2023 was an exciting year for cinephiles, but few films had our stomachs in knots quite like Alberta-made ‘Skinamarink.’
Written and directed by Kyle Edward Ball, the low-budget flick was well-received not only by fans and amateur critics but also by major publications.
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One of the most notable? Rolling Stone, who just named it the best horror movie of this past year.
Shot entirely in Edmonton, Alberta, Skinamarink only cost $15,000 to make and follows a four-year-old boy on a journey through hallways and into the various rooms of his dimly lit home. One by one the doors, windows and his family disappear while an ominous voice taunts him.
Best described as “experimental,” Skinamarink was revered for its ability to make the audience feel uncomfortable as well as its found-footage camera work.
“Anyone with longstanding abandonment issues may want to have their therapist on speed-dial before they dip into this waking nightmare,” they write.
“You don’t need a firsthand knowledge of trauma, however, to appreciate the way the Canadian filmmaker so deftly channels the free-form fear and anxieties of childhood.”
As for the other films that made the cut? Here are the other best horror movies of 2023:
- Skinamarink
- When Evil Lurks
- No One Will Save You,
- Enys Men
- Infinity Pool
- El Conde
- The Last Voyage of the Demeter’
- Huesera: The Bone Woman
- Godzilla Minus One
- Knock at the Cabin
Think you’re brave enough to take it on? Ball’s cult hit is included with a subscription to Shudder and can be rented for a fee on Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.
Good luck and happy watching!
