My Review Of "Perfect Skin"

Bob, a cordial tattoo artist just found out he has Parkinson’s, a disease that will end his life long career. With the clock ticking, Bob’s obsessed with creating one final masterpiece before his body deteriorates. Just then he meets Katia, a young Polish woman with perfect, unblemished, untouched skin. He needs his final canvas, so he offers Katia a free tattoo, but she declines. Bob cannot accept NO for an answer, so he kidnaps Katia, locks her in a cell and goes to work on her blank canvas of a body. 

"Perfect Skin" is an impressive body horror that walks the line between sadism and sensuality. The film is directed by Kevin Chicken and stars Richard Brake, Natalia Kostrzewa, and Jo Woodcock.

The story is a dark character study on an artist's obsessed nature as his desire to create a masterpiece of body art on the perfect skin, and the manifestation of truly sinister actions he takes. It is all done with an almost breathless calm as a psychological drama destorts into something almost akin to bondage fetish. Of course Chicken never steps into such exploitational domain. He manages a hypnotic, intimate thriller that gingerly blurs the lines between body modification art and horror. 

The casting is perfection. The characters are strong, recognizable people we can all relate to, and who doesn't know "that" tattoo guy. Which makes the film more personable and terrifying. The direction that Chicken takes, going for more, subtle-suggestive expressions of horror, while still crsating a chilling story is beyond impressive for a directorial debut. 

"Perfect Skin" isn't your standard full-throttle psycho killer film. It stays more subdued as it creates a gradual tension. Most of the film's setting hangs closer to late 2000's exploitation/torture motif, never letting you forget that this is a horror movie. Plus, what gore is onscreen is enough to garner approval from any visceral driven horror fan. 

Overall I really liked "Perfect Skin". This isn't usually my subgenre, but the story, and characters are so real any one from ripped-from-the-headlines thriller fans to giallo inspired hardcore fans can get into it. Add to that some great cinematography and sweet music score and "Perfect Skin" is one to watch. My only negative would be that I didn't care for the ending- the last few frames. (4/5)