Skinned Alive (1990, Jon Killough)

I saw "Skinned Alive" many years ago as a cherub-cheeked rental store prowling youth and remember hating it. I think I was initially put off by the incredibly low-budget tone of it, as well as the goofy, slap-stick humor it was laced with. This time around, however, I admit that I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Perhaps I'm becoming more retarded with age and it's affecting my taste in film...

It's centered around a three-piece freak family of traveling tanners who pluck people off the roads of rural Ohio and remove their hides for their leather business. When their van breaks down, they are offered a place to stay at the kindly mechanic's house while it's repaired. Their new digs don't seem to hinder their ongoing hunt for human skin and it's business as usual...

Not sure why, but I liked this flick more than I probably should have considering I hate pretty much everything that J.R. Bookwalter has been a part of and I've just generally become more 'picky' about micro-budget horror over the years. "Skinned Alive" IS stupid and full of idiotic humor, including cringe-worthy cartoonish sound-effects and incredibly cornball over-acting, which DID get annoying at times. Still, there's enough effort put into the splattery gore effects - not to say they aren't cheap looking as all hell - but it all helps to keep the movie rolling along at a decent pace. Plus, the whole failed incest angle was kind of amusing. I can't recommend this one, seeing as how I can only assume most people would hate it, but if you're into trashy, ultra-indie gore flicks then pick yourself up a copy.