We all know Ted Raimi, right? Younger brother to the highly successful director/producer Sam Raimi. We all know Traci Lords, right? Extremely famous porn star known for her illegal films of the 80's that depict her pornographically before the age of 18. And some of us might even remember Ricki Lake, right? Host of the daytime talk show "Ricki Lake". So what do these three all have in common? Well, they're all in this sleazy serial killer movie called Skinner.
Dennis Skinner (Raimi) is a psychotic serial killer who skins his victims in order to wear their flesh. He rents out a spare room in the home of Kerry (Lake). Skinner uses his new found settlement as a base so that he can go find prostitutes to skin. Meanwhile a mysterious morphine addict named Heidi (Lords) is hell bent on finding Skinner and bringing him to justice.
Traci Lords portrays one of the most unlikable protagonists in recent memory. She's nearly as psychotic the films antagonist and Lords' over the top performance really doesn't do much for the character. I can see the filmmakers perhaps wanting to cash in on the anti-hero craze of the 90's but this just doesn't work. Traci's face is covered for most of the film and when it's revealed she has a huge scar. She also remains clothed for the duration, which doesn't help her characters unwatchable presence.
While Ricki Lake's character is kind of just there, Ted Raimi steals the show. Aside from one particular gruesome skinning scene, the only reason to watch this movie is for Raimi. He expertly portrays the insincere innocence and frightening madness of his character. It's a character type that has been done before time and time again. But due to his lack of support, Raimi shines regardless of the roles unoriginality.
Skinner is by no means a good film. There is a serious lack of gore for the majority of its runtime. The director attempts to make up for it with atmosphere but is only marginally successful. There are several serial killer movies out there (Maniac, Henry:Portrait Of A Serial Killer, The Disturbance, etc,) Skinner isn't going to join the ranks of these highly regarded films. This one is best left for fans of Ted Raimi.
Side Note: How did Vince Vaughn land the role of Norman Bates in the Psycho remake? Ted Raimi proves right here that he was much better suited for the role. Not that it ever should have been made regardless.
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