Review: The Ballad Of Skinless Pete (2013)

First I´d like to thank Dustin Wayde Mills for providing me with a screener.
Brilliant oncologist Peter Peel (Brandon Salkil) discovers a possible cure for skin cancer in the belly of an exotic parasite. When he tests the cure on himself his world is shattered and a monster is born. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is written by Brandon Salkil and Dustin Wayde Mills who also is the director. The acting is good, especially from Brandon Salkill who shows that he can handle comedy (there are some), handle emotional scenes and be truly frightening. Erin R. Ryan does a good job as Peter Peel´s science partner and love interest and so does Dave James Parker even if he has a smaller role compared to the other two. The camerawork and editing is good, the soundtrack is nice. The pacing is excellent. Somehow The Ballad Of Skinless Pete succeeds bringing us on a rollercoaster, there are some funny moments in the beginning (showcasing the relationship between characters) but after that it becomes a scary science gone wrong flick and to pull this off succesfully isn´t the easiest thing to do. There is quite a bit of T and A in this, including full frontal female nudity but it isn´t overtly gratuitous as it serves a purpose. It´s gory, we get greatlooking practical fx, acid burns, creature fx and more.
This review is based upon an online screener provided by Dustin Wayde Mills.
Rating: 7 out of 7. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is another triumph for Dustin Wayde Mills, I  can´t stop being amazed by what he and his crew can put on screen considering the limited means he has at his disposal. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is in the territory of more famous body-horror flicks such as The Fly and Thanatomorphose and even if Dustin Wayde Mills barely has a shred of the budget of those movies he is a truly creative and imaginative filmmaker. I´ve said it more than once, Dustin Wayde Mills is one of the big stars of independent horror.

/JL