The Skeleton Key

2005 "Fearing is believing."
6.5| 1h44m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 12 August 2005 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.

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Reviews

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
Sexylocher Masterful Movie
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Ashleigh Miller This film is a good watch and makes me happy to see however is not that spooky, creepy or scary. This movie does include Hoodoo which is a rather original thing to see in a horror film which is good about this film. It does seem to drag on however but overall is a decent watch.
timaenot Good movie, making sense and credible in its story and development. It is hard nowadays to find a thriller/horror film with a good, consistent script. Very good performances by the elder actors. The only thing I do not understand about this film is why the main character is so charmless. She claims wanting to help people but has nothing sympathetic about her look or behavior. Strange cast, in my opinion. The story still works.
Tweekums This chiller in centred on hospice assistant Caroline Ellis; she has become somewhat disenchanted with the place she works to replies to an advert for a live-in carer at an old plantation house deep in the bayous. When she gets there she meets Violet Devereaux and her husband Benjamin; he has suffered a stroke and can't care for himself… it will be Caroline's job to look after him for his remaining days. Shortly after arriving she is given a skeleton key that opens every door in the house. She finds a door in the attic that it won't open; Mrs Devereaux explains that the room hasn't been entered since she and her husband moved in several decades ago. Caroline manages to get into the room and discovers various spells, potions and other hoodoo paraphernalia. It turns out the room originally belonged to Mama Cecile and Papa Justify; two servants who had been lynched ninety years before. She investigates further and starts to believe that Mrs Devereaux is responsible for what happened to her husband and that she too is in real danger.If you want gore, a high body count and plenty of jump-scares this won't be the film for you; however if you want a decent atmospheric chiller that is creepy rather than scary then this film may be worth checking out. The setting adds to the films atmosphere; the sort of Deep South location where one can easily believe unpleasant things happened in the bad old days. Kate Hudson does a solid enough job as Caroline and Gena Rowlands manages to be suitably creepy while being a charming southern lady as Violet. John Hurt is impressive as Benjamin; a character who barely says a word but conveys a lot of emotion with every look. The story progresses at a decent pace and there are a few twists the ending isn't a total surprise though… certainly anybody who has seen 'The Wicker Man' is likely to figure out that being the protagonist doesn't guarantee Caroline's ultimate safety. Overall though I thought this was an effective and atmospheric chiller.
LeonLouisRicci Here is One that is Not Let Down by its PG-13 Rating Because this is All Superstition and Such, All in the Mind of the Believer. It is a Swampy, Cajun Atmosphere of Dried Herbs and Bones with Rhythmic Chants and Rituals.Kate Hudson is Fine as a Hospice Worker that Overcompensates for Not Helping Her Father Cross to the Other Side and Enters a World Where Medicine is Replaced by Potions and Doctors are Replace by Ju Ju, or Hoodo to be More Precise.Peter Sarsgaard and Gena Rowlands Add a bit of Gravitas to what's Going On and You Have to Pay Attention to Know what that is. The Movie is Creepy Enough and Old Worldly and Other Worldly Enough to Keep You a bit Mesmerized.Overall, Worth a Watch for its Twist Ending, that You Might Not See Coming, and for a Low-Key Atmosphere that Never Goes Over the Top, Just Up to the Attic a Few Times. You Might Want to Sprinkle Some Brick Dust About Before Viewing.