IMDb > The Skeleton Key (2005)
The Skeleton Key
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The Skeleton Key (2005) More at IMDbPro »

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The Skeleton Key (2005) -- A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- Clip: Violet tells Caroline why she has no mirrors
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   27,894 votes
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Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Ehren Kruger (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Skeleton Key on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 August 2005 (USA) more
Tagline:
It can open any door. more
Plot:
A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(43 articles)
HorrorBid's Top 10 Most Shocking Horror Movie Endings
 (From Horrorbid. 22 January 2010, 6:41 PM, PST)

Competition: Win an iPod Nano with NBC Universal
 (From HeyUGuys. 27 October 2009, 8:33 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
A solid 6/10 - pushing a 7 because the ending is good. more (335 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kate Hudson ... Caroline Ellis

Gena Rowlands ... Violet Devereaux

John Hurt ... Ben Devereaux

Peter Sarsgaard ... Luke Marshall

Joy Bryant ... Jill
Maxine Barnett ... Mama Cynthia
Fahnlohnee R. Harris ... Hallie (as Fahnlohnee Harris)
Marion Zinser ... Bayou Woman

Deneen Tyler ... Desk Nurse

Ann Dalrymple ... C.N.A.
Trula M. Marcus ... Nurse Trula (as Trula Marcus)

Tonya Staten ... Nurse Audrey

Thomas Uskali ... Robertson Thorpe (as Tom Uskali)

Jen Apgar ... Madeleine Thorpe

Forrest Landis ... Martin Thorpe
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Der verbotene Schlüssel (Austria) (Germany) [de]
La llave maestra (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
La porte des secrets (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Chave Mestra (Brazil) [pt]
Iskelet anahtar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Kljuc tajni (Croatia) [hr]
Klucz do koszmaru (Poland) [pl]
Kvela karis gasagebi (Georgia) [ka]
La clé des secrets (Canada: French title) [fr]
La llave del mal (Spain) [es]
The Skeleton Key (Finland) [fi]
To antikleidi (Greece) [el]
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some partial nudity and thematic material.
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ronald McCall had to cut his dreadlocks to play the character of Papa Justify. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Caroline first finds the door in the attic, there's a flowery pattern on it. When she goes back to unlock it later, it's not the same doorknob. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Caroline Ellis: [reading from Treasure Island] I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I knew, and we saw ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position. Something must speedily be resolved upon, and it occurred to us at last to go forth together and seek help in the neighboring hamlet...
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Think Louie more

FAQ

How does the movie end?
What was the purpose of the "remedies" that Violet was giving to Ben?
Why were Luke and Caroline able to enter the store despite the brick dust?
more
113 out of 191 people found the following review useful.
A solid 6/10 - pushing a 7 because the ending is good., 19 July 2005
6/10
Author: tenten76 from London

Good performances all round. Good locations. Quite a lot of restraint on the writer's/director's part, building the chills in a more classic 70's way than out-and-out ghosts and scares. In fact, a few more scares after the half-way mark would have been welcome; if the ghosts were used any less, they wouldn't be in the film! The reason I've only rated a 6/10, is because it's so predictable. If you've seen any thriller set in the Deep South, you've seen this one. The background story is textbook 'New Orleans' voodoo vengeance, the characters' motives are obvious from the second they appear on screen, and the solid but pedestrian cinematography means that the locations are massively underused. If you've got a decrepit colonial mansion with antique furniture, surrounded by swamps and trees draped in that Lianna/lichen stuff, you've got to be pretty boring NOT to make it all seem brooding & scary - which is unfortunately what they've done.

Kate Hudson is really switched-on, and not your average dumb heroine. There's even one (small) moment where I think I saw a conscious attempt to subvert the conventions and have her do something quite intelligent while in a perilous situation. It's not a big thing, but I noticed. John Hurt is surprisingly effective, really 'working' his eyes and body, considering he's had a stroke (in the film). Gena Rowlands and Peter Saarsgard are fine, but their performances are hampered by the 'all too obvious' script and direction. Joy Bryant is gorgeous but her character is nothing more than a device to give Kate slightly more personality and a convenient person who can explain about hoodoo/voodoo.

Before I shut up, it's important to say something about the ending (without giving anything away). I'm not talking about the 'third act' - that's a bit OTT, as often happens in horror/thrillers - I mean the final scene.. Although the film as a whole is predictable and doesn't quite live up to its potential, the final scenes wrap up the story nicely and will put a grin on your face.

If you've not seen a lot of horror/thriller films, you'd probably give Skeleton Key a 7 or 8 out of 10 - it's coherent, not too long, and fairly enjoyable (like I say, Kate Hudson & Gena Rowlands are really good). But I have seen a lot to compare it to, so 6/10 it is. Which is still worth watching on a dull afternoon, or on a rental.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Skeleton Key (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I have a question kevin030305
ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR A SEQUEL? Always_a_catch
About Papa Justify and Luke and Ben (spoilers) Walking_Contradictio-1
The Soul-Switching Method CastleH908
I'm beyond confused. soccercrazy59
Significance of the mirrors (spoilers) FuzzyPickles
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