Three films down of indie/underground filmmaker Dustin Mills and I like what I've seen so far. Of those viewings ("Easter Casket" & "Bath Salt Zombies") he manages to stretch out his budget limitations and deliver on mind-bending concepts with full-on bluster. What etched in my mind from the first two films were the signature acid-laced visuals (of puppets to animation) and overt craziness, whereas Skinless felt more like straightforward, gross-out horror exploitation. It can be offbeat, but the bold approach is far more sober with claustrophobic dread and gooey gore brought upon by its monsterous transformation. And it's impressive looking discount gore; nauseating skin melting gruel, yet it didn't just centre on its frequently well-placed shocks, or gratuitous nudity. Instead there's tragedy at its core where the plot is low-key, dialogues remain dry and character pathos hits the forefront of science gone wrong.
Stricken with cancer (unbeknown to his assistant) Dr. Pete Peele is having trouble getting funding for his project of an unconventional skin cancer cure due to a lack of results over too long of a period. He fears with the constant delays he might not be around long enough to see his groundbreaking work through to the end. So against his assistant's best wishes he injects the experimental serum into himself. After becoming a guinea pig of his own work we watch the deteriorating mental state brought upon by the hideous physical changes (which is hidden under a rubber mask and layers of clothing).
Those who call it "The Fly" meets "The Incredible Melting Man" are right on the money. From limbs melting off, bubbling practical effects to the imitate structure centred on (mainly) two characters' back and forth interactions in the one location of a couple rooms, attic and basement. I was also getting a "Phantom of the Opera" vibe where the feelings for the woman (his assistant) he holds captive isn't shared and this plays to the bigger picture on how the story pans out. In spite of its inspirations, Mills manages to put his own subversive spin on the material and get you feeling uncomfortable in many ways.
The amateurish cast (of only four) are made up of Mills' regulars - Brandon Salkil brought to the unhinged part the right amount of eccentrics, especially under heavy makeup and Erin R. Ryan's down-to-earth performance is the glue that holds it together. They both do excellent in establishing emotional weight between the characters and this is brought across by the film's gradual build-up of the title character's descent into madness and obsessive paranoia.
Let's hope I can keep this track record of coming away satisfied by Mills' microbudgeted output.
