Skeleton Key [Blu-ray]

 

 

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Twenty-five-year-old Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson), a Southern transplant from Hoboken, New Jersey, has a job as a hospice worker in New Orleans, Louisiana. After a certain patient dies, and she discovers that his family does not want to have anything to do with him or his possessions, Caroline decides that it is time to quit her job at the hospice. Seeking out a job where she can actually help people more, Caroline sees an advertisement in the newspaper for a full-time, live-in caretaker for an elderly man---a stroke patient---living in Terrebonne Parish, in the bayous of Louisiana.

Caroline drives out to Terrebonne Parish and comes to a fancy yet very old Southern mansion estate home, slightly falling into somewhat disrepair. At the house, Caroline meets Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands) and her husband, Ben (John Hurt), whom Caroline will be taking care of. She also meets Luke Marshall (Peter Sarsgard), the Devereauxs' lawyer, who handles the family's medical affairs and updates their wills. While Violet immediately rejects Caroline, Luke reassures her that she will get the care-taking job. And indeed she does.

Though Caroline may later regret her decision...

Out in Terrebonne Parrish, in the swampy and tropical bayous of Louisiana, voodoo runs rampant, as well as hoodoo, an ancient form of magic---though hoodoo only works if you believe it will work. Caroline, with the use of her skeleton key given by Violet, which can open any and all doors in the house makes the gruesome discovery of a secret room in the attic, full of bizarre records and instructions for conjurations, kept by two people, by the names of Mama Cecile and Papa Justify.

Can Caroline find out why Ben really did have a stroke up in the attic? Why does Violet seem so tense, anxious, and jumpy in the house often? Why are there no mirrors allowed to hang up anywhere in the house? Is hoodoo actually real, or only if you just believe? Who were Mama Cecile and Papa Justify, and what did they do to earn such a horrible death, as they did ninety years ago?

While I would certainly not consider this to be my favorite horror movie---and I will admit it does use a few "cheap thrills" with large explosions of sound from the movie's soundtrack---this is still a fascinating movie concerning voodoo, and more importantly, hoodoo; you will probably not come across many voodoo movies in the bayous as good as this one very often, except for perhaps The Serpent and the Rainbow. Kate Hudson does an excellent job here, as does Gena Rowlands---she shines the most here---and John Hurt's surprisingly well-done feat of portraying a frightened mute man. Kate Hudson's stray away from comedy movies is definitely a turn for the better. The very intelligent twist at the end is a special treat for watchers.

Highly recommended!

There are some films that are a pleasant surprise, and The Skeleton Key is one of them. I have to admit that I viewed this film with some skepticism, simply because I hadn't heard much buzz about it and I had difficulty envisioning Kate Hudson in such a film. In fact, not only was it nice to see Kate Hudson in a non-comedic role for a change, but she actually is very good in this supernatural thriller.

Director Iain Softley does a fine job of taking an interesting ghost story and merging it with the Southern Gothic of the Louisiana bayou and the legends and myths surrounding New Orleans Voodooism. Like any ghost story in a movie, the viewer has to accept certain nonsense premises to make it work, but if the viewer does so this film delivers great entertainment. The Skeleton Key makes it easy to accept these premises, making it an exceptional supernatural thriller.

Gena Rowlands almost steals this movie with her performance. She plays an old hag from hell that just reeks of evil. The film has a very well constructed story that also does a good job at developing a character profile of the Kate Hudson character that fits well into the story.

If you are looking for a great ghost movie or supernatural thriller to view, this film delivers in spades.

I love any movie that takes place in New Orleans, and really like Kate Hudson, so it didn't take too much for me to enjoy this movie.
I enjoyed the "Hoodoo" information, and the premise of the movie, and surprise ending!

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4.0 out of 5 stars old fashioned ghost story with some surprising twists
this is a pretty good,old fashioned style ghost story.it's genuinely
creepy and eerie,with great performances all round. Read more

Published on Aug 18 2007 by falcon

4.0 out of 5 stars Southern Style Mumbo Jumbo
"It's like, hypnotism, right? Suggestion? And when this stuff works, its because someone believes it works?... And if you thought, you know, that magic made you sick... Read more

Published on Jun 28 2006 by prisrob

5.0 out of 5 stars Hoodoo, you believe, your are?
Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) is a hospice caregiver living in New Orleans. She still feels guilty for letting her father die alone. Read more

Published on Feb 26 2006 by bernie

5.0 out of 5 stars The Skeleton Key
Great movie. I loved it. It's about a woman named Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) who works at a hospital as a nurse but quits and gets a job in the swamps in New Orleans as a... Read more

Published on Dec 9 2005 by Golden B

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