Skinner

"Skinner", directed by the fairly unknown soft-core porn director Ivan Nagy, is one strange…STRANGE film, to say the least. I honestly can't quite label what it is exactly, but it's some sort of odd mixture between horror, revenge-exploitation and an unusual serial-killer portrait. Even stranger than the mix of themes is the choice of cast members. Ted Raimi, who usually only just makes cameo appearances in films produced and/or directed by his more successful brother Sam, takes on the lead role of the introvert psychopath Dennis Skinner, talk show hostess Ricky Lake (also known from John Waters' movies) plays his landlady and former porn star Traci Lords stars as one of Raimi's previous victims out for vengeance. The plot remains vague and unclear regarding Dennis' awkward personality and motivations, but I can only presume he's another fictional character inspired by real-life killer Ed Gein, who also formed the base for successful genre milestones like "Psycho" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". Raimi's character slowly but surely develops into a tormented persona haunted by traumas from his childhood, yet a proper explanation is never given. Another truly peculiar aspect of "Skinner" is the dosing of the blood and gore. The film is overall tame, with a strict emphasis on atmosphere and character drawing, yet suddenly comes a sequence that is almost indescribably gross and sick-spirited. It's like the scene was added after filming all the rest, following negative screening results, or something, yet I didn't notice any differences or interruptions in the editing. Maybe Ivan Nagy preferred spending his entire make-up effects budget on one ultra-sadistic moment? "Skinner" is an obscure and atypical piece of 90's horror, but it's definitely worth a peep if you like cinematic oddities that can't possibly be categorized.

This movie cracked me up! What a fun, trashy little film. Tracy Lords is almost impossible to watch and Ricky Lake is just calling it in. The only reason to watch this flick, in my humble opinion, is for Ted Raimi. Why is this guy not a star? He really gets into his performance in this film. I have always enjoyed him on Xena but Skinner gives him a chance to run with a lead roll. He's a really good actor! And to top it all off he's super cute and his body is sound as a pound! Yowzers!!!!

Skinner feels like someone put a Hitchcockian thriller, a trashy Euro giallo, an 80's slasher movie, and a John Waters movie into a blender and served it up. There are inspired moments and Ted Raimi's performance is interesting and committed, but the film as a whole feels a little wonky like a woman trying to walk with only one stiletto on a rainy evening. One thing is for sure - a scene where Raimi murders a black man and wears his face while taunting another victim with a Fat Albert-esque voice is genuinely unforgettable.

The movie Skinner is about a serial killer who has a disturbing hobby of skinning his victims and then wearing their skin like clothing. To me, that sounds like a credible horror film story line, but the execution of this film was very poor. The acting was unbelievable, the film quality looked like the movie was filmed in the 1800s, and the effects were not good at all. I would not recommend this film to anyone at all for any reason. There are no memorable scenes or lines in this movie, so I'm going to give it a 1 out of 10 star rating.

Ted Raimi is Dennis Skinner, a friendly, grinning wacko who kills women, skins them and wears a suit made of their stitched-together flesh. He rents a room from lonely housewife Kerry (Ricki Lake), who's glad to have some company since her moody trucker husband (David Warshofsky) is always gone. Meanwhile, Heidi (Traci Lords), a depressed, soft-spoken, scarred, limping morphine addict who managed to survive an attack years earlier, balances her time in a grimy hotel room shooting up, crying and plotting revenge.

This is a dark, dreary, depressing and often awkward film and I hated it when I first saw it. However, I gave it another chance and am glad I did. Aside from the top-notch KNB FX work, it takes place in a unique, graffiti-tinged decaying urban hell landscape, has a great score from Contagion and plenty of clever movie references if you're looking for them. There's one odd and powerful moment in this film, where Dennis is talking to the shell of a victim he's just killed and skinned about his traumatic childhood and rubbing the hands of the deceased along his face for comfort. Moments like these, done with some thought and care, lift a film like this right up out of the gutter.

I completely disagree with the potshots made at Traci Lords. Many people just cannot put their perceptions of her behind them long enough to even consider the fact she's capable of giving a competent performance. I found Lords to be more than just a little competent in this particular role. It is by no means an easy or flattering part to have to play, but I thought she played it very, very well.

Speaking of unflattering portraits, you can learn more about director Ivan Nagy by viewing HEIDI FLEISS: Hollywood MADAM.

Score: 7 out of 10.