Skinner (1991)
44KSkinner: Directed by Mark Herrier, Alan Ormsby. With Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, Dee Wallace, Derek Rydall. A master of disguise deranged killer begins killing off the college students who are organizing a horror-movie marathon in an abandoned theater.
“This may look very much like a redundant and unpleasant horror comedy about the umpteenth serial killer wasting a group of film students but, if you give it a chance, youu0026#39;ll be pleasantly surprised. The premise is quite creative, the film pays homage to legendary titles and directors and believe it or not there even is tension to detect in the script. Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather, Phantom of the Opera) is the ambitious student Maggie who wants to turn her always-returning nightmares into a screenplay. When sheu0026#39;s preparing a horror marathon event with some fellow students, she stumbles upon footage that proves her nightmares are real and that she might even be a completely different person. During the movie shows at the remote theater, an actual murderer shows up and goes after Maggie. Granted, Popcorn is an 80u0026#39;s slasher in disguise but at least it tries to be ingenious on several levels. The invented titles that are shown during the u0026quot;horrorthonu0026quot; also have potential if you ask me! Who wouldnu0026#39;t pay money to see flicks called u0026quot;The Amazing Electrified Manu0026quot;,u0026quot; Mosquitou0026quot; or u0026quot;The Stenchu0026quot;? I sure would As said before, some sequences are quite suspenseful (like the eerie u0026quot;possessoru0026quot; film) and the murders arenu0026#39;t too gross. I had some prejudices as well before watching it but Iu0026#39;m glad to admit I was wrong. Too bad the last twenty minutes (and the climax in particular) are a bit of a letdown. Logic wasnu0026#39;t Popcorn biggest trump to begin with but, near the end, director Mark Harrier completely loses his grip on the messy screenplay. Also, the humor most of the time is painfully unfunny (for example on of the male leads constantly bumps his head or falls down) and irritating. Best aspects truly are the light-headed atmosphere, creative plot-twists and very good costumes and scenery. Surely this underrated gem beats the overload of 80u0026#39;s and 90u0026#39;s no-brain horror productions. Check it out!”
