Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Skull: The Mask’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Skull: The Mask’.
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Horror is perhaps the purest and most versatile genre in storytelling… for several reasons. First and foremost, because this is a genre that knows how to adapt with the times. Which allows for stories that examine the zeitgeist and the fears of a particular era to come to life. Plus, this is perhaps the only genre out there that can blend with the other genres that surround it. Since it knows how to properly inject elements of drama and science fiction and even comedy into the framework of a scary story and of course… this is the only genre out there that properly offers up quality commentary on the human condition and the problems that plague us both internally and externally.
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But as for what makes it pure, well that’s quite simple. In that, this is a genre that never loses sight of its roots, and regardless of how moving or philosophical a particular moment is in a horror story, there is always a true moment of terror waiting in the wings. One that will prey upon our fears of the unknown and undoubtedly make us squirm in our seats with a touch of gore as well and some horror stories, well they like to reside within those more primal elements and should be celebrated for doing so. For they are horror tales in the raw and as pure as they come, and they remind us why horror is great, and it just so happens that there is a brand-new feature on Shudder that embraces the purity and raw terror and gore that permeates the genre in Skull: The Mask.

Now in this particular film we are introduced to a bevy of everyday individuals in São Paulo that are about to see their lives turned upside down. For an ancient artifact, a skull that supposedly has ties to the NetherRealm has arrived in town and well… it is indeed the real deal. For a young woman familiar with its legacy, unleashes its unbridled and evil power and now, the monster that is Anhangá walks amongst us again and it is eager to finish what it started. Which means that a great deal of people will need to die so that it can satisfy its master, a God named Tamay, and once its work is completed, darkness will fall across the land and evil with reign. Unless of course, a broken and corrupt police detective and a former guerilla with knowledge of this being, are successful in stopping this ancient evil. 

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Which is a pretty straightforward plot that really does do a wonderful job of preying upon our most primal fears. For we do worry about whether or not evil spirits exist and can wreak havoc in our world and of course, we fear the end of the world and having the threat of the end hang over this story and bearing witness to a true evil, really does tap into those worries in the back of our minds and the wonder of this story doesn’t end with its chilling premise. Because what also allows for this plot to work, is the sheer fact that the mythos surrounding Anhangá and Tamay is fleshed out in an incredibly smooth and dynamic manner, allowing for the viewer to truly be immersed in an utterly horrifying experience where the unknown walks about our modern world in a realistic manner.
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But while that alone could have carried this feature from beginning to end, there is one other aspect of this story worth celebrating, specifically… the incredible gore present in this story. For Anhangá will stop at nothing to retrieve the hearts he needs to bring his master back to our realm, and that that means that we are treated to some incredibly gory sequences. The kind that quite frankly, hold nothing back visually. Providing the viewer with an unexpected anatomy lesson since we are at times, able to see inside the chest cavity of the unfortunate soul that Anhangá has decided to kill and this really is quite the incredible surprise to find in this tale… since most stories involving Gods and spirits don’t go down the gore route all that often.

In the end however, this is nothing more than a simple and wonderful and self-contained horror movie. One that really does put the purity and the best parts of the genre on display. To the point where it even manages to pay homage to some of the stories that come before it and some of the greats of the genre as well. Since some of the visuals and the gore remind one of Fulci and Argento’s work, and at times it really does feel akin to a classic gothic horror story from the 19th century with its sweeping visuals of the city and locations that feel as though they’re torn from a Lovecraft story and all of these elements definitely make this movie a worthwhile watch. Because you can never go wrong with a horror story that reminds us why we fell in love with the genre in the first place.

‘Skull: The Mask’ is available to stream right now, exclusively on Shudder.  

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