The Serpent's Skin is certainly a horror film, but it’s one that injects unease not with spectacle, but with something far more intimate and emotional. Filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay (Carnage for Christmas, T Blockers) wastes no time plunging us into the fractured inner world of our main character, Anna (Alexandra McVicker). It’s one defined by isolation and a desperate need to escape, leading her to quite literally run away from home and land in a new town. Much like the series that influenced it like Twilight or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mackay’s latest film defies a standard genre definition and is instead something more fluid: part coming-of-age drama, part supernatural horror, and, most compellingly, a sensual, emotionally charged romance.
Anna’s arrival into her new home feels like the beginning of a reinvention. With the help of her sister Dakota (Charlotte Chimes), she finds work at a local record store, begins carving out a space for herself, and quickly falls into a flirtation with Danny (Jordan Dulieu), her apartment building’s resident heartthrob. Their relationship escalates with a kind of impulsive intensity that mirrors Anna’s emotional state; urgent, searching, and perhaps a little reckless. Things become further complicated with the arrival of Gen (Avalon Fast), a mysterious figure who recognizes something in Anna that no one else has: genuine power.
What unfolds from there is where The Serpent’s Skin really finds its identity. Anna’s psychic abilities - visions, telepathic connections, or making bad peoples’ heads pop - aren’t just narrative devices; they’re extensions of her internal chaos. When Gen enters the picture as both a mentor and another romantic partner, the film leans fully into its witchy, erotically charged energy. Their bond is the beating heart of the film, and it’s rendered with a softness and authenticity that feels rare for stories operating within this genre space. There’s a genuine sense that these two characters need each other, even as that need becomes increasingly dangerous.
Mackay’s direction embraces a dreamy, almost hazy aesthetic that perfectly complements the film’s tone. The editing, courtesy of Vera Drew (The People’s Joker), gives the entire experience a slightly off-kilter rhythm, as though we’re drifting in and out of Anna’s consciousness. Paired with an equally dreamlike yet grungy soundtrack from none other than H6LLB6ND6R, the film creates a sensory environment that feels both intimate and overwhelming. It’s less about clean storytelling and more about immersion; about pulling you into Anna’s headspace and letting you sit with her confusion, her desire, and her triumphs.
The sensuality of The Serpent’s Skin is key. This is a deeply erotic film, but not in a gratuitously graphic sense. The sexuality here is intrinsic to the characters and their journeys, as it’s all about connection and identity. Anna’s relationships with both Danny and Gen aren’t framed as opposites so much as competing forces pulling her in different directions. Danny represents something familiar, almost deceptively safe, while Gen embodies something far more dangerous and liberating.
Of course, this is still a horror film at its core, and Mackay eventually lets that side of the story take over in surprising ways. Gen has powers of her own, and when she inadvertently unleashes them during a tattoo session, it pushes the film into more overt genre territory. What initially reads as a love triangle type of story becomes something far more intriguing, one that fully embraces its supernatural elements in the right ways.
There are weaknesses throughout the film such as uneven performances or budget constraints cracking through, but even those rough edges feel oddly in line with the film’s overall ethos. This is not a polished, studio-crafted experience; it’s something more raw and immediate. Mackay has crafted yet another singular cinematic experience: a sensual, emotionally honest exploration of identity, desire, and the dangerous allure of becoming something more than yourself. It’s a beautiful film.
'The Serpent's Skin' is now available on VOD.
