Unraveling the Enigma of Skinamarink: A Deep Dive into the Experimental Horror Film

The Haunting Narrative of Skinamarink

The Skinamarink ending likely raised more questions than it answered for a lot of viewers. The experimental 2022 horror movie marks the feature debut from writer and director Kyle Edward Ball, and it generated a lot of discussion due to its unconventional elements. Skinamarink follows four-year-old Kevin (Lucas Paul) and his six-year-old sister Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) as they find themselves alone in their house all the doors and windows missing and their father nowhere to be found.

A Faceless Child in Skinamarink

Skinamarink is a highly experimental film with a very unconventional horror narrative and an even more unconventional horror movie villain. The grainy visuals are usually indecipherable, and the protagonists are only occasionally seen on-screen, often from the back. However, what is apparent is that something in the darkness is talking to Kevin and Kaylee and asking them to do increasingly horrible things. The creators of Skinamarink offered very little explanation of the narrative itself, which left the ending up to interpretation.

Kevin sits with his back toward the camera in Skinamarink

The Tragic Fate of Kaylee

Kaylee is the first victim of the entity within the house, and meets a horrifying fate before the ending of Skinamarink finally arrives. Following a scene where she supposedly encounters her parents in a bedroom, she follows a voice calling out to her. When Kevin next sees her, in one of the film's most significant jump scares, Kaylee's eyes and mouth have been removed. The entity later tells Kevin, 'Kaylee didn't do as she was told. She said she wanted her mom and dad, so I took her mouth away.'

A woman sits on a bed facing a wall in Skinamarink

The Demon Removes Kaylee's Mouth And Eyes

The Enigmatic Ending and Its Interpretations

The Skinamarink ending sees Kevin in bed, with the barely visible face of the entity appearing to him and telling him to go to sleep. Much earlier in the film than the ending of Skinamarink, it is reported by Kaylee that Kevin injured himself in a sleepwalking incident. As such, Kevin may have been sleepwalking for the entire movie. Another possible interpretation is that Kevin is in a coma in Skinamarink, which helps to explain why the audio in the movie sounds so distorted.

The house appears upside down in Skinamarink

Towards the disturbing Skinamarink ending, the words '572 Days' appear over a shot of an upside-down room filled with toys. The meaning of this phrase is purposely left vague. However, if the theory that Kevin is in a coma is true, then 572 days could represent the length of time he has been unconscious. Skinamarink scared in subtle ways as well as the overt, as it is a creepy possibility to consider how long Kevin has been tormented by the entity.

The words