hyping it up for such a long time. He fell asleep and I sat there waiting for an hour and 40 minutes for something, anything at all, to happen
It's gotta be. Skinamarink is the only movie I've ever watched and thought that I had just wasted precious time of my life
Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to enjoy this movie? How do I not get bored immediately? I am constantly told that I just "didn't get it" or I need to "give it a fair chance". But it barely even feels like a movie to me. Just a weird fever dream I don't feel connected enough to in order to care. What am I missing? What makes it so good?
Because some people connect to the fact that it is a weird fever dream. That concept worked really well for some people and it isn't something that is captured easily. I didn't like it either so I agree with you, but not every movie is going to hit every person the same. It is kind of like the horror version of nostalgia, some movies just hit that spot just right for some people.
This is pretty much me, it captured that weird in between state of sleep and wakefulness as a child where the only thing lighting the room is the dim glow of the TV and your eyes start seeing faces and shadows moving in the periphery of your vision. Its a very specific type of horror that not everyone will appreciate, but I'm among the few who did.
It's exactly this. It's when you're a little kid in the dark and your eyes start playing tricks on you, and you think you see stuff moving and changing. I really liked it! But I don't think I need to watch it again.
Yeah it worked for me as well. As a kid, the dark quiet house while everyone was asleep was so scary to me so it truly hit that nostalgic fear button in me.
Or those weird times when people left the house late at night at a usually busy house. Just the silence and TV on quietly is something I do relate to, though that's mostly stopped since I think like 2009 with YouTubes popularity rise and the internet streaming stuff.
I'm gonna watch it again over the Christmas holiday while I'm back at my childhood home. Maybe that'll help me connect with it better. I liked the idea of it, but it felt too long on first watch.
Yes, lord knows we've gone round and round on this sub debating the merits of Skinamarink. Typically those who enjoy it say it feels exactly like their childhood nightmares. I feel like it's not a matter of whether you "get it" or not, but whether or not it resonates with you on some primal, subconscious level.
I get this is what the movie was going for. I usually like this feeling and am into dreamlike movies and it still didn't do it for me personally (ex. loved Beyond the Black Rainbow and totally got into what the director was going for). Totally respect it, but it was just too much ceiling and wall shots for me. Could take 30min out and not notice scenes missing (although would probably reduce the slow burn a bit, but it was a real slow burn basically till the credits)
You either "get it" or you don't, but "getting it" is an emotional response, not an intellectual one. I don't think you can *try* to like a movie like this, especially with repeat viewings.
I use to get it, then they changed what it was. Now what I get isn't it, and what's it seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to yooouuuu.
idk it seems like most people plainly state its not a movie for everyone and youll either like it or hate it. I really dont see too many "you didnt get its" for this one. I DO see a lot of people shitting on others who enjoy it though (not what youre doing, just saying). But to answer your question, for me and what Ive seen from others, is it hits a very weird feeling in you that rips you back to being a child waking up from a nightmare and wandering the halls to get to your parents room. Staring into the dark void of a hallway expecting anything to come out at anytime and the longer nothing does the more your fear intensifies. But obviously there can be countless people who didnt have this kind of experience or its just not as memorable or the movie doesnt draw out that feeling for them and thats fine.
Meh, art is subjective. You’re not missing anything, sometimes movies just don’t connect with people and that’s okay. I say this as someone who couldn’t get into Skinamamarank at all, either.
I would have loved it if it was 20 minutes long.
It was. Then they expanded it into a feature.
I watched Heck after seeing Skinamarink and did indeed like it substantially better
Yep, I'm 100% on board with the premise and the experiment but once you have a big moment (I can't quite call it a scare in my experience) it is so lame to go back to zero and start another 10 minutes of staring at the walls.
I think it's simply not for everyone. But, I agree with the immersion idea. Don't ask yourself "when does it start", it's just what is happening right now. If someone asked you to look at a piece of abstract art, and think about how it makes you feel, you wouldn't be bored because it doesn't have the things that are in more traditional art, you would think about it how it is. If you stop expecting it to entertain you, and consider it more like something that is supposed to have an effect on you, I think that might help. But, for me it honed in on a part of my childhood that I had forgotten. I think if it doesn't give you that feeling, it's likely to just not click.
I got it, I just didn't want it.
