Skinned Deep (2004)

Director:

Gabriel Bartalos

Writer:

Gabriel Bartalos (writer)

Release Date:

14 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Deformity | Streaking | Mutilated Child | External Brain

Cast

Forrest J Ackerman	...	Forrey
Eric Bennett	...	Phil Rockwell (as Eric Scott Bennett)
Karoline Brandt	...	Tina Rockwell
Bill Butts	...	Graine
Kurt Carley	...	Surgeon General 2
Bill Corso	...	Creator (voice)
Warwick Davis	...	Plates
John Deall	...	John
Neil Dooley	...	Pig Pen
Jay Dugre	...	Brain
Ruta Empakeris	...	Secretary
Bevis Faversham	...	Bevis (as Bevis Haversham)
Joel Harlow	...	Octobaby
Peter Iasillo Jr.	...	Petey (as Peter Iasillo)
Philip Jones	...	Salmon
Lee Kociela	...	Matthew Rockwell
Joe Little	...	Big Joe
Liz Little	...	Granny
Mona Marks	...	Additional Voice Over (voice)
Clayton Martinez	...	Clay (as Clay Martinez)
Jim O'Donoghue	...	The sheriff
Les Pollack	...	Jed
Allen Richard	...	Shakes
'Headless' Sean	...	Creator
Aaron Sims	...	Surgeon General 1
Geraldine Stone	...	Miss M.I.A.
Tonopah	...	Sidecar Dog
Alan Tuskes	...	Big Al
Linda Weinrib	...	Gloria Jean Rockwell
Ben Williams	...	Baby
Little Willy	...	Strangled Feline

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | Germany:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Center Ring Entertainment

Trivia:

This movie was filmed without any permits (except for the explosions at the end). The scene with Brain running naked in Manhattan was not done on a closed set. It was done during rush hour at Times Square. Jay Dugre got arrested while filming that scene. He was caught by undercover police officers.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Tina is smashing everything in the Creator's lair, for a couple shots you can see her wearing safety goggles.

Soundtrack:

Brain's Theme

A film this bad doesn't just happen by accident.

Skinned Deep is a movie so dreadful in concept and so amateurish in execution that it must've been a calculated bid for cult status. I can only assume that, on realising that making a decent horror film was way beyond his capability, make-up FX man-turned-writer/director Gabriel Bartalos opted to make the worst and most bizarre film he possibly could in the hope that fans of crap movies would seek it out, revel in its absurdity, and adore it for its sheer awfulness.

Well think again, Gabe... this one sucks so hard that even the most devoted worshipper at the altar of cinematic trash will struggle to stay the distance.

In this almost unwatchable pile of cack, a family taking a road-trip are attacked by a family of freaks after their car suffers a blow-out (how's that for an original set-up?). Only teenage cutie Tina (Karoline Brandt) survives the slaughter, when Brain (a mutant with a huge external brain) takes a shine to her.

The other members of Brain's clan (a plate-throwing dwarf, a deformed creature with a steel trap for a mouth, and their evil matriarch) attempt to induct the frightened girl her into their family, but Tina isn't too keen on the idea: when alone with Brian, she tears out a chunk from his massive head (which for some reason contains several animated wooden alphabet blocks!?!) and makes a bid for freedom.

Meanwhile, a gang of geriatric bikers turn up to deal with the murderous mutant clan.

As the battle rages between the elderly and the mutated, Tina wanders into the lair of 'the creator': a musclebound, headless body with a vicious little creature inside its abdomen.

In the hands of a skilled movie-maker, and with reasonably talented actors, this kind of demented lunacy might just work, but with Bartalos directing a motley cast completely devoid of talent, Skinned Deep fails miserably. Even a few gory effects towards the end of the film cannot save it from being a complete wreck.