SKEW - ****

Directed by: Seve Schelenz. Starring: Rob Scattergood, Amber Lewis, Richard Oak. Horror. 2012. USA. Running Time: 83 Mins. Certificate: 15

UK release date – 11 June 2011.

Am I the only one whom whilst taking a weekend away doesn’t decide to film all the proceedings, I’m not sure if this phenomena is just an American thing or am I just the odd one out. Well the premise of SKEW is just that, three friends en route to a friends wedding decide to film the journey and hey presto, before you can say Blair Witch Project we are back in the ever so popular first person perspective.

The first thing to strike you with SKEW is that it is filmed on a limited budget but in reality that shouldn’t matter for this style of film making and thus maybe it can add to the authentic look of the movie by making it appears to be filmed on a camera that the average person could afford to buy, it can allow for a creepy style of horror when done effectively that makes you feel involved as if you are, as the viewer, involved in what is going on.

SKEW feels like it is trying to amalgamate various influences, the first person style mixed with an influence of Japanese horror where technology plays a part in the theme of the movie, notably SHUTTER which seems to have an influence here. The only problem I have is that this hybrid of styles just doesn’t quite work but credit to the director for trying.

The movie does have it’s moments though, it’s budget limits what it can do effects wise but there are a few good scare scenes and as a regular viewer of horror movies it does take a lot to unnerve me but SKEW did manage it. As the story unfolds we understand that the camera that Simon is using blurs the faces of people who are about to die but is also able to see those who have died. This is where the J-horror influence comes from although it is never quite explained how or why this is happening or why Simon is the only one that sees the undead through the video camera screen.

SKEW is a reasonable attempt and adds a different dimension to the found footage genre and whilst obvious connections will be made to more recent attempts, the film dates back to 2005. It hasn’t had that wow factor with me but did enough to keep me entertained and at 83 minutes is of a suitable run time for this style of film. There are times it loses it a little bit and sometimes the plot veers off into something weird but it is a great attempt at a low budget horror.

SKEW also questions obsession and why it is that Simon has this obsession with filming and also why his girlfriend didn’t want to join the other couple at the wedding. As the story unfolds things get even freakier but if I was to say anymore then it would spoil your enjoyment of the film.

I personally enjoyed this movie but then I like this style of film making anyway so I may be a tad biased here. It is a good attempt at a scary film and whilst it is short on the gore, it does draw you into the story and makes you ask questions about the nature of obsession and why.

Kris Keogh

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