Two young children awake in the middle of the night to find that their house is no longer recognizable. Windows and doors leading to the outside have vanished. Their father has disappeared. Time has ceased to move. As the two children try to make sense of what strange reality they appear to be trapped in, the source begins to make itself known.

Kyle Edward Hall directs this indie lo-fi horror movie. It’s a very slow burn with lots of high angle, dark, hard to see shots. But what makes this movie so freaky is the hominess of it all. It was shot in Hall’s childhood home in Edmonton and it feels like a real home. The depths of the darkness of the shots make you feel like you are part of the darkness watching these kids, but at the same time it feels like something else is watching you. Everything I was afraid of as a kid is represented in this short 100 minute movie. It’s definitely not for everyone. You have to really want this movie to work, but even then it’s far from perfect.

Skinamarink is available to stream on Shudder.