The Skeleton Key (2005)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writer (WGA):

Ehren Kruger (written by)

Release Date:

12 August 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

It can open any door.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Hoodoo | Attic | Key | Skeleton Key | Louisiana

Awards:

3 nominations

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

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]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some partial nudity and thematic material.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Taiwan:R-12 | Belgium:KNT | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:U | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41757) | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Australia:M | USA:R (original rating) | Sweden:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Czech Republic:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bayou Gauche, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Ronald McCall had to cut his dreadlocks to play the character of Papa Justify.

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.

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...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Andy Barker, P.I.: The Big No Sleep (#1.5)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Think Louie

A solid 6/10 - pushing a 7 because the ending is good.

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.