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| The Skeleton Key (Widescreen Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Iain Softley
Actors: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $0.78
You Save: $12.20 (94%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  209 reviews
Sales Rank: 4991
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Extra Tracks, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 104
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: D25850D
ISBN: 1417018534
UPC: 025192585029
EAN: 9781417018536
ASIN: B00005JNY3
Theatrical Release Date: August 12, 2005
Release Date: November 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Steeped in rain, humidity, and eerie bayou atmosphere, The Skeleton Key is an entertaining supernatural thriller that makes excellent use of its Louisiana locations. New Orleans and the rural environs of Terrebonne Parish are crucial in setting up the creepy circumstances that find compassionate caregiver Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) newly employed at the backwater plantation home of Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her invalid husband Ben (John Hurt), who's been rendered mute and seemingly helpless by a recent stroke. The place is rife with mystery, shrouded in the secrets of a suspicious past and, under Violet's stern supervision, plagued by superstition involving the use of Hoodoo magic spells (not to be confused with Voodoo, as explored in the similarly suspenseful Angel Heart) intended to protect the house from harm. But Caroline soon discovers the source of the mystery, and why Ben (who can barely utter a word) is so desperate to escape his seemingly comfortable domesticity. There are a few loopholes in the screenplay by prolific horror writer Ehren Kruger (The Ring and The Brothers Grimm), but director Iain Softley (Wings of the Dove) expertly emphasizes the edgy air of mystery, pushing some effective shocks while encouraging fine work from Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard (as Violet's lawyer) and especially Rowlands, who's genuinely disturbing as Skeleton Key nears a twist ending that's undeniably effective. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 204 more reviews...
Surprisingly good, surprisingly effective thriller August 15, 2005
99 out of 113 found this review helpful
Almost every film you watch requires some level of suspension of disbelief. Some genres (Sci-Fi, Horror, Musicals, etc.) require more than others (drama). I am willing to give any film the benefit of the doubt and fully "buy into" the world the filmmakers attempt to create. Because of this, I expect a lot from the filmmakers in return. If they expect me to take that leap of faith, I expect them to deliver believable characters, an interesting, involving story and to make me laugh, believe, get frightened, whatever the story would dictate. If they do that, I usually enjoy the film. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen enough. If they don't, the film becomes a mess. "The Skeleton Key", the new thriller starring Kate Hudson, is a film requiring a fair amount of suspension of disbelief. The key to unlocking its success is to make everything believable. Does it accomplish that?
Caroline (Kate Hudson), a hospice worker in New Orleans, becomes so disillusioned with her job that she answers an ad for a private in-home caregiver in a parish about an hour out of the city. Upon arrival, she meets Violet (Gena Rowlands), the wife of her new patient, Ben (John Hurt). Violet is reluctant to have strangers in her house, a large plantation home that has seen better days, but their lawyer, Luke (Peter Sarsgaard, "Kinsey") insists that she get help for Ben during his last days; he had a heart attack while working in the attic and is now paralyzed on both sides of his body, unable to speak or move. Caroline accepts the job and soon receives a skeleton key that will open every door in the house. Exploring the house, she soon makes her way up to the attic and begins to discover some strange things.
"The Skeleton Key", directed by Iain Softley ("K-PAX") and written by Ehren Kruger ("The Ring Two", "The Ring", "Arlington Road"), is that strange thing; a thriller with good performances, good writing, good directing and only the occasional cheap thrill.
All of the performances in the film are very good. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Kate Hudson who takes a 180* turn from the "comedies" she has been subjecting us to for the last few years. She does a really good job in this very dramatic role. As a 25 year old dealing with issues of her father's death, Hudson's Caroline becomes a caregiver. Disillusioned by the economics of her job in the city, she takes a job in the country, caring for one man. She soon realizes that perhaps there is more gong on than meets the eye. During the course of the film, she tries to figure things out. Unlike most thrillers or scary movies, Caroline seems to have a head on her shoulders. She doesn't believe in "Hoodoo", an offshoot of voodoo which features prominently in the film, or spirits or ghosts, so when she makes the inevitable trip to the "dark room", in this case, the attic, it happens during the middle of the day. It is still a bit frightening, but at least she has the common sense to not make this trip in the dead of night. As she learns things, she uses this new knowledge to help her. She also asks for help. In most thrillers, the female lead usually lacks all of these traits. This, and the gravitas or her back story, help to give Caroline a resonance, a weight that we don't often see.
