User Reviews

I am an avowed fan of horror films but I must confess that films with haunted houses are so common that it gradually became uninteresting. Still, there's nothing like giving new material a chance. That's what I did here. And I was reasonably satisfied: its a film that knows how to build atmosphere and tension and a pleasant mystery, even if its not capable of frightening.

Everything takes place in the swamps of the suburbs of the mysterious old New Orleans. In an old colonial house lives an elderly couple who hires Caroline, a nurse and elderly caregiver who goes to that house at the hand of the family notary in order to care for Ben, the family patriarch, very weakened by a stroke that left him disabled. But it doesn't take long for the young woman to discover that the house hides many ancient secrets and some of these secrets can really be a threat.

As a pure horror film its weak... but it has a satisfactory cast and a tense atmosphere that, coupled with a decent script, with the inclusion of witchcraft and vodoo themes (it's New Orleans, how could we not think in this?) helps the plot and serves as glue to everything we have here. I felt that the character Caroline is not developed properly and is poorly presented to the public, since we don't know much about her and that makes her a figure more than a character that we can feel and that touches us. Even so, it is a functional film that delivers more or less what it promises, despite not being able to scare or go beyond tension and some occasional chills.

The cast has several names of some weight. Peter Sarsgaard is the most resonant name, but he is guarded by a character who doesn't appear that much but guarantees him a minimum of presence. Kate Hudson is elegant and beautiful, and knows how to play her role, but does not seem to feel her character as she should, in some scenes that seem less well worked or well Gena Rowlands, in turn, is extraordinary and makes a character truly colossal.

Technically, I would like to highlight the quality of cinematography and the work of filming and editing, which gave the film a very important visual beauty to build the environment that the film requires. The scenes and landscapes of the swamps and the city are excellent and were used in the best way. The effects are minimal, but they fulfill their role, the sets and costumes, as well as the Swedish landscapes (with or without snow) increase the visual beauty of the whole set. The soundtrack does its job well.

Horror movies have become a dime a dozen in the past few years. The watchable ones seem to fall into two categories of late: misguided psychological thrillers headlined by a consummate actress (witness Naomi Watts in "The Ring 2" or Jennifer Connelly in "Dark Water") or over the top slasher/gore-fests with serious kitsch value (witness Romero's enjoyable zombie flick "Land of the Dead" or Rob Zombie's sadistic "Devil's Rejects"). All of the rest have pretty much been unbearable cliché-ridden hack jobs ("White Noise," "Darkness Falls," etc...)

Oddly enough, "The Skeleton Key" doesn't fall into any of these categories and it comes across as a breath of fresh air, an old-fashioned throwback to the traditional Gothic mystery thriller, where a pretty female outsider (Kate Hudson acquitting herself rather nicely here as the hospice nurse traveling deep into the Bayou to care for an apparent stroke victim) moves into a big old house/castle that just might be haunted. The director and screenwriter start things slowly, and do a nice job of creating a realistic setting before letting all the mumbo-jumbo slowly and effectively creep in. Gena Rowlands and John Hurt (immobile and mute for most of the film) are fairly good in their respective roles as the married couple with more than just skeletons in their closets. We've seen this stuff all before, but it's done fairly well here with no sense of flash or pretensions, and as silly (and potentially offensive) as all this Hoodoo in the Bayou stuff is, the audience is treated to a twist ending that makes perfect sense in the context we have been given. This isn't a twist ending for twisting sake, but a fitting conclusion to the story.

"The Skeleton Key" tries to remind people of classics like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Others." It may not ultimately hold a candle to those films, but it's a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.

In case you haven't seen "The Skeleton Key" yet, be very careful when reading any reviews... The less you hear, read or even know about this film the better, because I assure that you don't want to pick up any spoilers about this surprisingly original and ingenious horror-story. "The Skeleton Key" is an old-fashioned, powerful and – above all – well written haunted house thriller with great acting, macabre scenery and a shocking twist-ending that stands as one of the best I've ever seen in modern cinema. Beautifully set in the swampy region of New Orleans (morbidly enough, I saw this film shortly after the hurricane Katrina disaster), the story introduces a young nurse who moves into the ominous Deveraux mansion to look after its dying owner Ben. He had a nearly-fatal stroke in the dark attic of the house and, even though it looks like it was because of his old age, Caroline soon starts to suspect that something (or someone) nearly frightened him to death. Ben's wife Violet behaves very strangely and the old house's vicious history forces Caroline to investigate what could have happened. She discovers that the earliest occupants of the house practiced Hoodoo, which is a more spiritual variant of Voodoo... That's really all you can say about the story without giving away essential clues but, trust me, the rest of the film is definitely worth checking out yourself. Fans of atmospheric ghost stories (such as "The Others" or "Angel Heart") will particularly enjoy this film as it contains almost no graphic violence or gory monsters. Instead of blood, there's a wide collection of truly eerie set-pieces and subtle frights. Kate Hudson delivers a great performance, especially because she's not really familiar with the horror genre. She receives good feedback from Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard and – of course – John Hurt. The latter is always genius, even when he hardly has any lines. Highly recommended!

