The Skeleton Key

Last updated
The Skeleton Key
Skeleton key.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Iain Softley
Written by Ehren Kruger
Produced by
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
  • July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29)(United Kingdom)
  • August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12)(United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$43 million [1]
Box office$94 million [1]

The Skeleton Key is a 2005 American supernatural folk horror film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant. The screenplay by Ehren Kruger follows a New Orleans hospice nurse who begins a job at a Terrebonne Parish plantation home, and becomes entangled in a mystery involving the house, its former inhabitants, and Hoodoo rituals that took place there.

Contents

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 skeleton key which Violet gave her. She discovers a secret room filled with ritual paraphernalia. Caroline confronts Violet, who reveals that the room used to belong to two African American servants who were employed at the house by the Thorpe family 90 years prior. The servants, Mama Cecile and Papa Justify, were renowned hoodoo practitioners who were lynched after conducting a ritual with the Thorpes' two children, from whom Violet and Ben later bought the house. Violet tells Caroline that they keep no mirrors in the house because they see reflections of Cecile and Justify in them. Caroline later discovers a phonograph record from the attic: Conjure of Sacrifice, a recording of Papa Justify reciting a hoodoo ritual.

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 travels to 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. With strategic use of brick dust, Caroline flees to the attic, calls 9-1-1 and Jill for help, and casts what she believes is a protective spell. Violet, having caught up with her, reveals Caroline has inadvertently trapped herself inside a protective circle. Luke plays the Conjure of Sacrifice, as Violet pushes a full-length mirror at Caroline, which reflects the original owner's daughter, then Violet, and lastly Mama Cecile. When the mirror collides with Caroline, her soul switch bodies with Violet's.

Violet—revealed to be in fact 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 bodies with the two Thorpe children just before the lynching. Because hoodoo is only effective on those who believe in it, Cecile and Justify had to wait for Caroline to come to believe through her own investigation.

Emergency services arrive the next morning and take Caroline and Ben away, trapped in their paralyzed dying bodies; when Jill arrives, "Luke" tells her that the Devereauxes left their estate to Caroline, ensuring that Cecile and Justify will continue to occupy the house.

Cast

Production

Casting

Director Iain Softley cast Kate Hudson in the lead role of Caroline Ellis. [2] Hudson was compelled by the screenplay, which she said she finished reading "in 45 minutes", as the film's small cast and character development. [2] Hudson's pregnancy at the time delayed principal photography for eight months. [3]

Actor John Hurt was offered the role of the mute, stroke-ridden Ben Devereaux by director Iain Softley, and accepted, commenting: "He told me with considerable seriousness that it was a very important part and it didn't have any words. So I did, then, start thinking in terms of well, this is a very nice idea. I've always been looking for a part that doesn't have to speak. It's got Gena Rowlands. It's New Orleans. And it's just got all the makings of a very good film I thought." [4] [5] Gena Rowlands was cast as Violet Devereaux, and decided to take the role as she had never made a horror film before. [4]

Filming

The Skeleton Key was filmed at the Felicity Plantation, located on the Mississippi River in Saint James Parish, Louisiana, [6] in the spring of 2004. [7] While filming a nighttime sequence during a rainstorm, Gena Rowlands slipped and fell, breaking her hand. [4] She was forced to take a five-week break from shooting, after which filming of her remaining scenes was completed in California. [4]

Release

Box office

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. [8] 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]

Critical response

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." [9] Metacritic rated it 47/100 based on 32 reviews. [10]

Most of the reviews were mixed. Roger Ebert 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." [11] 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." [8] 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." [12] Susan King, also of the Los Angeles Times compared the film to The Uninvited (1944) and The Innocents (1961). [13]

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times criticized the film for its plot, describing it as "enjoyably inane," and also noted that the film "indulges in almost every conceivable regional and [Southern Gothic] genre cliché." [14] USA Today wrote that the film "employs intriguing camera angles to heighten some of the suspense. It's too bad the movie goes over the top and falls apart in the last third." [15] Stephanie Zacharek wrote in Salon : "Softley, working from a script by Ehren Kruger, puts so much care into layering moods and textures that he doesn't always scoot the action along as briskly as he should." [16] In The Seattle Times , Moira McDonald wrote that the film is "occasionally scary but more often silly." [17] In her review for The Austin Chronicle , Marjorie Baumgarten wrote: "Director Softley again shows his gifts for creating atmospheric milieus...Yet the movie, overall, lacks tension and suspense. [18] In Film Journal International , Edward Alter wrote that, "Iain Softley ( K-Pax ) and cinematographer Dan Mindel make the most of the setting," but concluded that the film was, "a paint-by-numbers supernatural thriller that's more interesting for its locations than for its story." [19]