Gena Rowlands, is, as always, good. Violet is the big question mark in the story. Is she involved in the sinister goings-on, or not? Generally, this type of character would have wild mood swings, one moment, she is evil incarnate, the next, sweet as pie. Thankfully, Rowlands plays it more subdued. What really helps the character is that she is presented as an old woman "set in her ways", "old-fashioned", "distraught over her husband's condition". Because of this, her character is more subtle and there are more shades of gray to all of her actions, which can be attributed to her "set-ways". Even when she is being nice to Caroline, she is a bit abrupt and when she is abrupt, we get a sense there is a shade of kindness. Rowland's performance aids the well-written character keeping us guessing what and if there is something lying underneath.
John Hurt's performance is the trickiest because he uses almost no words throughout. The victim of a stroke, paralyzed on both sides, Ben can't move a muscle. But his eyes move, and they dart back and forth, or convey the anguish or terror he feels. At one point, Caroline is bathing him and gets soap in her eye, using a compact to make sure it is gone, she remembers Violet's admonition to keep mirrors out of the house "because they show the spirits walking throughout". Caroline opens the compact and places it in front of Ben's face. When she does this, Ben begins thrashing about. Finally, able to soothe him, Caroline apologizes. It really is amazing to experience all of these emotions through an actor who basically uses only his eyes throughout the performance.
The film is very well-written and well-directed. Throughout, writer Kruger and director Softley give us clues, and even a few red herrings, but some of these are so well-hidden that we aren't able to piece everything together until the very end, when the secrets are revealed to Hudson's Caroline. At this point, your mind will click back to all of the clues and you will, hopefully, realize how clever everything is. The ending has a neat little twist, which I didn't see coming, but now that I know what it is, it all makes sense. How refreshing for a film to make sense, to connect the dots through the many layers of the story.
Director Softley seems tailor made for this film. His last film "K-PAX" was a mess, but in "Key", he immerses us immediately in Caroline's world, starting the film without any credits of any kind. As we learn about Caroline's back-story, her character becomes more believable and real to us. After she arrives at the plantation, and is given the skeleton key, there are many shots of the interior of locks, as the key opens another door, and Caroline explores the house. This is an interesting metaphor for her learning secrets. The film is also remarkably free of the dumb thriller and horror film cliches so rife in other examples. As mentioned, Caroline asks for help, looks around in the middle of the day, and learns. There are also few, if any cheap thrills generated by "stray black cats". There is one scene in which Caroline wakes up in the middle of the night and immediately jumps out of bed wearing only panties and a t-shirt to investigate a sound. If it were me, I would've thrown on a pair of sleep bottoms before running around in a large, dark plantation house. But these types of typical horror/ thriller movie cliches are few and far between here.
"The Skeleton Key" is a surprisingly well-written, acted and directed thriller complete with a clever twist which is well connected to the rest of the story.
HooDoo August 13, 2005
48 out of 66 found this review helpful
"The Skeleton Key" is a good thriller with an expert cast headed by Kate Hudson (Caroline), Gena Rowlands (Violet) and a mute John Hurt (Ben).
Director Iain Softley (the stunning "Wings of a Dove") has a great eye for the grotesque and the beauty that lies therein and his mise en scene is cluttered with over-hanging Ivy, cataract-blinded country folk, crumbling mansions with scary attics, sweat-inducing humidity and back-woods depravity vs. upper crust, tuxedoed depravity in the bayou country just outside of New Orleans.
There are also great big doses of Hoodoo thrown in to spice-up this boiling Gumbo of a movie but for once the attitude of the film, thanks to Softley and the amazing cast, is one of tolerance and respect: "The Skeleton Key" has the good sense to believe in it's own themes and characters and as a consequence it scares the hell out of us because, despite our better judgment... we start to buy into it also.
Worth Watching January 11, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
The cast did a wounderful job starting with Kate Hudson as Caroline, Gena Rolands as Violet and John Hurt as Ben. John Hurt had the most challenging role. His character Ben is not able to talk in this movie yet we can see the anguish and fear he is trying to show us. Best job of the lot.
The film is well written and directed. We are given enough clues throughout the movie to figure out what is happening. But not enough to ruin the suspense. This is one of the few movies I almost had to wait for the end to know what was going on. The story knows how to keep us on the edge of the seat in suspense. And when the end finally does come. We are offerred an extra bang for our dollar when it all makes sense. You will finally see the string of clues that lead to the very ending. Though I must admit you really have to pay attention to figure it before they show you. Good luck, it is worth it.
A Gothic Thriller Delivered with Panache November 18, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Writer Ehren Kruger ('The Ring' movies, 'The Brothers Grimm') has supplied Director Iain Softley ('Wings of the Dove') with a sound story from which Softley has created a satisfyingly dark film about death and dying and Hoodoo magic in the swampy region of Louisiana. Without resorting to the usual stock gimmicks, THE SKELETON KEY works on many levels to frighten and entertain and it succeeds!
Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a beautiful 25-year old whose guilt over her absence from her father's deathbed has driven her to seek work in nursing homes (the film's opening sequence with Caroline reading to a dying man is elegant and touching and quite timely) and ultimately to hospice care. Answering an ad in the paper for a hospice nurse takes her to a strange old Southern mansion in which live the Devereauxs - Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her bedridden husband Ben (John Hurt). Caroline passes her interview and at the warm insistence of the family lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) she takes the job. Violet is a frightening old lady who entrusts Caroline with a skeleton key which opens the doors of all 30 rooms of the creaky, musty mansion - except for one door in the attic. Noting there are no mirrors in the house, Caroline begins to investigate the place and Ben's seemingly terrified state and discovers the forbidden room contains elements of dark magic. She seeks information from her close friend Jill (Joy Bryant) who skeptically informs her that the symbols and paraphernalia Caroline has discovered are factors of Hoodoo - a strange magic whose multiethnic beginnings are in New Orleans. Slowly Caroline challenges Violet for information and finding none, seeks the advice of a Hoodoo woman (Fahnlohnee R. Harris) for answers. The bizarre dark secrets of the old mansion and the Devereaux couple ultimately come into focus and it is up to Caroline to break some spells....if that is possible.
With a cast this fine it would be surprising if the film didn't fly and each of the actors creates a credible creature that involves us from the beginning. Yes, the horror story is accompanied by rain storms and thunder storms that serve to heighten the tension and the pacing by director Softley keeps the audience alert and suspicious and ultimately surprised. This is one of the better thrillers released in some time. Recommended especially to devotees of the thriller genre! Grady Harp, November 05
 A Decent Thriller April 18, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The 2005 thriller "The Skeleton Key" starred Kate Hudson as Caroline. Caroline, a caregiver/nurse, likes to help people. After losing one of her patients, Caroline decides it's time for a change and accepts a job (over $1,000 a week with free room and board) caring for Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), an elderly man who has been rendered an invalid, deep in the Bayou of Louisiana. However, the dream job slowly turns into a nightmare when the mysteries of the house begin to reveal themselves.
Ben, who hasn't been able to speak or walk since suffering a debilitating stroke in the house's attic, seems to be trying to communicate or warn Caroline about something. Things get even stranger when Ben is found during a thunderstorm crawling along the roof of the porch. Although reassured by Luke (Peter Sarsgaard), the Devereaux's lawyer, Caroline finds herself under the watchful eye of Violet (Gena Rowlands), Ben's wife, who, other than demanding that he be given his "remedies" throughout the day, insists that there should be no mirrors in the house.
In the meantime, Violet has given Caroline a "skeleton key" that is supposed to unlock all the doors inside the house. When Caroline finds a mysterious door in the attic that won't open, her curiosity gets the better of her and she tries to find out what's on the other side of the door. Once in, she quickly realizes that the odd room holds a number of items related to Hoodoo, a form of old magic completely different from voodoo.
Caroline, who is determined to help Ben, becomes increasingly intrigued by this despite her claims that she doesn't believe in it. However, she quickly learns of some of the practices of Hoodoo and what happened to two of the house's servants, Justify (Ronald McCall) and Cecile (Jeryl Prescott Sales), when caught using the magic. But will Caroline be able to save Ben and herself or is it already too late?
One of the best things about "The Skeleton Key" is that it keeps your attention throughout the entire movie. Whether it's Violet coming up to the attic while Caroline is sneaking around in there or it's seeing a mirror somewhere in the house, you can't help but be glued to your seat to see what will happen next.
While Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard are good, Gena Rowlands and John Hurt bring a little extra to the film. Rowlands plays the character of Violet completely opposite of the aging Allie in The Notebook. At first you believe Violet is an aging woman set in her ways but then you slowly start to wonder if there is a more sinister side to her. John Hurt (known for his portrayal of Mr. Ollivander in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and as Kane in "Alien") barely utters a word throughout the entire film. However, through facial expressions and other actions, you understand that this person is in some sort of torment. There is a particular scene where Carolyn holds a mirror to his face and we get the feeling that, without seeing or hearing anything ourselves, Ben is seeing something horrible.
Although the plot is decent, there are a few things, especially the last twenty to thirty minutes that can be confusing. I found myself thinking about a few scenes, particularly the Justify/Cecile flashback and even the ending, a few days after seeing the movie, questioned a few things and wondered if I had followed the story right.
"The Skeleton Key" is a thriller without a lot of special effects or gore. It will definitely convince you that it's better NOT to believe in some things!
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