A young woman takes a job caring for a stroke victim in his creepy, dilapidated home in New Orleans. She begins to get suspicious that something more is at play. Stars Kate Hudson.

I love the plot and also the location and it's quite creepy. It's not brilliantly put together somehow but overall it's a decent supernatural thriller (more than a horror) and worth a watch.

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.

The latest psychological thriller, 'The Skeleton Key', follows a young hospice nurse taking care of a disturbed patient in the creepy and swampy bayous of Louisana. Kate Hudson plays the hospice nurse, Caroline. Caroline is a kind, brave but very curious caretaker which gets her into trouble sometimes. When her previous patient passes away, Caroline is sent for to live in a spooky farmhouse in the bayou, and take care of an old senile man, Ben Devereaux (John Hurt - Owning Mahoney) who is pretty much paralyzed from a stroke he recently had. Caroline lives in the house with Ben and his typical old Southern housewife, Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands - Hysterical Blindness). Everything seems to be going fine until some freaky stuff starts to happen that isn't easily explained. Violet later tells Caroline the house is haunted with the spirits of slave voodoo enthusiasts. And so starts the creepy tale that is the 'Skeleton Key' with great acting, cool visuals but a lagging screenplay.

'The Skeleton Key' starts off very slow, then towards the middle picks up pace, then it's slow again, then it concludes with a fantastic and unpredictable ending. Part of the reason I'm giving 'The Skeleton Key' a good review, is because the ending makes up for the constant dragging of the film. It's not so much that the screenplay is bad, it's actually quite intriguing, it's just that a lot of time could have been shaved off of the final cut of 'The Skeleton Key' and it could have made as much sense and ultimately flow a hell of a lot more smoothly. I was expecting a scary movie out of 'The Skeleton Key', and got a movie that was just kind of creepy. If you want to see crazy and terrifying ghost visuals and blood 'The Skeleton Key' is definitely going to disappoint you, but if you want a film with more psychological terror then you'll enjoy 'The Skeleton Key'. Kate Hudson gives a solid performance as the lead Caroline. Gena Rowlands is fantastic as the o'le southern housewife, and John Hurt is great as the gorked out husband, who really only has one or two lines. The film also stars Peter Sarsgaard in a near-riveting performance as the small town's estate lawyer, who Kate Hudson becomes attracted to. The four leads work great together, and nobody in the film seems out of place.

If you see 'The Skeleton Key' don't be expecting this year's 'Sixth Sense' because it's no where near that caliber. I think the less you expect out of 'The Skeleton Key' prior to seeing it, the more you will get out of it. Try not to fall asleep during the more tedious parts of the film, because you need to really pay close attention to the film to get the ending. Really, if it wasn't for the shock ending I wouldn't recommend 'The Skeleton Key', and with the shock ending I loosely recommend it for theaters. Grade: B- (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona, 8/15/05)

my ratings guide - A+ (absolutley flawless); A (a masterpiece, near-perfect); A- (excellent); B+ (great); B (very good); B- (good); C+ (a mixed bag); C (average); C- (disappointing); D+ (bad); D (very bad); D- (absolutley horrendous); F (not one redeeming quality in this hunk of Hollywood feces).

The first thing you notice about "The Skeleton Key" is that it doesn't start like almost every horror movie these days. There's no shocking opening sequence and for the first 15 minutes or so nothing supernatural happens. The movie starts by introducing its characters and that's very refreshing. In fact, I had great expectations after that slow start. I mean when was the last time a horror movie (or psychological thriller, if you want) has really taken the time to build up a proper story? For the most part the movie manages to steer clear of typical horror clichés, but now and then the makers seemed to feel the urge to put in a totally predictable and unnecessary jump for the sake of not making the whole thing too boring. That's the one major problem of "The Skeleton Key".

