Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Skinwalker’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Skinwalker’.
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Even though we live in an age of information, where science has debunked a great deal of the myths and legends of yesteryear, people still hold to them tightly and it makes sense as to why. Because there is a part of our brains, where curiosity and imagination take root together, and in that place, they firmly believe that perhaps science will in fact, stumble upon a legendary creature and prove that our world is filled to the brim with being and worlds we never knew, or thought could exist. And that hope is further exacerbated and fed by the fact that we keep finding all kinds of wild new species on Earth on a consistent basis.

But while we wait with bated breath to see if our hopes will be proven true, stories are always there to satiate our imagination and our curiosity, and they often ask the fascinating questions that help to feed our wilder beliefs. Such as… what if there is a possibility that we already know about these creatures? And they remain a secret because of the danger they pose? Which could explain why science hasn’t ‘uncovered’ these beings after all this time and it just so happens, that a newly released horror film takes the time to toy with those questions by bringing an ancient legend to life in a manner that would undoubtedly force a cover up and a push to keep people out if its domain in… Skinwalker.

Now in this particular film, we are transported back to the wild west, wherein a bevy of people are going through quite the busy day. For a marshal and his deputy have gotten their hands on a nasty criminal and are eager to hand her over, and they are being hunted by her husband and his gang. And elsewhere, a humble man and his wives are living their best life and unfortunately for all of them… their average day is about to become quite deadly. For in the woods, an ancient and deadly legend has awakened thanks to an overzealous grave robber, and the Skinwalker will stop at nothing to claim the lives of the souls that have violated its territory and now it will take some incredible unity and harmony with the indigenous people that call this place home, to quell this evil.

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Which is a plot that quite frankly takes the viewer off guard. Since a vast majority of myth-based horror films these days, like to pit an ancient monster against people in our modern world. But instead, we are in the heart of the old west here and doing so allows for a couple of fascinating things to come into play. For instance, it allows this movie to be a bit of an homage to the classic westerns of the 1970s by immersing us in a chaotic world where it is every man and woman for themselves. But more importantly, going back this far… really does create quite the mythos in regard to the themes and questions we discussed earlier. Since it quickly becomes apparent that the evil on this mountain is about as powerful as it gets, and it would make sense that this bloodbath encounter would motivate people to restrict it and move people away from it… allowing for the legend to grow with time.
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But while that is a fun little game of ‘what if?’, where this movie truly shines… is in its commentary. Because believe it or not, this is a movie that also poses quite the unique question. In that… is it possible that evil exists in this world because we refuse to be better beings? For a great deal of the characters in this movie are a touch sour and ‘sinful’ if you will, and it is also established that the Skinwalker resides within darkness. Which in turn adds a sense of biblical reckoning to this story since the wicked are in essence punished by a never-ending evil and it really does leave one to wonder… if somehow our energies and our deeds have given life to the very monsters that pique our curiosity and haunt our dreams in the middle of the witching hour. 

But all philosophy and world-building aside, the million-dollar question still hangs over this review. In that, this is a decent horror film or not and well, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Because this one is a lot of fun, since it is filled with colorful and dynamic characters… that have to deal with one wild evil and that’s really where the fun comes into play. For the Skinwalker is an insatiable monster, one that truly transforms its host into a bloodthirsty nightmare and that brings about all kinds of delicious gore and eerie moments, and that definitely makes this a worthwhile watch. Because you can never go wrong with a scary story that tickles one’s imagination and leaves the viewer with deeper concepts to ponder upon… whilst also offering up buckets upon buckets of gore.   

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