Heck

Have not seen Skinamarink yet, but I heard some say Heck was better. The trailer for the feature had me hooked so I decided to see what this was all about.

I have not slept yet, so I am writing this immediately after watching. I found this film interesting enough to put on, but not in an excited way. More out of curiosity. It's a strange film, shot almost like a student film. Lots of grain and low light, and very much like a moving slideshow almost.

It's a thumbs up from me just because it is so different from what most of us are used to watching. There is a lot of ambiguity here so be prepared to be dragged through an endless tale of darkness.

I've watched this movie and Skinamarink in two nights and should admit that Heck is much better at creating an atmosphere of fear and terror.

In Heck we see a scared child in complete loneliness, who tries to do the best he can to find his mum, while children in Skinamarink are difficult to empathize with, cause no emotional component is there.

Scares in Heck are much stronger and deeper than in Skinamarink, cause in Skinamarink it's just pretty standard jumpscares, and in Heck we can feel existential visceral fear for the child, because the dialogue and the actions are incredibly well delivering child's dread and helplessness.

I think, Kyle Edward Ball was very inspired by the works of David Lynch. That poorly visible space and objects, using of sound to create an unsettling atmosphere, frightening abstractions that hide a dark meaning (which everyone can understand in their own way) remind me of some not-so-famous, but powerful Lynch's works, such as Absurda, Darkened Room, The 3 Rs and of course Inland Empire.

I should say that Heck is really crushed me. It was disturbing, deeply sad and terryfying in the most incredible way.

I would love to see this kind of emotional component in next Ball's pictures.

Thank you very much for this work.

Not as 'eerie' as Skinamarink but also not as slow of a burn.

Well shot, some parts felt slightly out of place, like the person at the bottom of the stairs towards the end.

I liked how through out the tension builds, but you aren't entirely sure why.

The juxtaposition of the 'Darkness' and the 'Story' creates a good foundation for viewers to let their minds wonder. The hard to see, dark scenes that puzzle your mind and try to trick it, to the vague story that leaves many questions, but feels completed.

I appreciate what this short is trying to achieve and it makes me excited for future work, hopefully learning from past work.

Heck (2020) follows a child who wakes up in the night to the sound of his mother's blaring TV. I really like this short! I do feel Skinamarink (2022) really improves upon it, however Kyle Edward Ball always impresses me and this short is no different.

The short consists of some pretty creepy shots, and it doesn't show much but still manages to invoke a feeling of dread. There's a lot of strong colours but I do wish the lighting was a little bit clearer at times. I know the film uses unclear shots purposefully but sometimes it's a bit much.

Something I absolutely loved in this movie, and also in Skinamarink (2022), is the sound design. It is incredibly unsettling and really creates a terrifying atmosphere.

The lack of dialogue is a great stylistic choice as it leaves a lot up to the imagination of the viewer and not much is explained. The delivery of the few lines of dialogue is brilliantly done and often gave me the chills!

Lastly, the film is extremely experimental, and doesn't have a clear plot. It's super disorienting to watch and gradually gets more unsettling as the movie goes on. Kyle Edward Hall has such a unique and distinctive style to his films and I cannot wait to see what he does next!

And mom has no mouth, but would probably like very much to scream.

I guess I've got to boost this word count somehow, so I'll say that I found this to be more effective than Skinamarink. The condensed runtime didn't lessen the impact in the slightest. The two stories, such as they are, are extremely similar in nature, but the horror of this spins more around the axis of neglect, while the horror of Skinamarink is a much more active sort.

As an entirely personal aside, I think it's wise for adults who are still dealing with fallout from childhood abuse, to be aware that both films can produce some extremely unpleasant reactions. It's like child abuse horror, which I suppose is the last remaining taboo. I'm not sure that line needs to be crossed, but perhaps there really is nothing left with which to terrify people in any meaningful way.

Speaking as a big fan of Deathbird Stories, I think Harlan would appreciate this little tribute. He certainly appreciated the horrific.