Movie Review: ‘IN THEIR SKIN’
If there is one thing us horror fans are leery of doing it would be going out to an isolated, cut-off-from-the-world destination. Simply put, we know better. That’s not say we are agoraphobic but don’t be surprised if have some sort of escape or contingency plan for the situation of a possible home invasion. Trust us, it is for the best. After watching In Their Skin (formerly Replicas), my position on this matter has not changed.
The Hughes family consisting of Mark (Joshua Close, who also wrote the screenplay), his wife Mary (Selma Blair) and their son Brendon (Quinn Lord) retreat to their cottage in the middle of the woods for a break from their routine yet busy work lives. Mark and Mary’s marriage is suffering due to the lost of their recently deceased daughter who died accidentally and it is their hope that this break will allow them time to focus and repair. One morning another family wakes up the Hughes, seemingly performing a kind gesture of bringing firewood, who end up taking advantage of an awkward situation and invite themselves inside the cottage for lunch. During this meeting of families, the ulterior motive of the unknown family becomes known.
What makes In Their Skin unique and stand out from other home invasion films is that the other family has a reason in doing what they are doing and you can draw sympathy towards them. The intrusive family tries to make social interaction with Mark & Mary yet there is an air of creepiness that surrounds them. Director Jeremy Power Regimbal builds dread by setting up isolation and creating some above average performances out of all of his cast members. There are times of brilliance in the performances by James D’Arcy, who plays “Bob”, and Rachel Miner, who plays “Jane” (the only reason the names are in quotations is because it is unknown if these are their real names), as the opposing couple as their envious comments towards Mark & Mary can really send a chill down your spine.
The film’s script feels pretty smart at times. At the moments where the film starts to get into cliches of the subgenre, it answers those questions right away with the answers you were yelling at the screen. What makes the invading family even more creepy is the addition with the kid being in on it. One scene in particular when the child of the invading family, Jared, tells Mark what might have happened to his dog is one I may not be able to shake (possibly because I’m a huge dog lover).
Where In Their Skin faults is in its final act when D’Arcy takes front stage as the aggressor and controller of the situation. At times, his performance seems a bit over-the-top in comparison to the subtle, creepy and uncomfortable vibe he gives off early in the film. Couple that with the fact that it feels like this quiet, non-abrasive film changes gears to an aggressive third act that seems to throw some of the logic it previously built out the window while spiraling into familar territory of films cut from the same basic fabric and you are left with a film that will make you want to forget the last 20 minutes. Nevertheless, In Their Skin is one of the better films in the home invasion subgenre and is sure to make you uncomfortable while sending chills down your spine.
IN THEIR SKIN is now available on IFC Midnight Cable VOD and Digital Outlets (SundanceNOW, iTunes, Amazon Streaming, XBOX Zune, Playstation Unlimited) and opens in theaters November 9, 2012.
Andy Triefenbach
Andy Triefenbach is the Editor-in-Chief and owner of DestroytheBrain.com. In addition to his role on the site, he also programs St. Louis' monthly horror & exploitation theatrical midnight program, Late Nite Grindhouse. Coming from a household of a sci-fi father and a horror/supernatural loving mother, Andy's path to loving genre film was clear. He misses VHS and his personal Saturday night 6 tape movie marathons from his youth.
‘TRESPASSERS’ (2019) Review
Andy reviews IFC Midnight's latest "giallo-influenced" home invasion film.
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