Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Skinned Deep Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 4, 2021

There's a rather surprisingly long list of people working in the film industry who got some of their early experience in either makeup or other effects before moving on to directing. Some names like Giannetto De Rossi (who directed Killer Crocodile, also available on Blu-ray from Severin Films) and/or Gary J. Tunnicliffe may not be overly familiar to many, but chances are even the "unwashed" (or un-made up) masses will probably recognize names like Guillermo del Toro, Stan Winston and Tom Savini, to list just a few. Gabriel Bartalos may frankly belong more firmly to that first, lesser known, category in terms of how many bells his name may ring, but Skinned Deep certainly has all the earmarks of a directorial "vision", for better or worse. In the "worse" or at least "maybe a different strategy would have been better" category, Bartalos is on hand in a supplement included on this disc freely admitting that he started with character designs and makeup effects for Skinned Deep before actually getting around to thinking about "little" things like, you know, a story and similar foundational elements. That "approach" is probably going to be quite evident to many viewers since the narrative here tends to make little to no sense quite a bit of the time. That said, Bartalos, whose effects work includes contributions to a host of films including Leprechaun and Frankenhooker, does deliver some very well executed design elements for at least two of the gonzo quasi-villains of the piece.

The opening few moments of the film depict an actual "branding" of some poor person's skin (evidently done consensually, though don't ask me why), that Bartalos provides some background information on in the commentary included on the disc as a supplement. This sequence, while undeniably disturbing, has little to nothing to do with the rest of the film, however, which sees a family fall prey to a crazed family of demented mutants a la The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. What's perhaps passingly interesting, at least for armchair sociologists who like to examine audience reactions to films, is that while several members of the family perish almost immediately within just the first few minutes of the film, kind of strangely there's little to no emotional resonance for the focal survivor, daughter Tina Rockwell (Karoline Brandt). Part of this is due of course to the overall lunacy of the characters and Bartalos' blacker than black sense of humor, but I'm not sure it actually helps even an ostensible "comedy" not to really care what happens to the main character.

The demented family itself probably ends up generating more sustained interest than Tina, simply because they're so patently odd. Granny (Liz Little) retains fitful control over her brood which includes Plates (Warwick Davis, rather incredibly), Brain (Jay Dugré, who evidently changed his performance name to Jason Dugre somewhere along the way) and Surgeon General (Kurl Carley). Those familiar with Davis will of course know of his distinctive appearance which gives Plates' character its peculiarities, with Brain outfitted with an oversized head (see screenshot 19) and Surgeon General an obvious stand-in for Leatherface (see screenshot 1). There's little to no "backstory" offered here, and so these weirdos just have to be accepted as the plot devices they are. Suffice it to say that after the rest of Tina's family is mercilessly slaughtered, Brain wants to try for a little romance with the young woman, which is what then propels the rest of the "plot".

There's an undeniably lo-fi ambience at play here, mixed with a kind of hallucinogenic underpinning that makes the film play like a slightly surreal drug trip (not that there's anything wrong with that). Performances are all over the place, competency wise, but Bartalos' makeup effects are quite inventive, and Brain in particular is a memorable character, which may in fact be another issue with the film, since it seems like Surgeon General was supposed to be the "it" villain.

Skinned Deep Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Skinned Deep is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover of this release states that this disc offers "the worldwide premiere of the unrated version" which was "scanned uncut in 2K from the original negative for the first time ever". The 2004 production date seems a bit late for even a straight to video offering to be presented in what amounts to Academy Ratio, but historians with more research time than I have will need to look into that aspect (ratio). I personally didn't notice any huge framing issues, but the source element here does show signs of occasional wear and tear, though nothing I'd term overly problematic. Bartalos and cinematographer Peter Strietmann shot this in 16mm, and the smaller format tends to create some resolution issues both in terms of detail levels and especially grain structure, which can look pretty gritty and even pixellated at times, especially in some of the darker scenes (see screenshot 11). In the interstitial brightly lit outdoor material, the palette pops surprisingly well, and fine detail levels are actually quite good. A lot of the dimly lit interior scenes look pretty murky, and detail levels can ebb and flow as a result.

Skinned Deep Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Skinned Deep features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that offers capable support for the film's goofy dialogue, occasionally gonzo sound effects and a score which includes the participation of Captain Sensible. All spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly, though there are optional English subtitles for those who may need them.

Skinned Deep Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deep Cuts: A Look Back at Skinned Deep (HD; 14:18) is an enjoyable overview highlighted by some fun interviews with some of the cast and crew, including Gabe Bartalos, Jay Dugré (who hilariously recounts having to run naked through the streets of New York with his "brain" makeup on), and Karoline Brandt.


• Audio Commentary with Cast & Crew


• Archival Making of Featurette (SD; 22:20) is another fun piece with quite a bit of behind the scenes footage.


• Trailer (HD; 2:00)

Note: While the cover art for this release that we have featured here advertises a bonus soundtrack CD, there was no CD included in the review copy sent to me.

Skinned Deep Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may not be a good sign for a writer when the audience ends up liking the villains more than the ostensible hero (or heroine, in this particular instance), but my hunch is even some jaded types are going to kinda sorta fall in love or at least like with Brain, and not care one whit about Tina. The film has a lot going on, and some decidedly surreal moments that play like an acid trip transferred to celluloid, but a sharper (no pun intended) screenplay probably would have helped things. Bartalos' makeup effects are quite good in any case. Technical merits are generally solid, though the video presentation has a few hurdles to overcome, and the supplements enjoyable, for those who are considering making a purchase.