User Reviews

Will Reed (Treat Williams) is a middle-age widow, living with his problematic son Seth (Jonathan Jackson) in a small American city. Will works in a factory, and has some affair with his colleague Tina Conway (Linda Hamilton). Seth blames Will for the loss of his mother when he was six years old. When Seth is eighteen years old, some crimes happens in the neighborhood. Will suspects that the crimes have been committed by Seth, and Seth accuses his father of being paranoiac. The end of the story reveals many secrets. This television movie has a reasonable screenplay, but it is very supported by the performance of the cast. The cynical character of Jonathan Jackson and the dramatic one of Treat Williams are indeed very well performed. The aged Linda Hamilton has a minor, but correct acting. The supporting cast is also very good. I do not know what type of film was used, but the image looks like a television show or news. Although not being outstanding, this dramatic and suspenseful movie entertains. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Lembranças Macabras" ("Macabres Remembrances")

A handsome Jonathan Jackson plays Seth Reed, a troubled young adult trying to battle against Will(his father)'s accusations, whilst remaining mysterious.

Seth has a sad back-story, losing his mother at just 6 years old. He is a creepy character to watch, and there is clearly a lot of friction between father and son. He's unpredictable, and his actions make the viewers feel a little uneasy and unsure of what to expect.

the film is a little slow, not really giving it's audience enough credit, eg when Will is linking the necklace with an event, it takes him about 5 minutes to get it, where the audience get it straight away.

i admit,this is a very deliberately paced movie.just when you decide to turn it off from boredom,the movie drops you a tantalizing clue or two.just enough to keep you watching.this movie is all about the drama and the acting.it is very low key and the acting is good.the movie is a psychological suspense mystery.just when you think you have it figured out,it turns out you don't.i found it hard to know for sure who was crazy and who was sane and what was real and what wasn't.if you can get through it,i think it's worth it in the end.the ending is satisfying,even if it leaves unresolved questions.obviously this movie is not for everyone.if you're an action junkie,you might not be able to sit through this.otherwise,give it a shot

The film was better than I expected. I have to admit I was skeptical when my Brother's fiance brought this film home. But we were bored and she seemed enthusiastic to see it, since she evidently met the lead actor (Jackson) once.

Right off the bat I was taken aback by a visual display that was far from impressive. I had a problem watching the film because of the (in my opinion) unprofessional camera-work, which became so distracting in parts that I had problems relating with the characters in the film. Some of the interior scenes are shot from a different room than the one the actors are in (literally "peeking" around a corner), seeming to suggest a director of photography with a serious fear of intimacy.

All of my problems with the camera-work aside, I thought the acting in the film was impressive. I have seen several Treat Williams films, and I never thought much of him as a dramatic actor. This was his best performance to date, which isn't saying all that much, but he did a decent job. I am not familiar with whatever soap opera produced Jackson but this film proved all the potential he has. His acting range was impressive and his delivery is exceptional. The only negative thing I can say about the part of Seth, would be, did they have to use so much make-up? I don't think male characters really need to be wearing "fire-engine red" lip-stick.

After all was said and done, I wasn't upset that I watched this film, which means it exceeded my expectations. Plus, with the right crowd, it is a down-right blast to make fun off. But that is only if you are actively trying to antagonize your future sister-in-law.

I have to admit, that out of the many many thriller movies i have seen, this has to be one of the worst. I was shocked to discover that this piece of work had a 1.5 mil budget. When it started, i thought that the opening sequence was pretty good, fairly standard for this kind of film, but pretty good anyway. But as the film progressed i began to feel distinctly uncomfortable with the lack of pace that i was seeing, each sequence seemed to take hours. The reason for this could have been that by now the film had already bored me to tears, nothing was happening other than endless accusations peppered with confusing flashbacks and the occasional fit of bad temper. Well ... after wading through what felt like a lifetime of these scenes we finally reached the big finale...an all singing, all dancing demonstration of how lack of imagination can completely ruin what could have been a good film.

Overall i found this movie predictable and tedious and I would not recommend this film to anyone other than those people i personally dislike, but if you have a couple of hours to waste and you want to watch a thriller that is not even remotely scary, this is the movie for you.

I don't think there was anything redeeming about this film. The plot was formulaic, the acting was mediocre, the dialogue contrived and the shaky tourist-with-a-video-camera cinematography work was the worst of all. I can't believe a company had the nerve to release this film, what a mess.

