Skew

I have been on a kick of watching found-footage horror films recently, and after watching what I thought was all I could find on Netflix, I happened to stumble upon this title. The picture was littered with rave reviews, which was enough to convince me that it was at least worth checking out.

I enjoyed the first two Paranormal Activity movies (haven't seen the third yet), The Last Exorcism annoyed me, and I don't even know what to write about Grave Encounters. My biggest complaint with these types of movies is that there is too much that is similar - I realize that there is only so many ways you can go, but there's no need to have the lead character who wants the "documentary" to go on no matter what, a swinging chandelier, or someone getting dragged by an unseen force is every found-footage movie about the paranormal.

Boy, was I glad that I watched Skew ... it avoided enough of those recurring elements that it could be considered - dare I say - creative.

The basic plot revolves around three friends on a road trip. The main character is seemingly obsessed with using the video camera, a source of increasing annoyance to his two friends. Along the way, the main character begins to see strange things through the camera, and strange things begin to happen to people who are seen on camera. The tension builds and builds until you are assaulted with a mind-twisting ending that, in my opinion, can stack up against any other twist ending out there.

The acting is much better than most of this genre, the "home movie" element feels very natural, and the few jump scares that are featured a more than enough to get your attention right away. I felt that some scenes dragged on a bit long, but it's not bad enough to truly annoy, and actually adds to the "home movie" feel.

Usually, the use of a musical score and other scary movie tones used on post-production irritate me (if this is truly "found-footage," there wouldn't be any background music, would there?) But in this case, the sounds used at the end amplify the effect ten-fold. And the ending - WOW. There will be those that won't be able to figure it out, and I admit that I am one of them. But the movie was that good that I am looking forward to watching it again to figure it out.

For fans of this genre, I highly recommend this movie, even if only to see something that is a little different. If you're not already a fan of the genre, this movie won't make you one. But that being said, this is one of the better movies I've seen the last couple of days, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head yet.

I first saw Skew at the Mississauga Film Festival. This is a psychological thriller/horror film that has found a new voice in its "found footage" sub-genre. Skew kept me wondering and waiting for more. The acting is good. The character of Eva is especially strong, haunting the audience with her wide eyes. The effects are subtle and work well in the grainy home video 4x3 ratio. Sometimes the scenes felt a little too long, but there were enough scares that I was compelled to see it again when I was in Manhattan for the Manhattan Film Festival. This second time I concentrated on the story and picked up on clever plot points that I missed or didn't seem to matter on my first viewing. Pay attention, this film is coming from a new direction that will side-swipe you.

I recently went to Fear Fete Horror Film Festival in Baton Rouge and got to see this little horror film. While most found footage films seem to go in for the shock value, Skew is a refreshing change and actually takes its time to draw the viewer into its warped world of creepiness.

The movie starts off with three friends, Simon and cute couple Eva & Rich, going on a roadtrip. The fact that Simon's girlfriend refuses to join them already sets the tone for some tension which just increases as the trip goes on. One thing is for certain, Simon has issues. Those issues revolve around an unhealthy obsession with a video camera.

The video camera is always running. And while Rich and Eva start running out of patience with their obsessive friend, Simon, evil events start to ruin their roadtrip.

First off, let me start by saying that the acting was great. It felt very real and authentic. They captured that feeling of initial excitement and then inevitable annoyance from being around the same people day in and day out. Especially with Simon due to his paranoid behavior.

The story is simple enough, yet what is happening with the video camera is much more complex. I was trying to figure out what was going on during the entire screening and while I definitely had my own theories, the film does an excellent job of explaining it without knocking you over the head with the answers.

The director gives the audience a lot of credit for being smart. If you don't pay attention the whole time, you just won't get it. The ending will not make sense or it might even make you mad. A second viewing might definitely be necessary for dummies who didn't pay attention the first time. I would love to see it a second time to just make sure that everything pays off correctly.

Though there aren't a ton of scares, the caliber of these scares was good. Especially one certain one which I will not give away (but you'll know it as soon as you see it). The sound and visual effects of the camera were very inventive and while I've seen some of them recreated in other movies lately, it says a lot that since Skew was made in 2005 (not to mention without the Hollywood budget), that this director wasn't copying anyone, but using his creative flair to make a true indie movie.

A valiant first feature debut and I hope to see more from this guy soon.

I really enjoyed this movie as it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what kind of creepiness is going to jump out at you next! Most thriller/horror movies out there today are solely into shock value, rampant with gratuitous gore. Skew doesn't rely on over-the-top gore to scare you, it succeeds in doing so with great camera work, creepy images and freaky incidents. What starts out as a fun road trip becomes a gradual descent into the hellish unknown. You really feel for the two main characters in this film, they are likable, and yet the terror surrounding them seems beyond their control. Unlike most movies today, Skew really makes you think. You'll be trying to figure out what's going on all the way up to the very end. And then the reveal is splendidly disturbing.

This is a low budget horror film. Plain and simple. But man, is it good. I never even heard of this film until I read some reviews about it on the net. Some good, some bad. So I was a bit hesitant to watch it but was pleasantly surprised. The thing that grabbed me was how smart it was. It didn't dumb things down for the audience and that's what I liked about it. It really made you think. It has an ending that leaves you hanging so I did some research and am sure I figured it out. The other thing that is pretty cool is the twist on this found footage thing. Skew is definitely not a found footage film. I went in thinking it was but when you hit a certain point in the film (which I can't really say as it may spoil it), you realize it isn't. First impulse was to say this film blew it because it doesn't follow the rules of found footage (like music) but when you realize it's not, then it totally makes sense. The film is slow and the scares are sparse, but that's not what this is about. It's about getting freaked out and being nervous - which is exactly what I felt. It's not fast-paced like some of the new horror films (which quite frankly aren't scary). It goes back to the route of what's scary and I like that. Don't be thrown off by the haters out there. The film is good and well worth your time if you want to turn your brain on. If not, go see something more mindless.