Cold Skin is quite the original unique little tale, but ultimately it fails to deliver on its promises.

It tells the story of a military intelligence man set to do a scientific study on a remote island for a year replacing an existing gentleman. There is nobody on the island bar one, a disgruntled insane from isolation man named Gruner. As night falls he learns that the island holds a terrible secret.

Arguably a "Creature feature" this horror stars the excellent British veteran Ray Stevenson and was made by French/Spanish studios. I'm very glad I came across it because despite its flaws it's quite remarkable, it was nice to find a movie this original and visually pleasing considering that it's not a mega budget film.

The concept is outstanding, the delivery however is very mixed. They manage to make it all look good and Stevenson is on form as usual however the writing is really messy and the film simply should have flowed better.

When the credits rolled I was saddened by the wasted potential here, on paper it had the makings of a fantastic feature but the end result here is something that loses steam at around the 2/3 mark and hits you with a very uninspired ending.

Well worth a watch simply to marvel over what it does have to offer but it's a fine example of a ball being dropped by all involved.

The Good:

Solid concept

Looks great

Ray Stevenson

The Bad:

Loses steam

Wasted potential

Weak finale

COLD SKIN is a Lovecraftian slice of monster horror from French director Xavier Gens, the man who made the still-shocking FRONTIERS back in the day. This one's set on a remote island where a lighthouse occupied by two characters is repeatedly assailed by hordes of fish-people who are more than a little akin to Lovecraft's "Deep Ones". What follows is a tale that mixes in action adventure elements, some horror, lots of suspense, and even a little unexpected romance. It's a traditional sort of movie, quite old-fashioned on purpose, but one which I enjoyed a lot. There are unique little touches to the story to keep you guessing, and a nice cyclical ending which works out superbly. Cast-wise, seasoned professional Ray Stevenson delivers another towering performance, but the stand out is the underrated David Oakes, of PILLARS OF THE EARTH fame.

It is tough to tell how the story or the characters resonate to you (that's any other viewer out there). It's part love story, but mostly a thriller about the unknown and how to deal with it. It is about loneliness and about how to fight inner and outer demons. Quite literally at times and it really can strike a nerve. Either you get on with it or it will leave you cold.

All in all the movie is a chilling thriller with some decent effects. The acting is more than efficient and the story moves along nicely. You may have some issues with the characters involved, but that should not take anything away from the enjoyment you can have from the movie. It is not a great project but it's more than decent