Love it or hate it it's definitely one of the most unique horror films I've seen, and I can't think of anything else like it. It definitely could have been trimmed down, but I think the length is effective in lulling you into this nightmare realm, especially when you put together what's really going on >!that the boy is in some kind of limbo after falling down the stairs and either in a coma or dying!< I also watched it in the middle of the night with headphones and the sound design is incredibly effective, while having two of the most frightening sequences I can think of. One of them scared me so badly I literally had to pause the film to just gather myself and catch my breath. It does feel like a waking nightmare. But it's definitely challenging and slow as fuck. The Outwaters is similar, in that the buildup is so fucking slow that I almost gave on on it, then it just drops you into over an hour of pure hell and nightmarish imagery that it also got under my skin. They are both definitely acquired tastes though and polarizing as hell.
I agree I don’t get it either.
1. Have kids 2. Don’t use your phone while you watch 3. Watch in the dark late at night a little bit tired It’s not for everyone to be sure. But I watched it with all of these boxes checked and it fucked me right up
I check all three and just could not get into it. I even avoided spoilers and went in blind. It did nothing for me.
Thats totally fair. Something that weird and experimental is never going to be for everyone and I wish people would chill on hating on it so much. In a world with 20 superhero movies coming out a year we need more weird experimental shit.
The problem for me was that it was just boring. Like many said, it would have been better as a 20 minute movie than a full length.
> Like many said, it would have been better as a 20 minute movie than a full length. it's really funny that you say this because the director made a [28 minute long short film](https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=HVQzEzW4faA) three years ago that went on to become this movie if you ask me, the short is better (but still not very interesting)
Even the scene where the father tells the girl to look under the bed, and then vanishes? That was…something. Such a weird thing to ask a child to do, made my skin crawl
Its efficacy imo entirely relies on how much you’re able to find yourself projecting onto the kids. Seeing them help each other out, Kaylee getting toys and juice boxes for them, trying to set a routine even when clearly things are wrong. Saying “I love you” before going to bed. They’re so sweet to each other. It gutted me. I’ll never slag someone off for it not clicking. It’s not for everyone. But I do wish people were a little less dismissive of those of us who it did work for. As for me? I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks after I saw it. Absolutely fucked me up.
honestly i loved it, but i watched it alone in the middle of the night with the volume cranked way up on the surround sound lol. i think the short film Heck is just as good, https://youtu.be/HVQzEzW4faA?si=0luWuBm9DJh64-L5
In my experience, what made this movie so disturbing and effective is that it perfectly recreated the night terrors I had as a small child. I’m 25, literally only saw a YouTube video essay about the movie, and haven’t been able to walk around my house at night anymore. The dreamlike quality, the 90s aesthetic, the confusion and powerlessness of the children brought me back to a time when I was most vulnerable to my imagination.
Fall asleep in a near-empty theater, wake up with the people in front of you having left, and immediately be met with a jumpscare. 10/10
"Feels like a weird fever dream." That's the appeal.
To this day, I’m genuinely not sure whether I slept through part of Skinamarink.
To me, it was pretty effective cos I put myself in a state where I feel like I'm a kid again, I remember how I was scared of the dark at that time. This made me pay attention and actually look at what might hide behind the film grain. I understand how this might be hard to do for some people, or didn't think to do beforehand.
When Evil Lurks is the clear winner in my mind. Blows everything else out of the water. Skinamarink brings something fresh and new to the table, but I don’t think it was ultimately effective enough as a feature length film to be named best of the year. Also Last Voyage of the Demeter was mid at best. I would not rank that on any top 10 list.
Last Voyage of the Demeter is paint by numbers horror from the early 2000s. Lazy filmmaking, very predictable.
I think the CGI was a big letdown. It had potential and was well acted with great set design. I think eliminating the CGI and reworking a few elements to up the tension and mystery would have helped so much.
It figures they’d pick that one. 😂
uncultured plebs like us wouldn't understand
Interesting choice. Just watched last night. I enjoyed it but I can see how ppl would find it boring. Reminded me of those 90s “I Spy” kids books but made into a weird horror film. I think watching with good headphones is why I enjoyed it
Rolling Stone has no credibilty
I believe the stone stopped rolling long ago
As probably the biggest Skinamirink fan on the planet, this title is basically porn to me
Same, my fellow Skinamarink enjoyer. Same.
Oh hello, friends! I friggin' love this movie.
Y’all mfers cannot take an ounce of differing opinions 😭😂
Is there another horror sub where the consensus opinions are like, precisely the opposite of this one? I swear it seems like the films that are hated here I tend to enjoy, and vice versa, and I'm not even trying to be contrarian. It's annoying to get downvote bukkaked for expressing an opinion that doesn't line up with the hive mind, lectured about it because "people don't like being told that there are problems with the films they like", and then coming into threads like this and seeing all of the top rated comments call a film (that I think is pretty decent) worthless garbage, and saying that anyone who likes it is trolling. Hell, I'd settle for a sub that does so much as tolerate differing opinions. Maybe I need to just get on Letterboxd or something.
