2026 has been the year of diverse horror, with hits like Obsession, Hokum, and Backrooms all performing surprisingly well at the box office. Backrooms in particular has been a success but in many ways has also been the start of something new in terms of horror. The film, directed by Kane Parsons, is an adaptation of his own web series which takes its inspiration from a popular 4chan creepypasta. It’s the kind of original filmmaking that audiences have been asking for when it comes to movies for years and, more than that, Backrooms is a testament to how independent horror may be the future of the horror genre. It’s not the first independent horror film to make such a mark, however. Back in 2022, another independent horror film was also a critical and box office success and it’s leaving streaming at the end of this month.
Skinamarink, directed and written by Kyle Edward Ball, is a 2022 Canadian experimental horror film now streaming on Tubi until August 31st. The plot surrounds the horror of a young brother and sister who wake up one night to discover their father is missing and that every door, window, and other object in the house is disappearing. Among horror fans, this film was extremely polarizing, with many viewers leaving the theater either uninterested or horrified to tears. Word of mouth quickly propelled this film into cult-horror status, as its imagery and experimental filming style soon became a major topic of discourse. The film is a must-watch for any fan of horror or Backrooms who wants to see just how experimental horror can get.
Skinamarink has an intresting history. Ball first created a short film, Heck, in 2020, that functioned as a proof of concept for what would become Skinamarink. Production on Skinamarink actually began in 2021 and ran for one week with a budget of $15,000, most of which was crowdfunded. It ultimately premiered premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal on July 25, 2022. The film was leaked online, which fueled word-of-mouth, secured it a theatrical release, and made it a box-office success, though not everyone agreed about the film itself. The reviews of the film were mostly positive, though there were also plenty of people who found it boring.
While Skinamarink is a polarizing film, it gave the horror genre a boost that it needed. Where some horror is created to capitalize on the IP’s hype or on the name of a specific horror, Skinamarink was created to capture a specific horror that audiences can relate to. Ball has repeatedly said that he was inspired by his own childhood nightmare of his parents being missing and there being a monster, a fear that many people recall having as a child. This gives the film something unique that goes beyond what most have come to expect from horror, much in the same way Backrooms steps outside of familiar horror categories for its story as well.
With Backrooms having so recently been a box office smash, it makes now a perfect time to check out (or revisit) Skinamarink. However, you’ll want to do so soon. The film is currently streaming for free on Tubi but will be leaving the platform at the end of the month.
