We've never really thought about what a and collaboration would look like. That is, until the bizarre, Lovecraftian horror sci-fi mash-up came across the screen. Released in 2017 and directed by , and based on the novel by , this wonderfully layered movie stars the criminally underrated (), , and as they take us on a wild ride. Cold Skin is equal parts , , and 's . Now imagine all those movies baked together on less than 10% of the budget that Eggers, Cameron, and Lawrence typically have to work with, and you've got this turbocharged horror thriller that's a blast to watch on a Saturday night. Only a cosmic guru like could have possibly conjured up this half-horror/half-sci-fi diamond in the rough. Let's break it down into smaller increments so you can have a full primer should you direct your eyes and cerebral cortex toward a 108-minute romp from what is ostensibly a three-person show on a cold and desolate island.

A nameless man who has enlisted in the British Navy to escape a mysterious past is taken to an isolated, inhospitable island just outside the Antarctic Circle to serve as a signal and weather technician. After being marooned, He. He takes him in and asks that he help defend the lighthouse in exchange for sparse food and shelter. Gruner decides to call this new stranger "Friend." Every night, hordes of bluish-green amphibious creatures make their way out of the sea and over the rocky outcropping to launch an assault on the three-story tower. Gruner and Friend struggle to fend them off, but their numbers keep growing daily. Gens emphasizes the hopeless, lonely mood of almost all of Eggers' films. on the characters as fast as the creatures from below.

The interesting aspect of 'Cold Skin' is the emotional turmoil of who Friend eventually names Aneris. Her mucous has a healing power that saves both men's lives—even stranger is the physical relationship between Aneris and both Gruner and Friend. She is torn between the safety provided in the lighthouse versus being loyal to her species that Gruner is trying to exterminate,and has made no effort to understand who or what they are. With Aneris' healing saliva, she saves both men's lives after they are mortally wounded. Nevertheless, Gruner only sees a species he must suppress and keep down out of his own fear.

Considering that , the special effects of Cold Skin are better than you would expect. Almost all that money went toward bringing the creature horde to life as they raid and pillage the lighthouse. They are a teeming zombie group like the "Darkseekers" in I Am Legend. They only come out at night and attack in numbers, but they are also intelligent beings in the mold of

It's especially true of the second installment , where the audience is introduced to a similar amphibious race of Na'vi The creatures in Cold Skin aren't nearly as articulate, but it is clear that they have an intelligent social structure and emotions similar to humans. Aneris is probably the most interesting character of the three leading players. She is the most psychologically complex character, and .

For a character that doesn't say a single word for the entire movie, communicating through grunts and physical movement, most notably Gollum in . Her alacrity and physical presence do all of her talking, and she is easy to identify with, as the remarkable way she crabwalks around the floor and acts like a dog around Gruner is very Gollum-esque. At the same time,

She and her race of creatures fuel the Lovecraftian aspect of Cold Skin. While this movie may not have the outer space cosmic elements of your typical genre bend, it brings a similar mysterious alien element below the water's surface. If there is one thing that the brilliant sci-fi writer championed,. Whatever it takes to throw you for a loop and twist the viewer's mind into a pretzel. If Gens had had a $300 million budget like the other acclaimed directors, Cold Skin would have been even better, but it remains an admirable effort on a shoestring budget of less than $10 million.