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Amazon.co.uk Review
Steeped in rain, humidity, and eerie bayou atmosphere, The Skeleton Key is an entertaining supernatural thriller that makes excellent use of its Louisiana locations. New Orleans and the rural environs of Terrebonne Parish are crucial in setting up the creepy circumstances that find compassionate caregiver Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) newly employed at the backwater plantation home of Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her invalid husband Ben (John Hurt), who's been rendered mute and seemingly helpless by a recent stroke. The place is rife with mystery, shrouded in the secrets of a suspicious past and, under Violet's stern supervision, plagued by superstition involving the use of Hoodoo magic spells (not to be confused with Voodoo, as explored in the similarly suspenseful Angel Heart) intended to protect the house from harm. But Caroline soon discovers the source of the mystery, and why Ben (who can barely utter a word) is so desperate to escape his seemingly comfortable domesticity. There are a few loopholes in the screenplay by prolific horror writer Ehren Kruger (The Ring and The Brothers Grimm), but director Iain Softley (Wings of the Dove) expertly emphasizes the edgy air of mystery, pushing some effective shocks while encouraging fine work from Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard (as Violet's lawyer) and especially Rowlands, who's genuinely disturbing as Skeleton Key nears a twist ending that's undeniably effective. --Jeff Shannon
Synopsis
After New Orleans hospice worker Caroline (Kate Hudson) answers a help wanted ad, she finds herself working as the live-in caretaker of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), a stroke victim who has lost his ability to speak. Ben's wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands), presents Caroline with a skeleton key to open any door in the house with the exception of one, which she claims she has never been able to open. But curiosity gets the best of her, and Caroline opens the door to find a wealth of materials representing the old house's history of hoodoo, an ancient form of folk magic. She soon discovers that the house harbours a dark secret one that Violet knows more about than she first admits. Breaking her string of lighthearted romantic comedies, Kate Hudson gives a performance that proves she's more than capable of playing a feisty damsel in distress. Ehren Kruger's (The Ring) script gives her some physically demanding scenes, while providing the audience with a steady string of effective jolts culminating in a Sixth Sense-style twist that few are likely to see coming. Louisiana's swampy, heavy atmosphere is literally a character in the film, while Gena Rowlands, at age 75, astounds once again with one of her most surprising roles.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When I started watching this film I couldn't figure out what it was going to be about. It starts off with Kate Hudson working in a hospice. She gets sick of the job and decides to find a new one. She then finds a job in the paper which is looking after an elderly man who has had a stroke. She moves to the mansion to start work. This is when the suspence begins. I can't tell you much from now as it spoils the film but it keeps you thinking all the way to the end. Totally unexpected ending. It has a few edgey scenes but it's the story that grips you and keeps you watching. Not a blood and guts horror but very good if you like a film that keeps you thinking. Definaltely one to add to your Dvd collection. You won't be dissapointed!!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I wasn't sure what to expect when I watched The skeleton key. I rented it after seeing a couple of trailers as it looked quite a good thriller. I wasn't disappointed either, this is a good thriller with a good twist!
A healthcare nurse for the elderly decides that the old peoples home isn't for her and would rather give one to one care. She takes a job living with an old couple to help look after the terminally ill man. However the house has a dark past and all is not as it seems!
It's not really scary, but it has a few suspenseful moments as Kate Hudson wanders about the house at night in her underwear investigating strange noises and shadows. It's well acted and the story is good but many will see the end coming long before. Overall good fun for a nights entertainment, especially if you enjoyed the likes of Secret window, What lies beneath etc, with plenty of DVD extras as well! 7/10
A healthcare nurse for the elderly decides that the old peoples home isn't for her and would rather give one to one care. She takes a job living with an old couple to help look after the terminally ill man. However the house has a dark past and all is not as it seems!
It's not really scary, but it has a few suspenseful moments as Kate Hudson wanders about the house at night in her underwear investigating strange noises and shadows. It's well acted and the story is good but many will see the end coming long before. Overall good fun for a nights entertainment, especially if you enjoyed the likes of Secret window, What lies beneath etc, with plenty of DVD extras as well! 7/10
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"The Skeleton Key" is an enjoyable thriller , well acted and filmed ,with a chilling plot based around the "hoodoo" witchcraft of Louisiana. Kate Hudson's serious minded character isn't one much for smiling at the best of times , but after she takes up a new job as a nurse for a dying man in an old house outside New Orleans , there is even less reason for her to smile as a series of discoveries and disturbing events lead her unexpectedly into the dangerous world of the occult.The tension and suspense escalates steadily and there is an exciting finale with a neat twist at the end. There is a fair amount of depth to the "The Skeleton Key" ,with the "hoodoo" backdrop providing most of it and the characters and dialogue were credible. Definitely one of the better horror/thrillers I have seen lately.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not your usual horror movie
Most horror scare you using gruesome monsters or pyshpoathic melee weapon wielding killers or scary little Japanese girls. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nurrie
Down on the bayou
*spoilers*
A young hospice nurse decides she wants a different kind of challenge and goes out far into the bayou to take care of a man dying after a massive stroke. Read more
A young hospice nurse decides she wants a different kind of challenge and goes out far into the bayou to take care of a man dying after a massive stroke. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jackiesmackie
Biggest load of rubbish
The film Skeleton Key was the poorest excuse for a horror film I have ever seen. When I first heard of it the setting and story sounded great and I was all set for a quiet Saturday... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Petey
chillingly brilliant!
a MUST buy! chillingly brillant twist which will stay with you long after you watch it - i still get shivers thinking about it now, and it's the same for my friends.
Published 5 months ago by lmb
The Conjure of Sacrifice.
The Skeleton Key is directed by Iain Softley and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgard, John Hurt and Joy Bryant. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Spike Owen
An interesting film with something to say
Set in the Deep South, this film deals with racism and good-ol'-fashioned creepiness pretty well. Kate Hudson is good in the role - in fact her character's humanity is under-used... Read more
Published 12 months ago by John Malcolm
A Reflection Of Fear
Carer Caroline Ellis(Kate Hudson) is sick of the way patients in her care in the hospice she works at, are just treated like numbers. Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2009 by Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett
Engrossing
A most entertaining movie with a twist in the tail. Very good for the genre.
Published on 14 Dec 2009 by K. Grunwald
THE KEY
I BOUGHT THIS DVD NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT . IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SUPERNATURAL DIFFERENT FILM BUY THIS . Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by STU . H
Keep grinding those bricks
The Skeleton Key is a tolerable piece of hoodoo hokum but there's a much better film struggling to get out. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2009 by sft
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