You’ve never seen a small-town mystery movie quite like this one. The buzzy festival hitKnives and Skinfinally has a trailer so you can get a glimpse at the beautiful, bonkers movie. Of all the films I"ve been lucky enough to catch at the festival circuit in 2019,Knives and Skinis without a doubt the hardest to describe. But I’ll try. It’s the avant-garde, sing-a-long, John Waters-meets-David Lynch, fashion-forward, queer teen neon-noir you didn’t know you needed. It’s a one-of-a-kind film, I absolutely adore it, and I’m thrilled to have collider bring y’all the exclusive trailer debut.
Knives and Skincomes from writer/directorJennifer Reeder, who brings a strong, singular vision to the oddball tale of a small town torn apart in the wake of a teenage girl’s disappearance. When Carolyn Harper (Raven Whitley) goes missing, her entire Midwestern town absolutely loses it in their individual, oh-so-unique ways. Gorgeously shot with wicked, wry wit,Knives and Skinis a wild, sometimes confounding movie that’s also somehow a crowd-pleaser. It’s a favorite of the year.
The film also starsMarika Engelhardt,AudreyFrancis,TimHopper, andKate Arrington, FC Midnight will releaseKnives and Skinin theaters and available on VOD and Digital HD on July 17, 2025. Watch the trailer debut below.
Here’s the official synopsis forKnives and Skin, followed by the theatrical poster debut.
What happened to Carolyn Harper? Part suburban nightmare, part neon-soaked teenage fever dream, this tantalizing mystery traces the wave of fear and distrust that spreads across a small Midwestern town in the wake of a high school girl’s mysterious disappearance. As the loneliness and darkness lurking beneath the veneer of everyday life gradually comes to light, a collective awakening seems to overcome the town’s teenage girls—gathering in force until it can no longer be contained. Unfolding in a hallucinatory haze of lushly surreal images, Knives and Skin is a one-of-a-kind coming-of-age noir that haunts like a half-remembered dream.
For more onKnives and Skin, be sure to listen to our live-recordedNorth Bend Film Festivalepisode ofThe Witching Hourwith director Jennifer Reeder.