Although the basic of it is a compelling story the whole thing isn't set up well. The movie never really gets boring, but it doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, either. There are some riddles to be solved there, but it's never mysterious or spooky enough to make you forget everything else around you (which a really good movie is able to do). Apart from the aforementioned silly shock effects, producers would sometimes add some spooky elements just to make it more interesting, but in retrospective many of them didn't really make much sense. Also, for all the time the movie took to get started I didn't really feel a connection with the characters. Kate Hudson has guilty pleasures because she wasn't there when her father died, but that's about all we get to know about her (and looking at the movie's ending it would have been a good thing if we'd known her better, so we could feel for her more). The lack of character development and the use of stylish, soon-to-look-silly-effects (the flashback scenes) prevent the movie from creating a really moody and spooky atmosphere. The story takes place in a creepy house with swamps nearby. How could they not make it spooky? On the other hand, you get top notch performances of all the main actors, especially Mrs. Rowlands and you can tell that the writer at least tried to come up with something new. While "The Skeleton Key" doesn't achieve the greatness of classic "psychological thrillers" such as "The Shining", "The Wicker Man" or "Don't Look Now", it's still compelling enough to be miles above missed attempts at the same genre, like "Godsend" or "Hide & Seek". And the ending - although not really a jaw-dropping twist in the tradition of "The Sixth Sense" or "The Usual Suspects" - makes up for a lot of flaws. So wait until the credits roll, before you dismiss the movie as being to predictable.

Part of the success of this type of movie is setting up and making sure its resolution lives up to its expectations. I must say that in this film everything seems to work, and yet... I'm not sure what spooked more: its ending or the nature of its ending.

The film deals with the adventures of a young care worker in the middle of Louisiana. The atmospheric surroundings, the haunting score, beautiful, spooky photography, and some very good acting by Rowlands and Kate Hudson raise the bar for upcoming "horror films". We're glued to the screen for nearly two hours, as things become more mysterious and intriguing. A few times we're treated to a jolt and a revelation, but what closes the film is bound to ruffle a few feathers.

Above all, this is a very good movie, with a script that doesn't cheat anyone and doesn't rely on silly gimmicks. Those factors should portend good tidings for its success in its original release, but it will probably become a classic of its kind. The heroine in distress manages to be smarter than the usual stereotype. She wants to explore the surroundings and solve the problem. The problem is she has no idea how bad the situation might be.

Gena Rowlands provides her character with nuances rarely seen in this type of film. She is a strange character and hooks up the audience from the very beginning. There is no really an archetype for what Rowlands brings to life. A few might find the previous statement questionable, but if you look closely to the development of her character, it is almost an original.

Kate Hudson makes a very strong impression in this film. She goes beyond the pretty actress to an accomplished performer who matches up to Rowland's intensity. She navigates the film with an ease rarely seen in today's roster of plastic pre-packaged pseudo celebrities. It is refreshing to see an actress make you care for the character that has so often been portrayed as an offensive stereotype. There no gratitude's screaming scenes here. The film reminds me of "The Others", a movie with substance and intelligence.

This is a film that I will highly recommend to my friends, particularly because I want to hear what they have to say about that ending.

Films that address themes related to black magic, witchcraft, voodoo practices and other beliefs and religions of Afro origins are usually fertile fields for cinema, as they arouse a natural curiosity and even feelings of fear regarding the meaning of each belief. The movie The Skeleton Key, 2004 uses hudu, a lesser-known belief, to tell a good story of mystery, superstition and fear. Despite having some flaws, The Skeleton Key deserves to be watched for having a well-kept production, competent cast and a daring ending. The film tells a story set in the same bizarre universe and full of superstitions seen in the exceptional Satanic Heart, directed by Alan Parker in 1987 - and, although it doesn't quite reach that film, it manages to establish a correct atmosphere of strangeness by confronting the rational mentality of its protagonist with the extravagance of the black magic beliefs of the other characters. And the mere fact of being able to make the viewer remember Angel Heart (1987) already gives important points to the film.

