Skin Crawl (2007)

Wow! Such a good movie.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Forlorn Margaret (an excellent and affecting performance by Debbie Rochon) is stuck in an unhappy marriage with the equally dissatisfied Howard (a pleasingly slimy portrayal by Kevin G. Shinnick). Howard and his greedy, wicked, and duplicitous mistress Sadie (deliciously played to the ruthless bitchy hilt by Julian Wells) plan to kill Margaret for her considerable fortune. However, the scheming pair are unaware that by killing Margaret they will trigger off a centuries old curse of demonic retribution. Writer/director Justin Wingenfeld relates the intricate and original story at a steady pace, uses an inspired and interesting narrative device by repeating several key scenes from the contrasting perspectives of different characters (Wingenfeld deserves extra praise for presenting said characters as truly complex three dimensional beings), does a fine job of creating and sustaining a creepy gloom-doom atmosphere, and pulls out all the nightmarish stops with the wild supernatural revenge from beyond the grave climax. This picture further benefits from the sound acting by the capable cast. Wells in particular is a total stand-out throughout; she attacks her juicy femme fatale part with delightfully lip-smacking reprehensible aplomb and really gives her sizzling all in her scorchingly kinky sex scenes (the fact that the lovely and slender Ms. Wells spends the bulk of her screen time nude certainly doesn't hurt matters any). Moreover, there are sturdy supporting turns from Armand Anthony as Sadie's hunky boyfriend Colin, John Paul Fedele as greasy thug Franco, Rodney Grey as Franco's squeamish partner Damato, and Victoria Vance as Margaret's sympathetic friend Julia. Popping up in cool bits are the ever-adorable Misty Mundae as an ill-fated hooker and Ruby Larocca as Franco's trashy trollop wife. The startling moments of savage violence pack a brutal punch. John Paul Fedele's rather rough, but effective and fairly stylish cinematography gives the movie an appropriately shadowy look. Don Mike's spooky score does the spine-tingling ooga-booga trick. The tight 75 minute running time ensures that this feature never gets dull or overstays its welcome. A hugely enjoyable shocker.

Let's just make one thing perfectly clear. When Howie (Kevin G. Shinnick) turns over and passes on his wife (Debbie Rochon), you know that things are screwy. Give me a break! Passing on Debbie for Julian Wells. I mean, she is nice, and she did spend most of the film showing her nice boobies and generous booty, but hey dude, nobody passes on Debbie.This was, as far a I know the first time that Rochon played a real zombie, as she came back from her death to take revenge. It wasn't as bloody as I would have liked in this type of film, but it was good.Misty Mundae also appeared briefly as a hooker, but we mostly just got to see her head bobbing up and down before it was cruelly jerked too far to the right. Poor Misty was just with the wrong people.This was a first film for writer/director Justin Wingenfeld, and he has talent. It is hoped that he continues to improve.

I would just like to know what (if any) basis for comparison that people say that films of this yore are 'worst movie ever made' or 'director should be flogged'...you get the drift.I am just interested as to what is considered a 10 in the same production budget range.It's no good just making bland comments that we've all used before. I thought Spidey 3 was a major disappointment (on that budget) but I thought Cabin Fever was great (for that budget)...but both made a shed load of money.But I do know something, that if the budget was low enough for this movie and yet it got distribution...then a profit was made somewhere along the line...and in the film BUSINESS...that's all that matters.Good luck to anyone who makes a movie and gets a distribution deal.

I am not be the usual viewer of a low budget film, but this movie left me laughing more so than reaching for a blanket to hide under. This movie was absolutely terrible. From the onset I thought that the cheesy acting may have been some joke type introduction that would lead into a plot full of suspense and bloodshed, but my hopes were left unfulfilled.I couldn't even finish this movie. I made it 1 hour and 3 minutes in before shutting it off, regretting wasting my time watching a movie that I could have made with my friends and a home video camera. There was more sex than violence, including the 3 basic types; vaginal, oral and anal, in quite specific detail. There was nothing to be scared about in this movie. Furthermore, it seemed to me that they spent more time on the DVD menu than they did anything else within the storyline. You see the same girl get stabbed 3 different times with the same footage and I was bored after the second time. The idea of leaving plot holes and filling them in later with another characters view is sound, but I felt that this movie was just stretching for length, not substance.If you enjoy laughing at your horrors and have a couple of hours to waste (and I mean WASTE) than this might be just for you, but I would rather have stuck needles into my eyes.