Skeletons In The Closet takes the father-teenage son genre to new levels of low. This is a movie that serves no purpose. The plot is layed out in the first few minutes, there is no suspense, the characters are cliché and despite plot twists that try to confuse and obfuscate, everything plays out exactly as you think it will. Halfway through the movie I could no longer stand the snail pace and started fast forwarding. The movie ended exactly as I expected. Linda Hamilton is great as always and the other actors are above average considering there seems to be a complete lack of direction. If you really believe you need to see this uninspired lackluster wannabe whodunit, watch it on fast forward.

Very intriguing film, the plot is unlike a lot of other films of the same genre. Acting wise it's not brilliant, but it's passable and the characters are good, and you can have great characters even if the actor playing them isn't world class.

The plot is the main appeal for this film and it's very strong.

7/10: Just about gets a 7, I wouldn't watch it again but I really enjoyed wondering what would happen next, unpredictability is exciting.

This movie was so predictable and poorly acted. I really can't recommend it to anyone, not even for unintentional laughs. It is just plain bad. It is pure TV movie hell, the cast doesn't seem all that bad, but they act terribly. Just stay far away from this movie and rent something more intellectual, like porn.

I'm rarely able to site through an entire movie on television these days. This movie was on court TV today (Sunday afternoon) and I actually watched the entire movie without channel flipping. The acting was very good and it wasn't over the top and did make you wonder what the truth was. Good way to spend a couple of hours.

Geeze, I just wanted to write an little comment but they want me to write a novel! 10 lines of text.... okay, I'll start listing some of my favorite movies: Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Star Wars (only episodes 4-6), The Color Purple, The Matrix, Kundun, The Last Emperor, My Cousin Vinny, Legaly Blond.

Let me just tell you that I love movies that are suspenseful with a twist. Although the reviews had already warned me who the killer was in this movie, towards the end I started thinking that it was another main character who had turned out to be insane. Either way it would have worked for me.

Treat Williams and Jonathan Jackson played well off each other in this disturbed father-son relationship thriller. This movie truly shows how tragic childhoods can affect children in their later years. If you like movies about tragic childhood pasts that come back to bite, then this is a good movie for you.

The first thing to get past is the fact that this straight-to-video thriller is shot on video, and, as such, looks low budget, and feels like a TV show. But once you can get past that, the video works in its favour, encouraging you to take more from the performances and the story. It's seemingly more realistic, with, literally a clearer view of what's going on. The direction is very simple, but this helps to concentrate on the characters and the plot.

The three leads give credible performances, and there are enough ambiguities in the story to keep you guessing until the end (despite some unfortunate holes in credibility). A bigger budget and bigger stars would easily see this type of thing in your local cinema. As it is, a competent thriller, a surprising straight-to-video hit.

...Jonathan Jackson had it in him? I first saw a poster for this movie at the grocery store, and decided that I had to see it. I thought it was horror, but it was actually drama. Seth's dad suspects that his son may be a murderer, although he has trouble finding evidence to convince anyone else. Throughout the movie, we also become suspicious of him and the mysterious fire that killed Seth's mother. "Every family is a hierarchy ruled by its sickest member. The trick is figuring out who that is." The ending made me cry.

Writer/director Wayne Power's low budget, agreeably twisted, weirdly underappreciated 90s thriller 'Skeletons in the Closet' is a sturdily written, capably directed, compellingly acted psychodrama that ultimately proved itself to be far more fascinating than its wholly undeserved relegation to the depthless voids of DVD bargain bin hell might suggest! If you give the engaging film a chance, it very soon becomes abundantly clear that Treat Williams & Linda Hamilton have a palpable chemistry, their likeability, and natural talent bringing additional gravitas to the increasingly fraught family malaise, but, for me, the engaging drama's standout performance is from fresh faced Jonathan Jackson as Will's (Treat Williams) querulous misfit son Seth. 'Skeletons in the Closet' is far from forgettably saccharin TV-Movie-of-the-week fare, this disturbingly dark tale of a troubled family torn asunder by a traumatizing past event successfully keeps its trump card snugly to its chest, right until the frantic, teeth-gnashingly tense finale! Outside of the splendid performances, the engaging thriller's expansive New Hampshire vistas are a ravishing visual treat. And it would prove entirely remiss of me if I failed to mention composer Christopher L. Stone's excellent score, including a number of delightful songs, written, and mellifluously performed by polymath Jonathan Jackson.

