Kyle Edward Ball Talks Experimental Horror ‘Skinamarink,’ Earning The Title Of Scariest Film Ever & More [The Playlist Podcast]

Every now and then, a film comes along that proves word-of-mouth marketing can be a powerful tool. Even though we are just beginning 2023, we already have an example of a film that has earned so much buzz without a hint of marketing, the indie horror film, “Skinamarink.” And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I got the chance to speak with Kyle Edward Ball, the writer-director of what some people are calling the scariest film of all time, “Skinamarink.”

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For those who haven’t heard of “Skinamarink,” the most basic description is to say it’s an experimental horror film about two children who wake up to find their father is missing and all of the doors and windows in their house have disappeared. But again, that is just the bare minimum way of explaining the film, as it’s one of the most unique and creepy features to be released in quite some time. But believe it or not, the film’s content is maybe overshadowed by its crazy journey to get to cinemas.

READ MORE: ‘Skinamarink’ Review: The Scares In This TikTok-Viral Indie Horror Are All In Your Head

The film debuted at last year’s Fantasia Fest and earned immediate acclaim. Not only did it earn acclaim, but Ball’s film also landed a coveted distribution deal with Shudder. This is about as good as it gets for a film the director admits is very strange and experimental. Unfortunately, after its deal with Shudder, the film played more festivals where the feature eventually leaked online. 

That would typically be terrible news for a festival film. However, for “Skinamarink,” it took Ball’s relatively unknown but acclaimed experimental horror film and turned it into an overnight, viral hit, as horror fans on social media hailed the film as the scariest thing they’d ever seen. Not too bad for a 100-minute film that only includes actors in about 10 minutes’ worth of shots. 

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In our discussion, I get the chance to talk to Ball about his new film and the roller coaster ride he’s experienced on its way from getting crowdfunded and chosen to play at a prestigious festival to then getting leaked and potentially ruining his distribution deal. Not only that, we talk about what makes “Skinamarink” such a creepy affair to begin with. According to Ball, the scares come from subversion.

“I wanted to make something so powerful and so different,” he said. “Just an example, people have talked about how a big scary part of the movie is just people whispering, which can be more unnerving than someone screaming.”

As for the talk about the film being the scariest film ever, Ball believes his film is probably worthy of another title instead.

“People throw around the term ‘scariest movie ever’ a lot,” Ball said. “I like to think I made the creepiest movie ever.”

We also talk about what is to come after “Skinamarink.” The filmmaker revealed that he has already found a studio partner to collaborate with and is just in the planning stages.

“I had a few ideas, but I fell out of love with them. So I have a new idea that I haven’t told anyone about and I’m going to keep close until I’m ready to show others,” he explained. “It’ll definitely be horror, and it’ll definitely be experimental, and it’ll definitely be lo-fi.”  

“Skinamarink” is in theaters now. You can hear our full discussion below:

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