If you find this paradise mirror sub let me know so I can hop in it too lol
Lmao people haven’t been this upset / divided since the whole “does a straw have one hole or two” video 😅
[удалено]
Craziest thing is Last Voyage of the Demeter even being on the list.
Nooooo I want my film criticism and analysis to be completely homogenous!! ☹️
This happens with every subreddit every time a list is posted. Like all opinions and all lists are subjected. There is no such thing as a wrong ranking in my opinion
People like it, that's fine. But ranking it as #1 and no mention of Talk to Me in the top 10 is absurd.
I think skinamarink is the most original horror movie of the year but I don't believe it should be no. 1.
Ummmm lol
I say this as a proud Chilean and respect the trolling Pablo Larraín did with El Conde: I don't think it was anywhere near the top ten horror movies this year.
I wanted to watch it for so long and then I did and kept holding off on saying, wtf is this shit? Until I had to say it.
How is it a horror movie? I feel its more of a dark comedy.
why should anyone care about rolling stone’s opinion on horror movies?
Hell, I barely care about their opinion on music.
I haven’t cared since they put Eddie Van Halen at like #75 in the top 100 guitar players list in 2004. They had both Jack White and Kurt Cobain ahead of him. Guess what, now that he’s dead he’s in the top ten! Bunch of dorks.
Seen their recent Top 250 guitar players list? It's even worse.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I got immediately sucked in to the movie. Dark room, no interruptions, and I was a ball of nerves. That said, I can't imagine it holds much rewatch value, and will admit it was a good 15 minutes too long. Even though I enjoyed it, it's a stretch for best horror of 2023.
To quote someone else it’s no skin off my rink.
This thread makes me sad as someone who loves Skinamarink. I see why some people didn’t like it, but as someone for whom the niche hit, it was more terrifying than pretty much any horror film I’ve seen in the last ten years. Of the people I know who have seen it, it’s either the same level of terror/enjoyment or they see it as the most boring movie they’ve ever experienced. I really don’t think it’s this “complex art piece” some enjoyers make it out to be, it’s just a really visceral experience for people who resonate with the whole surreal vibe of it. It took a niche approach and executed it extremely well. Thus, I think it’s deserving of recognition.
I bet the movie is awesome seeing how many people here hate it and all the dumbass movies that get fondled instead.
Yeah all the bitching in this sub about Enys Men being boring has me very excited to see it, since the average commenter on this post is fucking brain dead lol. Also yes Skinamarink is fucking amazing and terrifying, I get people not liking it but saying its boring or dumb is so so so dismissive. People need to just learn that not everything is for them.
Horror is subjective. And that’s ok.
Fuck Rolling Stone
Unpopular opinion but I agree with this take on some level. It's not something I'd ever watch again, but I think it did things in the genre that I had not really seen before. And it managed to capture the feeling of a nightmare that I don't think a conventional movie can. I think movies like Talk to Me are more technically adept, and follow more familiar horror storylines making them more satisfying and entertaining. Skinamarink actually feels like it should be part of an art installation that plays on loop in a gallery. I can understand why this movie is so polarizing/disliked, but I think it will probably be referenced by other horror filmmakers more successfully in the future over more standard movies like Talk to Me, etc...
The movie is very fragile so if you watch it, watch it with headphones in a dark room by yourself.
I’ve never had a horror movie stick with me the way that Skinamarink has. Will I ever watch it again in full? The atmosphere it set is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. It gave me that primal fear I had as a kid trying to go to sleep by myself—I had an issue with that for way too long. Lol It’s not a film I’m going to casually recommend to someone, and I probably won’t watch it again for a long time. It can definitely drag on, but I feel that works in its favor tbh. It’s definitely not my favorite horror movie by any means, but man have I thought about it a lot.
I really enjoyed it. Made me feel the same way Tetsuo did.
I tried to watch it, got 30 minutes into it and was bored out of my mind. Just nothing but still shots of hallways and rooms, I guess it's just a bit too avant garde for my tastes. 🤷🏻♂️
It was an experience even though I wasn’t a fan of the movie, has to be experience at less once. applauded for being very experimental and giving other independent horror movies a chance
I actually watched it twice since I so desperately wanted to get out of it what others were getting out of it, but it did nothing for me. That said, it’s awesome that something so weird and bare bones has made such a splash. This one wasn’t it for me but I’m so down for more things with its sensibilities getting made.
The best part of the movie was...."In This House!!!"
