Skinwalker Review: A Decently Gruesome Wild West Horror Story

Release date: July 13, 2021
Running time: 92 minutes
Written and Directed By: Robert Conway
Cast: Eva Hamilton, Cameron Kotecki, Amelia Haberman, Dan Higgins, Daniel Link, Charlie E Motley, Edward Rodriguez, Nathaniel Burns, Liz Manning, Victorio Pope, Jeff Yazzie, and Becky Jo Harris

After looting a Native American burial site, a hunter unleashes the legendary Skinwalker, a shape shifting demon, onto an unsuspecting world. Once thought to be only a legend, this ancient evil returns from the grave to wreak a terrible vengeance on all who are unfortunate enough to cross its path.

Skinwalker's main draw is the wild west setting and the cinematography.  The film has a nice western themed village and costumes to transport you back to an older time.  And the movie also has some really good cinematography to help with this.  Skinwalkers has an overexposed style that harkens back to old time westerns, and really gives it a sense of authenticity especially early on.  And the movie also has some really good night cinematography that make for some clear and exciting night encounters.  There is a varied cast of characters that we meet in this film and they range from outlaws, to law men, to native Americans, and normal citizens.  And this variety does ensure that you don't get bored and keeps the story moving.  And although the effects are hit or miss, when they work they are fun to see.  There are some good wounds and practical blood effects for the people possessed by the Skinwalker that are a nice touch to up the dread.

However, although the dialogue is fine for the most part, it is hit or miss at times.  There are some good lines and characters but there are also some lines that just fall flat.  And the film has some decent effects overall, but there are some very clearly CG effects for the gunfire and blood that just look off.  It is sad because the film relies on a lot of good practical effects, making the clearly CG instances stand out even more.  But the Achilles heel of this film is that it is a) not scary and b) the Skinwalker does not distinguish itself.  First, the film is just not scary.  Any transformations telegraph themselves early on and the film doesn't utilize very good jump scares or other environmental factors to make you hold your breath.  Most of the encounters occur during the day; I think this film could have benefited from more night encounters considering that the night filming was so good.  But most importantly, the Skinwalker itself doesn't distinguish itself as a unique monster.  Maybe it is based on Native American legends, but of the most part it seems like a zombie that passes itself from one person to the next.  You always know who the next person will be because they were the ones that were bitten or scratched by the current Skinwalker host.  And it doesn't exhibit any special powers until the very end of the film.  And this climactic encounter is just not that interesting either, as the film goes for a slow motion style that blunts any sort of dramatic impact from this showdown.

Skinwalker has a lot going for it, including an interesting cast, good cinematography and practical effects, but the film is just not scary enough and the Skinwalker is not distinguishable from other horror monster.

Pass on it.

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Skinwalkeris available digitally and on demand on July 6, 2021.  

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