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The Skeleton Key [DVD] [2005]
 
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The Skeleton Key [DVD] [2005]

DVD ~ Kate Hudson
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this item with House Of Wax [DVD] [2005] DVD ~ Elisha Cuthbert

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  • This item: The Skeleton Key [DVD] [2005] DVD ~ Kate Hudson

    Usually dispatched within 6 to 11 days.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • House Of Wax [DVD] [2005] DVD ~ Elisha Cuthbert

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The Skeleton Key [DVD] [2005] 3.8 out of 5 stars (37)
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Product details

  • Actors: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant, John Hurt
  • Directors: Iain Softley
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Uca
  • DVD Release Date: 6 Oct 2008
  • Run Time: 100 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000BH2TDI
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 10,640 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

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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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (23)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I Do Not Believe ........, 2 Dec 2005
I have just recently rented this film for something to watch, not buying it first incase i didn't like it. But after finishing this film i was very pleasantly surprised as i rented this as a horror which didn't look scary, and found myself with more of a thriller, which was, for lack or a better word - chilling.

The film is based around Caroline (Kate Hudson) who, sick of the job she is in (due to people's lack of caring) takes a job in a large mansion looking after an elderly man who has suffered from a stroke and is paralysed. She is given (skeleton) key which will open every door in the house by the man's wife, who to Caroline seems quite strange as she allows no mirrors in the house. Caroline gets on with her work but it is only when she discovers a secret room in the attic (which the key won't open) and forces her way in that room and finds many objects relating to 'HooDoo' (am ancient magic) that the mystery deepin's. As she becomes more and more involved with the strange house and the mystery that lies within, and delves further into the HooDoo magic that a series of shocking events take place and lead to a shocking climax (that i never even guessed) which leaves the viewer in shock but satisfied as the film ties itself up nicely.

The acting in this film is superb with Kate's performance flawless and extremely believable. The settings are few but effective and the house is the perfect setting for this chilling tale.

I can't comment on the features for this DVD as it was a rental and i never had time to watch them but going but what it says on the packet, they seem really good for a single disc DVD.

This is definatly one i'm going to buy as it's one i could see me watching over and over and i'm sure alot of people will feel the same. So i recommend this if you are looking for a film that keeps you guessing right through till the end without being a total gore-fest.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Secrets from the Delta, 15 Mar 2006
By L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
"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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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Supernature and suspense, 23 Jan 2007
By Some Bloke (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Horrow can be puerile "look how nasty we are" or it can use suspense, ideas and a good story. The strength here is that there is a great central concept which only becomes apparent at the end, giving the plot a 'twist' effect. The plot is interesting along the way, and the script holds a good balance between giving clues and concealing the suprise - in other words there's some consistency.

It is genuinely creepy and the suspense is good. The central themes are voodoo and a young care worker stumbling on some odd situations which leads her to try to get to the bottom of it all.

Extras were limited and I would have liked to have seen more of the research and findings on real voodoo and less of the fillers.

Good story done professionally and good entertainment. Suspenseful more than shocking and gross, and made me think about whether it really could happen.


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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 2 months ago by STU . H

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 2 months ago by sft

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Horror
After the death of a patient in hospital Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) becomes dishearted and disillusioned with the business-like manner death is dealt with in hospitals and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Dismal Angel

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual thriller with intelligent twist
This is an intelligent and unusual supernatural thriller. Set in pre-Katrina New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta (there is an excellent use of its locations), it stars Kate... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Andres C. Salama

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
"The Skeleton Key" is an interesting film, and provides something a little different from the standard "haunted house" fare. Read more
Published 16 months ago by B. D. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously sinister super-natural thriller- 'It can't hurt you if you don't believe it'
I rented this movie on the basis that I had only seen Kate hudson in rom-coms, and wasn't sure of how well she'd do out of that genre. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ms. S. C. Bidwell

4.0 out of 5 stars A haunted house thriller with a twist
The Skeleton Key is a haunted house story with shades of Angel Heart, Misery and even an X-Files feel at times. Read more
Published 19 months ago by LXIX

4.0 out of 5 stars What a great movie
I really enjoyed this movie. I was thinking about it for days. The ending hit me by surprise. But then what should I have expected when it was written by the same person who wrote... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Lady Juli Thorpe

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a go
I rented this DVD expecting the usual supernatural thriller with lots of faces in mirror type jumps and a twist ending along the line of they were all dead all along. Read more
Published 23 months ago by D. J. Ashley

5.0 out of 5 stars Will leave you stunned
This movie is not for overly sensitive or young individuals. It is a dark disturbing movie that includes voodoo and something called hoodoo and lots of black magic... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2007 by Mary C

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