The Skeleton Key
The Skeleton Key | |
---|---|
Directed by | Iain Softley |
Written by | Ehren Kruger |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Dan Mindel |
Edited by | Joe Hutshing |
Music by | Edward Shearmur |
Production companies | Shadowcatcher Entertainment Double Feature Films |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $43 million[1] |
Box office | $94 million[1] |
The Skeleton Key is a 2005 American
Plot
Caroline Ellis, a hospice aide, quits her position at a nursing home and is hired as the caretaker of an isolated plantation house in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The aging matron of the house, Violet Devereaux, needs help looking after her husband Benjamin, who was mostly paralyzed by an apparent stroke. At the insistence of the family's estate lawyer, Luke Marshall, Caroline accepts the position.
After Ben attempts to escape his room during a storm, Caroline investigates the house's attic, where Violet said Ben suffered his stroke; she uses a
Caroline surmises that Ben's stroke was caused by hoodoo, but believes that his paralytic state is a nocebo effect induced by his own belief, rather than something supernatural. Taking advice from her friend Jill, Caroline visits a hidden hoodoo shop in a nearby laundromat, where a hoodoo woman gives her tools and instructions to cure Ben. After she conducts the ritual, Ben regains some ability to move and speak and he begs Caroline to get him away from Violet.
Caroline tells Luke she is suspicious of Violet, but he remains skeptical. They travel to a gas station that Caroline previously noted was lined with brick dust, which she was told is a hoodoo defense; supposedly, no one who means one harm can pass a line of brick dust. She asks one of the proprietors, a blind woman, about the Conjure of Sacrifice, which she learns is a spell wherein the caster steals the remaining years of life from the victim. Increasingly convinced of hoodoo's authenticity, Caroline fears that Violet will soon cast the spell on Ben.
Caroline discovers that Violet is unable to pass a line of brick dust laid across one of the house's doorways, confirming her suspicions. She incapacitates Violet and attempts to escape the house with Ben, but the front gate is chained shut. Caroline hides Ben on the property and enters Luke's office for help. Luke, revealed to be Violet's accomplice, brings Caroline back to the house. Caroline escapes, gets into a fight with Violet, and violently pushes her down the stairs, breaking her legs in the process. With strategic use of brick dust, Caroline flees to the attic, calls
Violet (revealed to be Mama Cecile, who had been occupying Violet's body through the Conjure) wakes up in Caroline's body, and force-feeds Caroline (now in Violet's body) a potion that induces a stroke-like paralytic state like Ben's. Luke (actually Papa Justify) arrives upstairs, revealing that Mama Cecile and Papa Justify have been conducting the Conjure of Sacrifice on new people since their supposed deaths; they had swapped places with the two children just before the lynching. Because hoodoo is supposedly only effective on those who believe in it, Cecile and Justify had to wait for Caroline to come to believe in hoodoo through her own investigation.
Emergency services arrive the next morning and take Caroline and Ben away, trapped in the paralyzed dying bodies; when Jill arrives, "Luke" tells her that the Devereauxes left the house to Caroline, ensuring that Cecile and Justify will continue to occupy the house.
Cast
- Kate Hudson as Caroline Ellis
- Gena Rowlands as Violet Devereaux
- John Hurt as Benjamin "Ben" Devereaux
- Peter Sarsgaard as Luke Marshall
- Joy Bryant as Jill Dupay
- Ronald McCall as Papa Justify
- Jeryl Prescott as Mama Cecile
Production
The Skeleton Key was filmed at the
Release
The Skeleton Key was released in the U.S. on August 12, 2005, after having received an earlier release date of July 29, 2005 in the United Kingdom.[4] It grossed $92 million worldwide.[1] In the U.S., it took in $16.1 million in its first weekend, reaching number 2 at the box office; the total US gross was $47.9 million.[1]
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 37% of 149 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "Thanks to its creaky and formulaic script, The Skeleton Key is more mumbo-jumbo than hoodoo and more dull than scary."[5] Metacritic rated it 47/100 based on 32 reviews.[6]
Most of the reviews were mixed. Roger Ebert's review wrote, "The Skeleton Key is one of those movies that explains too much while it is explaining too little, and leaves us with a surprise at the end that makes more sense the less we think about it. But the movie's mastery of technique makes up for a lot."[7] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw awarded the film three out of five stars, noting: "It's a pretty thankless role for poor John Hurt, and there are some plot holes. But there's some shrewd satire of racism as the modern south's persistent, dirty little secret and screenwriter Ehren Kruger's third act conjures up a neat little shiver."[4] Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times praised the film, calling it "tightly plotted and suspenseful enough to keep you guessing until the satisfying, unexpected end, which is worth suspending disbelief for," adding that "Hudson holds her own among impressive company. Not that Hurt has a whole lot to do other than grab an occasional wrist and recoil at his face in the mirror, and the usually measured Sarsgaard oversells it a bit, but Rowlands takes to the part like a fly to a shucked oyster."[8]
Connie Ogle in The Miami Herald wote "it's reasonably entertaining despite an abundance of haunted-house cliches, the usual inexplicable scary-movie behavior, and an almost-naked John Hurt."[15] Jennie Punter in The Globe and Mail called the film, "stylishly made but disappointingly lightweight."[16] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Jessica Reeves called the film "serviceable but ultimately disappointing".[17] In his annual film guide, Leonard Maltin rated the film mediocre, stating that it was "well-produced and occasionally suspenseful, but populated by unpleasant characters and a story that moves too slowly."[18] In the annual DVD & Video Guide, Marsha Porter wrote, "A few good scares can't compensate for a sluggish pace, and the climactic twist comes as a surprise only because it doesn't make sense."[19]
References
- ^ a b c d "The Skeleton Key". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "10 Southern Gothic Movies That Are Scarier Than Standard Horror Films". Screen Rant. 17 November 2020.
- The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (July 28, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ "The Skeleton Key". Rotten Tomatoes. 12 August 2005. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Skeleton Key, The (2005): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "The Skeleton Key movie review (2005) | Roger Ebert".
- ^ Chocano, Carina (August 12, 2005). "'Skeleton Key' is a gothic thriller with good bones". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (August 12, 2005). "Just in Time, a Southern Gothic Gumbo of Fluff and Horror". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ "'Skeleton Key' goes bump, then thuds". USA Today. August 11, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- Salon. Archivedfrom the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ McDonald, Moira (August 11, 2005). ""Skeleton Key": Dear Kate, we miss your sunny smile". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (August 12, 2005). "Film Review: The Skeleton Key". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ Alter, Edward (August 12, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015.
- ^ "Search".
- ^ Punter, Jennie (August 12, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
- ^ Reeves, Jessica (December 2, 2005). "Movie review: 'The Skeleton Key'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 2, 2005.
- ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9.
- ISBN 0345493311.