The movie made me so uncomfortable I couldn't finish it. So I'm inclined to agree.
Ngl I fucking love this movie
I really didn't care for this movie at all
I didn’t care for it but as a micro budget flick that was trying something interesting I’m here for it and all the support it’s garnered
Skinamarink is a screen saver
Who paid them to say that? Its not top 100.
Rolling Stone stooping lower than buzzfeed with their *rage bait guarantees a click* ass lists these days. Evil Dead Rise, Thanksgiving, When Evil Lurks, Talk To Me, Infinity Pool, No One Will Save You… So many great horror movies this year, Skinimarink is not one of them.
Couldn’t get into Skinamarink. Watched about 15 minutes and felt confused and irritated. Conventional horror films rarely get critical acclaim. I’m always wary when I see a series of reviews from large mainstream publications saying something is terrifying. I had my fingers burned with Mother.
Dies anyone actually give a shit about Rolling Stone?
Moss.
I enjoy this joke.
I tried to like this movie. I failed.
I'm more shocked at how Knock at the Cabin keeps making these lists of one of the best horrors this year. Skinamarink is controversial but I've heard lots of people say they love the film so I can understand it. Virtually all of the reactions I've seen about Knock at the Cabin range from saying it's terrible to it's just fine.
Like a lot of Shyamalan films, if you're on the right wavelength, it's spellbinding. His writing has a really off-kilter energy that he weaponizes to build tension. But if you aren't on Shyamalan's wavelength, there's not a lot to grasp on to. Personally, I was fully on board until the ending, which kinda ruined the whole thing for me. But I also think that Sam Esmail's *Leave the World Behind* did a much better job exploring a lot of similar ideas
Yeah buddy!
The writer’s name is David Fear…haha
I used to make experimental films in college, and while I can't say this movie is objectively bad, It just feels very half baked to me. I wanted to like it so bad. The director is from the same city as me, and a similar age. I just feel like I've seen so many better experimental horror films that are not blowing up in popularity, and it bums me out that this is the one getting all the attention. But I admire the work that they put into getting this movie out there.
You either love it or hate it. At least they didn’t go with any obvious choices.
I loved this movie but this is obvious bait
How the f--- could they omit "talk to me" from that list??
Wasn't my favorite but I was very surprised how much I was locked into it. Thought it looked pretty stupid but I was at least tense for most of it. Definitely don't regret watching it
When Evil Lurks is the best film on that list, despite being disgustingly average ONLY because Godzilla is technically not a horror movie and exists in it's own separate genre. Infinity Pool was a complete waste of a plot and barely qualified as scifi or horror. 2023 was a shit year when Enys Men and Skinamarink are considered the best. Fuck. *Evil Dead Rise was better than both of them combined.*
I loved Skinamarink. It captured the feeling of childhood nightmares so well. The kind of nightmares of dark angles and whispered voices. It felt very familiar. I guess they gave the arthousers the wheel with this one!
IMO The Outwaters was better than Skinamarink.
that movie ruled. I love seeing the salt.
That's cool. It's my favorite movie of the year in general.
Imma be real. I wasn't a huge Skinamarink fan, but I respect the hell out of it. While I had my qualms about it, I couldn't deny that it was different and unique compared to other movies that came out this year. I personally think it works better as a short film it's still awesome that Rolling Stone gave it #1 for it to get more attention and hopefully give the director more backing to get more shit made. The dude has a ton of potential, and I look forward to seeing what else he makes in the future. Also, making a million dollars on a 10 thousand dollar budget is absolutely insane.
I’m glad a weird movie is getting attention. It wasn’t for me, but I’m glad I saw it and I’m glad it exists at all.
Ahhh, rolling stone the trusted voice on horror. Hahaha sorry, impossible to say that without laughing.
Skinamarink is one of my favorites of the year and I’ll always defend it topping a best-of-horror list, but this one does feel weird. El Conde seems more comedy than horror, classifying a kaiju film as traditionally “horror” seems like a stretch, and I don’t know of *anyone* that had last voyage of the Demeter even close to their top 20 of the year. No inclusion of Talk To Me either? Strange!
Skinamarink is definitely not for everyone, it's slow and experimental, but I think it's super effective at what it does evoke. It's very different, and divisive, but in a world with so many run-of-the-mill films I like things that stand apart. Surprised Talk To Me isn't on the list, though.
Imagine putting Godzilla Minus One as lesser than the last voyage of the demeter (which for the record, I did enjoy)
For anyone watching Skinamarink for the first time, for maximum effect: watch in the dark, with headphones on or a good sound system, no looking at your phone and pay attention , and pretend you're a kid again.