The horror genre has died down the past few years. Having the same tropes and production that every horror movie has. I think that a lot of people can agree that horror has been, well, boring these past few years. However, a new horror sub-genre has recently emerged into the media, and it gives people hope that something new and truly terrifying may be coming in the horror genre. And it came to light with the release of this movie; Skinamarink.  

This fairly new genre of horror is called analogue horror. This type of genre is commonly represented in short films, as well as short videos on the internet. Analogue horror is defined as; a commonly characterized subgenre of horror containing low-infidelity graphics, cryptic messages, and visuals styles reminiscent of the late 20th century television analog. This sun-genre has always been very interesting, as the purpose of these films is not to give you a complex story with a resolution at the end of it, its main purpose is to not give the viewer a straight storyline, but to truly terrify.  

Skinamarink never truly explains the storyline behind it, however by watching the film, if you truly pay attention through all the disturbing images and shots throughout the film, you can piece together a somewhat of a storyline, however it still leaves you asking a lot of questions. This film follows two siblings named Kaylee and Kevin, both between the ages of about 4-7. It shows that Kevin and Kaylee’s parents have somewhat disappeared, and throughout the film they are trying to figure out what happened to their parents, as to what is happening to their home. It may seem like a very simple concept; however, it is the way the film portrays it that makes it so interesting and terrifying.  

For example, through the film we can see that something is happening to the children’s house. It follows this with shots of doors, windows, and even the toilets in the house, then straight cuts to these items vanishing into thin air, leaving the viewer confused. Another extremely interesting part of this film is how the film shows the children, just being children.  Throughout the film we can see the children getting even more scared and confused, however they do not try to leave the house or call 911 or anything. They instead just go to the television light, which makes them feel safe. Even when Kaylee heard what was most likely a demon coming from a closet upstairs, she just runs back to the living room, feeling safe in the light the television provides.  

I think it is very important that we have new and experimental films like this to keep the horror genre new and exciting. Lately, I feel that horror films have not actually scaring viewers, however with movies like Skinamarink, it truly scares the viewer. It is one of those movies that stay with you even after the credits roll, that leaves you questioning what that noise was that you just heard coming from your closet in the middle of the night. I hope that in the future, we will get more movies like Skinamarink, more movies that better fit the title of a “horror” movie, movies that make you experience true horror.