Skinamarink Trailer: The Creepiest Horror Movie Trailer Of The Year

One of the most hyped indie horror movies of the year, "Skinamarink," has everyone and their mom talking about how utterly game-changing the film is. Now, you can gauge for yourself if you're digging what it's offering with the film's new theatrical trailer.

In the sneak peek (which released on Shudder's YouTube channel), we get the sense that something is going very wrong in a suburban home where two children live seemingly in darkness — darkness that is only broken by a constant loop of static-ridden, dated cartoons. There is a sinister presence, but it isn't easy to see, and the trailer, which consists of several low-light shots, invites us to decipher its visuals. Throughout the minute-and-a-half long clip, a deeply unsettling voice recites a seemingly cursed mantra: "In this house..."

You can read the film's official synopsis, but it's not for the faint of heart:

Two children wake up in the middle of the night to find their father is missing, and all the windows and doors in their home have vanished. To cope with the strange situation, the two bring pillows and blankets to the living room and settle into a quiet slumber party situation. They play well worn videotapes of cartoons to fill the silence of the house and distract from the frightening and inexplicable situation. All the while in the hopes that eventually some grown-ups will come to rescue them. However, after a while it becomes clear that something is watching over them.

Director Kyle Edward Ball shared this trailer to Reddit exactly one year ago today — where he was actually offered his original distribution deal for the project in the comments — and it later was repurposed by Fantasia Festival for the film's world premiere last summer.

After a pre-release piracy kerfuffle that rocked Film Twitter and HorrorTok, Variety announced that the film would receive a theatrical release through IFC Midnight next month and would later stream on Shudder. It was the news that we had all hoped for despite the unfortunate events that occurred following the film's banner festival run.

In a recent chat with the publication, Ball reflected on the incident and the budget of his project, which was an extremely modest $15,000. There's no mincing words: the theft of Ball's film affects him, those who worked alongside him, and those who join the team in the distribution stage. Ultimately, this film will be okay, although the filmmaker noted that, regardless of whether or not an independent film gets distribution, the barriers to simply making a film ought to be questioned and that money plays a role it shouldn't when it comes to making art:

"I believe that people who come from more humble means do deserve a shot at making a movie if their idea is good. I also think it makes for a better product. If only rich people get to make movies, obviously that's going to get stale after a while. I think having more voices from more corners of the world creates more interesting dialogues, and makes more interesting movies in the long run."

"Skinamarink" arrives in theaters in the United States on January 13, 2023. It will begin streaming on Shudder some time later that year.