The film tells the story of young nurse Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson, from Almost Famous, 2000), who, through a newspaper ad, takes care of an invalid man named Ben Devereaux (John Hurt, from Alien, 1979), who lives with wife Violet (Gena Rowlands, from Taking Lives, 2004) in a detached 18th-century house on the outskirts of New Orleans. The region is famous for the amount of mystical ceremonies performed there since the colonization period, but Caroline doesn't believe in these beliefs. The huge house has several rooms and a master key that unlocks all the rooms, except for a door hidden behind furniture located in the attic, where Ben had suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed weeks before. Moved by curiosity, Caroline does not take long to open such a door, then getting involved in a curse that seems to plague much more than the place and its inhabitants.

Despite the ad campaign trying to sell it as a horror movie, The Skeleton Key is not tense or frightening. In fact, its occasional supernatural elements don't even take on particularly grim characteristics, as the script sees voodoo (or, for that matter, 'hoodoo') as something almost prosaic, used - or, at the very least, known - by virtually every local. That strange region. So, instead of investing in fear, the film opts for an atmosphere of restlessness, employing a dark photograph and unexpected shots, such as plongées (camera pointing vertically downwards) on Caroline and traveling along just her feet, as if the girl were being constantly watched and followed.

The film's art direction is also quite effective, creating a house that really is capable of causing fear. Old, dark and full of rooms. It even resembles the dwelling of the great The Others (The Others, 2003), but on a smaller scale and without appearing to be a copy. The swamps around the city of New Orleans also help to create this macabre setting, and the region itself is known for having a great tradition in cults involving rituals of religions and beliefs of African origin. At the beginning, the camera walks around the house and through well-dosed movements, it presents us with enough iconography to understand the characters' conflicts, as well as suggesting things in the extra-field context that we will only see in scenes closer to the final act. Leaving the urban area and blending in with the rural environment is one of the ways used by the film to better hide the exploits of the "invaders of bodies". The film does not actually "desecrate" the rituals arising from the practice of voodoo and hodu, being concerned only with showing the issue and using the material as an element to coax the action.

Directed and produced by Englishman Iain Softley (Backbeat, 1994), the film deserves to be checked out as it manages to capture attention through a well-developed and non-linear suspense. As the action unfolds, new elements are presented with the intention of deciphering or confusing the plot. The script, signed by Ehren Kruger (from Scream 3, 2000 and also responsible for the american version of The Ring, 2002) has interesting twists in addition to working positively with the time factor, showing some scenes using flashbacks. The characters in The Skeleton Keyare well built, the events do not require explanations with so many unbelievable twists and the ending is, as we have seen little in horror movies, surprising. There is no infamous search for a sequel and that's what makes the film a successful narrative. Unlike easy scares, this film is more interested in developing a good argumentation on the themes of faith, courage, evil and contact with the unknown.

Ingeniously conducted, the film grabs attention from start to finish. Especially when we realize a mystery that bothers Caroline when she notices that Violet has imposed strange rules, for example, mirrors are prohibited in the house, and Caroline finds several in the attic. The movie gives you a tense and terrifying atmosphere when we notice that strange house, and Ben showing fear of his wife, even he tries to escape from there, but without being able to say anything. Caroline, in turn, is convinced that Violet mistreats Ben, and plans to save him. What she doesn't know is that she's there for a purpose. Tension and suspense predominate in the final minutes, and when we least expect it together with the protagonist, we find ourselves embarrassed by a devastating ending.

Adopting a firm posture, quite different from the usual girls of the genre, Kate Hudson embodies Caroline as a brave and intelligent young woman who doesn't usually scream whenever she is surprised by something or someone - which is already a relief for all who are tired of the hysterical screams of the disciples of Jamie Lee Curtis (in fact, in this respect, Hudson's approach is close to that adopted by Jennifer Connelly in the superior Dark Water). Deeply skeptical, Caroline doesn't easily accept the fantastic explanations given to her - and, above all, The Skeleton Key is mainly concerned with following the protagonist's trajectory towards acceptance of the supernatural, which is nonetheless interesting. Meanwhile, the supporting cast plays its part: John Hurt turns a speechless role into a fine portrayal of a man gripped by fear; Peter Sarsgaard does what he can with a purpose-built character; and Gena Rowlands abandons the sweetness of her previous character (from the great Diary of a Passion) and takes on an ambiguous type that annoys the viewer.

