31 Days Of Hell: Sheep Skin - Reviewed

Now on DVD and VOD

Sheep Skin is a recent DVD and VOD release from horror and cult film distributor Unearthed Films. It possesses an intriguing concept and story, which is sadly hampered by the low budget and average acting. The story involves a group of punk rockers kidnapping a man that they believe is a werewolf who has killed several girls, including the sister of one of them. But is this man really a werewolf, or are they going to torture and murder someone because of misguided information?

I absolutely love the concept of this one and the story that is told, which I believe to be rather unique and original. The dialogue is also well done and seems pretty believable for the situations that occur, albeit some if it could have been reduced to make it more affective. The main issue is the acting, which is unfortunately just subpar. None of the cast has the proper range to give excellent performances. Most notable of the group is the actor portraying the kidnapping victim, who doesn’t show the fear and other emotions that were truly necessary for his role. The rest of the cast is decent and they do just enough to get by, but this would have been greatly improved by a more skilled cast. This lack of range took away the tension that should exist in what is essentially a thriller with some horror elements.

The direction and cinematography are both well done. The camera placement and shot selection are all good for a low budget picture. The lighting and shadows are effective. The main location setting had an interesting look to it, but it may have also played a role in some sound issues. The audio comes off as somewhat echoed, with an additional low hissing noise that is most likely from the overhead fluorescent light tubes. The score consists of weird ambient tones, with some hints of a bass and electric guitar being used. Punk rock songs are played at the beginning and end of the movie. This unusual score didn’t aid in building up the tension and personally I would have liked to have heard some more of the punk rock peppered throughout. A more visceral punk score may have helped amp up the tension.

There is a decent amount of blood and violence, maybe not enough for hardcore gore hounds. The major effects don’t really show up until the third act, which may disappoint fans anticipating intense effects right away. There is also a decent amount of the action that is shown off camera, an obvious byproduct of the low budget production.

Can you just take a little of the sides please.

For a low budget motion picture, it gets high marks for its concept but loses some points because of the acting. With a slightly higher budget for some seasoned actors, this could have been something really special.

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Score 

-RV