User reviews

And mom has no mouth, but would probably like very much to scream.

I guess I've got to boost this word count somehow, so I'll say that I found this to be more effective than Skinamarink. The condensed runtime didn't lessen the impact in the slightest. The two stories, such as they are, are extremely similar in nature, but the horror of this spins more around the axis of neglect, while the horror of Skinamarink is a much more active sort.

As an entirely personal aside, I think it's wise for adults who are still dealing with fallout from childhood abuse, to be aware that both films can produce some extremely unpleasant reactions. It's like child abuse horror, which I suppose is the last remaining taboo. I'm not sure that line needs to be crossed, but perhaps there really is nothing left with which to terrify people in any meaningful way.

Speaking as a big fan of Deathbird Stories, I think Harlan would appreciate this little tribute. He certainly appreciated the horrific.

Not as 'eerie' as Skinamarink but also not as slow of a burn.

Well shot, some parts felt slightly out of place, like the person at the bottom of the stairs towards the end.

I liked how through out the tension builds, but you aren't entirely sure why.

The juxtaposition of the 'Darkness' and the 'Story' creates a good foundation for viewers to let their minds wonder. The hard to see, dark scenes that puzzle your mind and try to trick it, to the vague story that leaves many questions, but feels completed.

I appreciate what this short is trying to achieve and it makes me excited for future work, hopefully learning from past work.

I've watched this movie and Skinamarink in two nights and should admit that Heck is much better at creating an atmosphere of fear and terror.

In Heck we see a scared child in complete loneliness, who tries to do the best he can to find his mum, while children in Skinamarink are difficult to empathize with, cause no emotional component is there.

Scares in Heck are much stronger and deeper than in Skinamarink, cause in Skinamarink it's just pretty standard jumpscares, and in Heck we can feel existential visceral fear for the child, because the dialogue and the actions are incredibly well delivering child's dread and helplessness.

I think, Kyle Edward Ball was very inspired by the works of David Lynch. That poorly visible space and objects, using of sound to create an unsettling atmosphere, frightening abstractions that hide a dark meaning (which everyone can understand in their own way) remind me of some not-so-famous, but powerful Lynch's works, such as Absurda, Darkened Room, The 3 Rs and of course Inland Empire.

I should say that Heck is really crushed me. It was disturbing, deeply sad and terryfying in the most incredible way.

I would love to see this kind of emotional component in next Ball's pictures.

Thank you very much for this work.

I didn't like this film. That's not because I didn't LIKE it but because it scared the hell out of me. You see the film from the perspective of the little boy unlike a "normal" type film. The atmosphere and pictures are artistic and outstanding. I felt so uneasy and a little nauseous watching this. It's truly heartbreaking.

As a mother the thought of any of my children go through what this little boy did/has makes me feel sick to my stomach and upsets me deeply.

I don't think I'm quite ready for the film Skinamarink- from the same writer. I've heard from others that Heck is definitely a lot more frightening and fills you will indescribable dread, but when I feel "ready" I'll 100% give it a go

A solid 10/10 from me. It won't be to everyone's taste, but it's definitely worth a watch - I'm now going to go and watch a light hearted comedy...... I need a drink.

Have not seen Skinamarink yet, but I heard some say Heck was better. The trailer for the feature had me hooked so I decided to see what this was all about.

I have not slept yet, so I am writing this immediately after watching. I found this film interesting enough to put on, but not in an excited way. More out of curiosity. It's a strange film, shot almost like a student film. Lots of grain and low light, and very much like a moving slideshow almost.

It's a thumbs up from me just because it is so different from what most of us are used to watching. There is a lot of ambiguity here so be prepared to be dragged through an endless tale of darkness.

Heck (2020) follows a child who wakes up in the night to the sound of his mother's blaring TV. I really like this short! I do feel Skinamarink (2022) really improves upon it, however Kyle Edward Ball always impresses me and this short is no different.

The short consists of some pretty creepy shots, and it doesn't show much but still manages to invoke a feeling of dread. There's a lot of strong colours but I do wish the lighting was a little bit clearer at times. I know the film uses unclear shots purposefully but sometimes it's a bit much.

Something I absolutely loved in this movie, and also in Skinamarink (2022), is the sound design. It is incredibly unsettling and really creates a terrifying atmosphere.

The lack of dialogue is a great stylistic choice as it leaves a lot up to the imagination of the viewer and not much is explained. The delivery of the few lines of dialogue is brilliantly done and often gave me the chills!

Lastly, the film is extremely experimental, and doesn't have a clear plot. It's super disorienting to watch and gradually gets more unsettling as the movie goes on. Kyle Edward Hall has such a unique and distinctive style to his films and I cannot wait to see what he does next!

Strangely, this short movie goes further than Skinamarink, despite being, basically, a proof of concept for it. In an attempt to depict an alien, hostile space, Heck reaches the logical conclusion: an enemy must go! It's as simple as that. Cosmic horror isn't just about large spaces and invisible but very powerful Skinamarinks in the wardrobe. Being alive is inhumane -- because at some point you can get a bit too alive. Both of these pieces feature a lot of toys and cereal -- something that used to bring happiness to children, but when times are dire, these inanimate objects (which can't experience fear of death and generally be influenced in any real way) envoke either envy or, in the worst case, fear -- once they abandon their eventless, withdrawn life and adhere to the evil will of a monster (even when, you know, usually it was you to whom your thing used to bring comfort). Only in this case (and this, again, makes Heck a more conceptually complete and profound work for me), even the mum is reduced to an inanimate, eventless object, just as any other person would be, because what can they do with a problem which exists in one's body -- and is thus, most probably, totally inaccessible?

Probably, the evolution towards what we have in Skinamarink was inevitable, since a full-length movie might be a bit more conventional if it has an enemy after all (and that is: something openly malevolent and separate, that can offer some screamers and make characters hurt themselves). But for me, it's precisely what Heck has for such an entity, that makes this title more profound, if somewhat less thrilling. An enemy (?) which doesn't even need to do anything, because your body can perfectly do that on its own -- basically, it's the very laws of existence that fulfil the monster's job.

And this all rhymes perfectly with Kyle Edward Ball's general method; he can show a wall and make some watch the screen through their fingers. Ineffectual and pretentious, you say? He could make a 2 hours long movie which went viral thanks to TikTok, i.e. Its users could make it through 2 hours of walls and feel something, so it's most probably more than that.