Jennie Punter in The Globe and Mail called the film, "stylishly made but disappointingly lightweight." [20] Writing for the Chicago Tribune , Jessica Reeves called the film "serviceable but ultimately disappointing". [21] 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." [22] 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." [23]

Home media

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released The Skeleton Key on DVD in both widescreen and fullscreen editions on November 15, 2005. [24] Universal later released the film on HD DVD on May 22, 2007, [25] and on Blu-ray on September 7, 2010. [26] The Australian label Imprint Films released a limited edition Blu-ray on October 25, 2023. [27]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Woman Under the Influence</i> 1974 film by John Cassavetes

A Woman Under the Influence is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband and family. It received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Actress and Best Director. The Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gena Rowlands</span> American actress (1930–2024)

Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she collaborated with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Opening Night (1977). She appeared in Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988), and her son Nick Cassavetes's film, The Notebook (2004). In 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "The most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus is Gena Rowlands." In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.

<i>Gloria</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by John Cassavetes

Gloria is a 1980 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It tells the story of a gangster's former girlfriend who goes on the run with a young boy who is being hunted by the mob for information he may or may not have. It stars Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, and John Adames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cassavetes</span> Greek-American filmmaker and actor (1929–1989)

John Nicholas Cassavetes was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self-financing, producing, and distributing his own films. He received nominations for three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award.

<i>Faces</i> (1968 film) 1968 film by John Cassavetes

Faces is a 1968 American drama film written, produced, and directed by John Cassavetes. It is his fourth directorial work. The film, shot in cinéma vérité-style, depicts the final stages of the disintegrating marriage of a middle-aged couple, played by John Marley and newcomer Lynn Carlin. Cassavetes regulars Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, Fred Draper and Val Avery also star.

<i>Hysterical Blindness</i> (film) 2002 American TV series or program

Hysterical Blindness is a 2002 American television drama film directed by Mira Nair and written by Laura Cahill, based on her stage play of the same name. It stars Gena Rowlands, Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, and Ben Gazzara. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2002, and aired on HBO on August 21, 2002. In 2003, Uma Thurman won a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Debby Miller. Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands also won Best Supporting Actor/Actress awards for their performances as Virginia Miller and Nick Piccolo at the 2003 Emmy Awards. The opening titles by Trollbäck + Company won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Softley</span> English film director and screenwriter (born 1956)

Iain Declan Softley is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films include Backbeat,Hackers, The Wings of the Dove, K-PAX, The Skeleton Key, Inkheart and the BBC adaptation of Sadie Jones's novel The Outcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Rowlands</span> British actress (1931–2005)

Patricia Amy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cassavetes</span> American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1959)

Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as She's So Lovely (1997), John Q. (2002), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), and My Sister's Keeper (2009). His acting credits include an uncredited role in Husbands (1970)—which was directed by his father, John Cassavetes—as well as roles in the films The Wraith (1986), Face/Off (1997), and Blow (2001).

<i>Opening Night</i> (1977 film) 1977 film by John Cassavetes

Opening Night is a 1977 American psychological drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes, and starring Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart, Zohra Lampert, and Cassavetes. Its plot follows a stage actress who, after witnessing the accidental death of a fan, struggles through a nervous breakdown while she prepares for an upcoming Broadway premiere.

<i>Minnie and Moskowitz</i> 1971 film by John Cassavetes

Minnie and Moskowitz is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring his wife Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the title roles of Minnie and Moskowitz, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Cassavetes</span> American actress

Zoe Rowlands Cassavetes is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. She is best known for her 2007 film Broken English.

Devereaux is a variation of the surname Devereux based on the common English pronunciation "Devero". It may refer to:

<i>Sherlock Holmes</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, also known simply as Sherlock Holmes, is a 2010 British-American steampunk mystery film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and produced by independent American film studio The Asylum. It features the Sherlock Holmes characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though it follows an original plot. The film details an unrecorded case in which eccentric detective Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate a series of unusual monster attacks and a plot to destroy London. Gareth David-Lloyd plays Dr. John Watson and Ben Syder, making his film debut, plays Sherlock Holmes.

<i>Parts per Billion</i> 2014 American romantic drama

Parts per Billion is a 2013 American romantic drama written and directed by Brian Horiuchi. It stars an ensemble cast comprising Frank Langella, Gena Rowlands, Rosario Dawson, Penn Badgley, Teresa Palmer, and Josh Hartnett as three loosely connected couples who must deal with a looming biological attack.

