White Skin – La peau blanche (2004)

Directed by: Daniel Roby | 92 minutes | horror, thriller, fantasy | Actors: Marc Paquet, Marianne Farley, Frédéric Pierre, Jessica Malka, Julie LeBreton, Lise Roy, Joujou Turenne, Raymond Cloutier, Marcel Sabourin, Jude-Antoine Jarda, Anna Beaupré Moulounda, Isabelle Guérard, Fayolle Jean, Chantal Baril, Mireille Metellus

There is hardly any innovation in the horror world. English-language versions of Asian horror and retellings of classic Hollywood material, the remakes are flying around your head. Sequels like ‘Saw’ and the rehashing of well-known themes also add little originality to the genre. The Canadian horror ‘La Peau Blanche’ (‘White Skin’) is not really an exception to this. The story builds on a well-known horror fact and there is little new to discover in terms of camera work and design. Anyway, director Daniel Roby seems to have done his best to give his own twist.

The plot contains some nice attempts to do things a little differently. Student Thierry has a thing for redheaded women. Their pale skin and the way you can see the veins so clearly makes him nauseous and he doesn’t like them. His phobia is momentarily reinforced when his roommate Henri is nearly slit by a red-haired prostitute’s throat, but he quickly changes his mind when he meets the mysterious Claire. Claire has red hair, pale skin and even seems to be hiding something important, but Thierry has finally converted. Completely fascinated and in love, he goes on the decorating tour, much to the dismay of Henri, who doesn’t trust Claire.

‘White Skin’ has enough twists and turns in store for the viewer to keep them on their toes. The story contains a holy house from the horror world and knows how to bring it in a fresh way. However, the film never really surprises at the same time. The plot twists are sometimes liked, but the viewer is never blown off the seat. In addition, a number of script choices in their bizarreness raises eyebrows just a little too much and the climax seems rather arbitrary. The plot of ‘White Skin’ has potential, but in the end it is not completely successful.

Director Roby won for ‘White Skin’, among other things, the prize for the best debut at the Toronto film festival and also managed to win a statue at the Canadian Genie Awards. It all seems a bit too much praise. The acting is okay, the dialogues are – with a few exceptions – believable and the images and music are convincing, but it just doesn’t stand out from the majority of genre films. ‘White Skin’ is nevertheless definitely worth the effort of the not-too-plastic horror fan (there’s not much gore involved here), provided with tempered expectations.