Skew (2011)

   
Produced, Written & Directed by: Sevé Schelenz

Starring:

Rob Scattergood .... Simon Lacey
Amber Lewis .... Eva Hansen
Richard Olak .... Richard Harrison

Release Dates: A Night of Horror International Film Festival: March 26, 2011 (Australia); Myrtle Beach International Film Festival: April 19, 2011; Big Island Film Festival: May 14, 2011; Phoenix Fear Film Festival: May 21, 2011; Lighthouse International Film Festival: June 3, 2011; Pittsburgh Horror Film Festival: June 4, 2011; Seattle True Independent Film Festival: June 4, 2011; Urban Suburban Film Festival: June 25, 2011; Fright Night Film Festival: July 22, 2011; Mississauga Independent Film Festival: July 24, 2011; Manhattan Film Festival: July 26, 2011; San Antonio Horrific Film Festival: August 26, 2011; Film North: Huntsville International Film Festival: September 22, 2011; Late Night Horror Film Festival: September 29, 2011; Big Bear Horror Film Festival: September 30, 2011; Fear Fete Horror Film Festival: October 28, 2011; Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival: November 15, 2011 (Mexico)

 

 

 

 

 

Rating:

 

Three friends named Simon Lacey (Rob Scattergood), Eva Hansen (Amber Lewis) and Richard Harrison (Richard Olak) decides to go on a cruise along with videotaping their journeys but they are up in their neck with terrors especially when they spot a face being blurred while still filming their events and later killed by unmysterious deaths.
Simon also encounters some evil spirits while videotaping along the way but whenever he rewinds the tape from his camera the objects are gone. He realises that this camera has some sort of a demonic force on its own and are tearing everyone apart with their friendships.

 

The film seems to roll along well with the teenagers cruisng in their car as the weather looks very summerlike but yet it seemed to look like a mocumentary drama type. Yet this is what makes it interesting as the terror will unravel later on in the story while we keep watching this flick.
We spot some arguments involving a character named Eva in which this makes you wonder as to what's behind all of this since there's a secret involving Simon Lacey who's videotaping this and her boyfriend Richard Harrison. Certainly was well put in keeping you in susense while we keep watching this flick since this moment looked pretty dysfunctional.
It's interesting when things seem silent while everyone ins driving in the night and then a great jumping moment when they crash into something which makes you wonder as if they hit another car and the driver wasn't paying any attention or what. Then a neat moment spotting a coyote dying on the road with nice bright camera light shots on this. It looks truly sad to see what they hit and one of them is about to touch this wild animal and you cringe wondering if it will lunge out to bite or not.

It looks good when they arrive at a hotel and the face on the clerk looks blurry in which this makes you wonder as to why that this is happening and the camera person Simon tries to wipe his camera and the clerks face looks clear now. Or was it actually the camera lens in which this looked totally mind boggling.
While everyone is in the room a nice shot on Richard as he seems disturbed about something and this moment really grabs your attention wondering if he's losing touch with his sanity and a fight breaking out or not.
I enjoyed a scene when Simon goes out of his hotel room and then spots the clerk dead in his foffice with the police surrounding at this moment stopping this guy from entering as it's a great drawing card to the story wondering as to what will happen next here.
There's another good jumping moment when the gang heads out the next day and are driving by spotting a deer and suddenly Richard slams on the breaks making you wonder as well to why he did this. Then a nice look at a car smashed up and the deer dead on the road making this look quite deranged after spotting something peaceful and then ending up as a tragedy.
Another neat moment is when Simon videotapes a hotel room late at night and we briefly spot a ghostly figure which can really make you jump big time as everything was so quiet and still and he rewinds his tape to see what he spotted and nothing is there which is even more scary to watch since as kids we all get scared thinking we've seen something and then it's not there at all.
There's also a moment when Simon videotapes a store clerk and his face is blurry while asking for a key to the john and then when he comes back to see if the clerk is okay he's not at the cashier as this keeps you in suspense wondering if something has happened to him yet. Very exciting to watch indeed and making this look incredibly mysterious.
What's psychologicly suspenseful is the police pull them over and dicuss the corner store they've been to for anyone who is afraid on getting in trouble with the police at all. Plus a good moment when they are questioned in a room and then were free to go but suddenly out of nowhere this officer gets shot bloodily while a surveillance camera is shooting all of this. This definetely looked pretty clever.
Another neat moment is when Simon is videotaping some sort of ghost running in a field while they are driving along the road as this looked well done and great special effects too.
There's even some good moments when they are near a cliff and a heated argument breaks out making you wonder if a brawl will happen as it well well written with this intensity on this camera causing deaths to occur along with peer pressure on throwing it off the cliff or not. While watching all of this makes you wonder as to what will happen here.
There's even a great distant shot on some ghould suddenly speeding up towards the camera which psychs you out while watching this as well as Simon assaulting his friend Richard with the camera as this looked really brutal wondering to yourself if he's going to kill him with it. This all looked greatly and intensely well done.

Then towards the near ending we spot a prologue in which adds some interesting twists here between Simon and his girlfriend dumping him.
Bottom line is that this was an independent film shot in my area in which has a feel to be totally liked by the people in the US even. It's very Blair Witch Project style seeming to pay a tribute to that film but having other types of effective twists to the story involving special ghostly effects which works in the story incredibly well and not looking phony at all. I have very little criticism and find that Sevé Schelenz can go far with this film and work steadily as a filmmaker. I can see a sequel happening here and becoming a cult favourite too.

The acting was well performed in which lead actor Rob Scattergood (Simon Lacey) is not seen that much since he is always behind the camera but yet his voice work is very characterised in which he does well with his sarcastic behavior along with his anger and intense speaking too when the suspense piles up. He brings it all together incredibly well. A defiente character actor I found this guy to be indeed. A good sarcastic speech while talking to his fellow actress as this looked very natural with an issue.
Amber Lewis (Eva Hansen) stole the film with her performance in which she seems to have a real sharp attitude in whenever she speaks out or showing an anger in her. She also shows alot of nice anxious moments and being very alert to what happens in a certain scene seeming to study this part inside out. I was fond of what she did throughout her performance being right on the ball of things. There's a nice disturbed firm reaction as well as acting aggressive.
Richard Olak (Richard Harrison) came across well acting goofy and one of those typical partying type of teenagers in the flick as well as having the perfect looks for all of this. He also shows some good scared reactions along with his anger too bringing it all out with everything that he did here. Sometimes though he seems to be out of it from time to time yet I think that this was intentional for his role. A nice slow blocking movement when he is about to touch a dead coyote. A good strong moment while losing his temper and almost getting violent in which he seemed to bring alot of this out. He reacts well to groaning in pain and his blocking looked good falling to the ground while he is attacked showing some good energy here.

Coyote is battered on the side of the road
Deer is bloodied on a road
Face
is bloodily bashed by a camcorder

There's the good odd screeching, booming and hissing sounds for when the haunting moments start to happen which owrks in quite well for when this character is filming stuff making these scene's very effective and creepylike all composed by Peter Allen. More of this was used during the closing credits of the film which seems to fit in well too.