Hi, I've seen it. I know it wasn't a huge hit but loved it... So I am biased - I grew up in the town it was filmed in but still liked it. Good movie. Treat Willaims and Joshua Jackson were great! Story line kept you on the edge, seemed choppy at times, but it got the point across. If it had a bigger budget I think it could of done a lot better.

Skeletons In The Closet is the story of a young man who has dreams about his mothers death, was his father responsible? Is he a killer? Or is this just a game? You'll ask yourself all these questions and many more while viewing Skeletons In The Closet, a captivating and intriguing tale of family and madness. Great performances by the leads, in particular Jackson and the beauty of digital video highlight this great flick. Check it out!

Don't get me wrong, this is not a great film or anything like that. But I think that it's a surprising lot of fun for what it is, a cheesy TV movie that features good acting and a surprisingly respectable script. Treat Williams plays the same concerned dad as he does in "Everwood," with the difference being that his son in this movie is a murdering sociopath instead of a misunderstood loner. His son is played by Jonathon Jackson, who keen eyes will remember from Chris Nolan's "Insomnia," holding his own against Al Pacino. Clearly, the kid is going places. Frankly, I can't figure out WHAT Linda Hamilton was thinking when she took what is essentially a time-filling bit part, but she is good as always. Also good in her supporting role as Jackson's girlfriend is an actress whose name escapes me now, but she's been on "Dawson's Creek" and was quite enjoyable in her "trying to save the bad guy" role in this flick. The plot of this movie centers around a possible serial killer (Jackson), his worried dad, who suspects him (Williams), and a fire and possible abuse that took place years before, making the kid what he is. The directing and cinematography of "Skeletons" is what kills and corners it as a TV movie instead of a real movie. The cameraman was... uh, well, drunk? That's the only thing I can think of. Also, the movie clearly cost about ten dollars to make. Regardless, if you like Court TV and/or cheesy TV movies, this is right up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun little movie for what it is. I really do admire the actors for working very well with what they had and keeping the movie decent.

"Skeletons in the closet" is a movie that is not noisy and action packed like most of the thrillers are. It is quiet and you have to turn up the volume to hear the whisperings of the lead protagonist, Seth, many a time. One thing that I particularly noted in this movie was that there is very little background music interfering with the dialogues, which I really appreciated. In most movies, we can not hear a word of the dialogue due to the background din.

The interesting factor here is the psychoanalysis of this character and how all the other characters relate to him and contributed to his mental status. The movie is based on the theory that a person is severely affected by what s/he experiences as a child. All these emotions are beautifully portrayed by Jonathan Jackson, and you really end up feeling bad for Seth Reed. There are lots of kids being misguided or not guided either-way, within and without their homes, which turn them into confused anti-socials (especially if they already have acquired criminal instincts genetically). These same kids would have had better chances of leading a peaceful existence had they been taken care of and been well-guided. The same way, Seth could have been a successful pianist or anything he wanted to be, had he been saved from what even he himself does not comprehend. This has been portrayed so sensitively and so strikingly that this movie is a must-see for all viewers who like thought provoking stories.

Just like the ambience is quite gloomy throughout the movie, the songs too are melancholic, soulful and beautiful. The theme may not be unique, but the treatment and acting (esp. Treat Williams and Jonathan Jackson) is definitely outstanding and laudable. Excellent movie...

I haven't been to a movie that actually made me JUMP in quite some time and this one did! I was lucky enough to see a screening of this psychological thriller- "Skeletons in the Closet," and I'm hoping it hits the big screen soon.

The writing was smart and witty. And the acting was absolutely superb!

Jonathan Jackson and Treat Williams (who also played father and son in Deep End of the Ocean), are together again in this eerie movie where again bitterness and resentment prevail between the two.

Jackson plays Seth, a tormented teen with a troubled past...his mom was killed in a house fire when he was just a kid. So he's become a rebel. Seemingly stereotypical, until odd things start happening around town.

Disappearances of people and murders...and Seth's dad suspects him. Is he merely trying to get his son out of the way to make room for new girlfriend/fiancé Linda Hamilton? Or is he looking for a scapegoat to pin the blame on?

One things for certain....

We all have a few skeletons in the closet...

but this time, the skeletons are real.