As not everything in life is perfect, the film also has some slips, which don't interfere with the final product, but if they were removed they wouldn't be missed. As it became fashionable in the made-in-Hollywood thriller movies after Wes Craven released his Scream (Scream 1996) in The Skeleton Key, director Softley also unnecessarily uses elements to provoke the so-called easy scare in some scenes such as sharp cuts, fast movements of camera and a soundtrack that suddenly increases. Such frights add nothing to the plot, which is actually supported by the unfolding of the story. In fact, not even the occasional stumbles compromise the film - such as underestimating the viewer's intelligence and insisting on drawing a parallel between Caroline's pain at not having the opportunity to help her sick father and her exaggerated dedication to Ben Devereaux - something that it was already clear long before Softley forced his hand to include a shot in which the girl sees a photo of her father and then looks at the frail Ben on the porch.

Overall, however, The Skeleton Key is a film that unfolds discreetly, without showing serious defects, but also without having great moments. Whether for the well-conducted history, to see the beautiful and talented Kate Hudson or to discover the natural beauty of New Orleans, especially after the place was devastated by Hurricane Katrina leaving thousands of people homeless and hundreds of dead, as well as a large part of the city destroyed. It is a place that, in addition to its history and architecture, also has strong beliefs and legends that will be perpetuated for future generations and that will continue to serve as inspiration for good films.

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.

I went today to see this film without any expectations and I liked it. All I can say is that it's worth the time spent to watch it. Of course, everything in this movie is average, but not bad. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the house and people hiding the truth until the end are similar elements to the ones in Amenábar's The Others. And the ending was really unexpected for me.

There's not much more for me to say about this movie, except remarking that it's worth to spend the evening on it.

P.D.: After watching this movie I won't forget to pour some brick dust out of my room to keep the evil out :-) Just joking.

The ending to this movie which I won't spoil is truly one of the best I've encountered in a horror movie. Throughout the runtime I was trying to figure out what the inevitable twist will be but there is no way I could've predicted the wild turn of events that unfolds. The conclusion is what made me raise my rating from a 7 to and 8. Ending notwithstanding it is still a very decent and atmospheric horror movie. I love movies set in New Orleans/Louisiana and am always on the lookout for more and this was a major reason why I watched this. I love it when a Louisiana movie embraces the swampy setting so that you can feel the humidity radiating from the screen. Skeleton Key has a lot of great scenes that establish the setting and showcase the culture and myths of the area. Some say the movie is a bit tame but that's not a problem for me. There are some horror movies that are let down by a PG-13 rating but this is not really a movie that needed an R rating as I can't think of many things that it would have changed apart from adding some unnecessary gore. Additionally, the performances are good but the direction could've maybe been improved to give it more of a creepy vibe as there weren't many actual scenes that had me scared. All in all it doesn't matter too much as Skeleton Key is a very decent and rather underrated horror movie that relies on atmosphere and setting rather than cheap thrills and gore.

First of all, the plot of the movie was very interesting and kinda mysterious. The storyline was very well written, really innovative and everything was well-explained (especially, the backstory). The characters were very interesting and well-developed, but most of them weren't likeable (except, Caroline). The filming location of the movie was nice, just a big old creepy house in the middle of a swamp. The casting was really good and their acting was descent. I have to admit, the 1st part of the movie (first 20 minutes) wasn't very interesting and nothing important was shown. However, the 2nd and 3rd part of the movie were super intense, very shocking and definitely chaotic (especially, the ending scene). In my opinion, it wasn't a very scary movie, even though there were some jumpscares during the movie. The plot twist was definitely unpredictable and it was really shocking, WOW. Overall, it was an enjoyable horror movie, fast-paced and I would definitely recommend it to my friends! Last but not least, that movie definitely deserves a prequel and a sequel.

I went to go see the Skelenton Key with some friends, it's summer a 'scary' movie at night with your friends is what your supposed to do but this movie wasn't that great! i will admit that i jumped every once and a while but so would anyone with the loud sound effects and the big screen sometimes that's all you can do.

Now the story had some real potential to be interesting and scary but potential isn't enough to carry the movie. The beginning was WAY to long and the middle was confusing and the end WAY to short, the ending kind of just falls on your lap and then you get up and leave the theater. It all happened either to fast or to slow and nothing was REALLY explained so you leave the movie disappointed and confused.

I wouldn't recommend this movie not even to rent don't waste your money wait for it to turn up on the T.V. one of these days.

One of the better horror movies I know. Also certainly one of the best Hudson's movies.