<i>The November Man</i> 2014 spy thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson

The November Man is a 2014 spy action thriller film based on the novel There Are No Spies by Bill Granger, which is the seventh installment in The November Man novel series, published in 1987. A British-American production, it stars Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey and Olga Kurylenko, with Bill Smitrovich and Will Patton also appearing, with the screenplay written by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek. The film is directed by Roger Donaldson, who previously worked with Brosnan on Dante's Peak. The film was released on August 27, 2014 in the United States.

<i>Absolutely Fabulous</i> series 3 Season of television series

The third series of the British television sitcom Absolutely Fabulous premiered on BBC One on 30 March 1995 and concluded on 11 May 1995, consisting of six episodes. The third series was originally intended to be the final series of Absolutely Fabulous. However, the following year, Jennifer Saunders decided to write a two-part special titled "The Last Shout", serving as an official finale to the third series. The series was later revived five years later in 2001.

<i>The Nun</i> (2018 film) American film by Corin Hardy

The Nun is a 2018 American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Corin Hardy and written by Gary Dauberman, from a story by Dauberman and James Wan. It serves as a spiritual spin-off to The Conjuring 2 and is the fifth installment in The Conjuring shared universe. The film stars Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir and Jonas Bloquet, with Bonnie Aarons reprising her role as the Demon Nun, an incarnation of Valak, from The Conjuring 2. The plot follows a Roman Catholic priest and a nun in her novitiate as they uncover an unholy secret in 1952 Romania. It is followed by a sequel The Nun II, released in 2023.

<i>All the Bright Places</i> (film) 2020 teen romantic drama movie directed by Brett Haley

All the Bright Places is a 2020 American teen romantic drama film, directed by Brett Haley, from a screenplay by Jennifer Niven and Liz Hannah, adapted from the novel of the same name by Niven. It stars Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Kelli O'Hara, Lamar Johnson, Virginia Gardner, Felix Mallard, Sofia Hasmik, Keegan-Michael Key, and Luke Wilson.

<i>A Question of Love</i> 1978 television drama film directed by Jerry Thorpe

A Question of Love is a 1978 American made-for-television drama film directed by Jerry Thorpe and written by William Blinn. The movie is based on a true legal case in which a lesbian mother fought for custody of her children against her ex-husband who claimed her lifestyle was immoral. The film stars Gena Rowlands and Jane Alexander as the lesbian couple, Clu Gulager as the ex-husband, with Ned Beatty and Bonnie Bedelia as the custody lawyers. It premiered on November 26, 1978, on ABC, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Film.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Skeleton Key". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Morales, Wilson (August 2005). "The Skeleton Key: An Interview with Kate Hudson". Black Film. Archived from the original on November 26, 2005.
  3. ↑ EW Staff (April 21, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Otto, Jeff (August 10, 2005). "Interview: Gena Rowlands and John Hurt". IGN . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ Morris, Clint (August 10, 2005). "Interview: John Hurt". Movie Hole. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  6. ↑ Scott, Mike (June 8, 2016). "Where was the 'Roots' remake filmed?". The Times-Picayune . Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  7. ↑ Gaudet, Katina A. (May 5, 2004). "Swamp plays host to film crew". Houma Today . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Bradshaw, Peter (July 28, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". The Guardian . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ "The Skeleton Key". Rotten Tomatoes . August 12, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Skeleton Key, The (2005): Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  11. ↑ "The Skeleton Key movie review (2005) | Roger Ebert".
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ King, Susan (August 8, 2005). "'Skeleton Key' unlocks memories of chills past". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "'Skeleton Key' goes bump, then thuds". USA Today . August 11, 2005. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  16. ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (August 12, 2005). ""The Skeleton Key"". Salon . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Baumgarten, Marjorie (August 12, 2005). "Film Review: The Skeleton Key". The Austin Chronicle . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  19. ↑ Alter, Edward (August 12, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". Film Journal International. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ Punter, Jennie (August 12, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
  21. ↑ Reeves, Jessica (December 2, 2005). "Movie review: 'The Skeleton Key'". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on December 2, 2005.
  22. ↑ Maltin, Leonard (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Plume. p. 1252. ISBN   978-0-452-28978-9.
  23. ↑ Martin, Mick; Porter, Marsha (2006). DVD & Video Guide 2007. Ballantine. p. 1034. ISBN   0345493311.
  24. ↑ Lecter, Scott (November 28, 2015). "Skeleton Key, The (DVD)". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  25. ↑ Tyner, Adam (June 3, 2007). "Skeleton Key, The (HD DVD)". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  26. ↑ "The Skeleton Key Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Imprint Films Announces October Releases". Blu-ray.com. July 20, 2023. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.