I absolutely loved this movie! Linda Hamilton brings spice and sexiness to her role in the movie, and Jonathan Jackson is explosive as the possibly psychotic youth. This was a movie that kept you guessing the entire time, and even after it was over! Great cast, great MUSIC, and great story!

I was one of the privileged few who were able to find out through the Internet about a special Skeletons in the Closet screening in LA at the Warner Brothers studio lot. I was very excited to go, and was not let down. Typically this type of movie is not one that I'd normally want to see, but I knew who the members of the cast were and it seemed to have too much potential to pass up with Jonathan Jackson, Treat Williams, and Linda Hamilton, how could they go wrong? They didn't the movie was excellent.

I was very impressed that the movie left me guessing until the very end. I was awed by Jonathan Jackson's performance. He was constantly on. Every single scene he was in had purpose and meaning that only he could give to it. There's also the fact that the camera shots and close up angles showed just how stunningly handsome he is.

One of the most impressive things about his performance were the two scenes that Jonathan Jackson shed his trademark tears. This is where you see his eyes well up while he's still speaking and then at the perfect moment the tears fall. One of the scenes in the movie that I was especially impressed with was with Linda's character in a diner. In this scene his tears fell at the exact moment that he says a very profound line.

The second time is towards the end, he enters a room and sees something that I can't mention here because I'd be giving a big part of the movie away. The scene in itself is probably about two minutes long. In the scene he says one single word, by the end of it, he's in tears, they are streaming from his eyes, his chin is quivering and we know exactly what he's thinking and feeling and realizing at that moment even though no words our said.

That is the magic that is Jonathan Jackson, eyes and facial expressions that are a window into his soul. No other actor compares to him when it comes to this.

I was also very impressed by the cinematography. It was beautifully shot, with lots of color. For what could be considered a dark movie, it was exceptionally light. This was very effective. The HD format they used was so clear and bright. I was very impressed.

The songs "Coffee and Tea", "Trip if you have to", and "Father" were Jonathan and Richard Jackson's musical contributions to the movie. The song "Father" played over the end credits, it was beautiful, sad and totally fit the movie. There was also an original song by Schyuler Fisk, who played Jonathan's character's girlfriend in the movie. Linda Hamilton was impressive as always. I can't wait to see this movie again. It was beyond totally awesome. I'll be very interested in viewing it again just as soon as its released.

Even though this film had such a small budget $1.5m (it really shows at times) it was a very suspenseful and very well acted by B-MOVIE king Treat Williams and fading star Linda Hamilton a good if underused performance (she just seems to pop in and out of the movie) The best performance in the movie has to go to gorgeous Johnathan Jackson who really deserves to be a bigger star on this role alone. The story surrounds the strained relationship between father and son (Williams & Jackson). Jackson is a very weird kid and his father gets very paranoid about his behavior. Is Jackson a serial killing teenager? what happened to his mother? did Treat kill her?

you'll have to watch to find out

persevere with this Indie- you'll be rewarded

My vote 8/10 (really worth the £2.99 i paid for it)

Skeletons in the Closet (2000) D: Wayne Powers. Treat Williams, Linda Hamilton, Jonathan Jackson, Schuyler Fisk, Gordon Clapp, Camden Munson. Nice little thriller about a father who suspects his teenage son is a murderer, while the teenage son suspects the father of murdering his mother in a house fire. Several plot twists, terrific acting by the leads (especially young Jackson), and suspenseful situations highlight this film. One of the film's only negatives (besides the cheap, "made-for-tv" look) is Hamilton's useless character, who could have been written out of the script with one rewrite. The movie works best in the interactions between the father and son, so any scenes with Hamilton just served (at least to me) as a distraction. RATING: 9 out of 10. Rated R for violence, strong language, and brief sexual references.

Skeletons in the Closet is a very different film that has a unique cast which includes Treat Williams, Linda Hamilton, Jonathan Jackson, Schuyler Fisk, and Gordon Clapp. The acting by all of these actors is very good. Williams and Hamilton is excellent in this film. I thought they were really great together. The mystery is really good and some of it is unbelievable. The movie is filmed very differently and in fact I can't recall a film that's filmed similar like this one. The music is good. The film is quite exciting and the movie really keeps you going until the end. This is a very good and thrilling film. If you like Treat Williams, Linda Hamilton, Jonathan Jackson, and the rest of the cast I've mentioned above, thrillers, dramas, and exciting films then I recommend this film!