The Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key

A Decent Thriller

The 2005 thriller “The Skeleton Key” starred Kate Hudson as Caroline. Caroline, a caregiver/nurse, likes to help people. After losing one of her patients, Caroline decides it’s time for a change and accepts a job (over $1,000 a week with free room and board) caring for Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), an elderly man who has been rendered an invalid, deep in the Bayou of Louisiana. However, the dream job slowly turns into a nightmare when the mysteries of the house begin to reveal themselves.

Ben, who hasn’t been able to speak or walk since suffering a debilitating stroke in the house’s attic, seems to be trying to communicate or warn Caroline about something. Things get even stranger when Ben is found during a thunderstorm crawling along the roof of the porch. Although reassured by Luke (Peter Sarsgaard), the Devereaux’s lawyer, Caroline finds herself under the watchful eye of Violet (Gena Rowlands), Ben’s wife, who, other than demanding that he be given his “remedies” throughout the day, insists that there should be no mirrors in the house.

In the meantime, Violet has given Caroline a “skeleton key” that is supposed to unlock all the doors inside the house. When Caroline finds a mysterious door in the attic that won’t open, her curiosity gets the better of her and she tries to find out what’s on the other side of the door. Once in, she quickly realizes that the odd room holds a number of items related to Hoodoo, a form of old magic completely different from voodoo.

Caroline, who is determined to help Ben, becomes increasingly intrigued by this despite her claims that she doesn’t believe in it. However, she quickly learns of some of the practices of Hoodoo and what happened to two of the house’s servants, Justify (Ronald McCall) and Cecile (Jeryl Prescott Sales), when caught using the magic. But will Caroline be able to save Ben and herself or is it already too late?

One of the best things about “The Skeleton Key” is that it keeps your attention throughout the entire movie. Whether it’s Violet coming up to the attic while Caroline is sneaking around in there or it’s seeing a mirror somewhere in the house, you can’t help but be glued to your seat to see what will happen next.

While Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard are good, Gena Rowlands and John Hurt bring a little extra to the film. Rowlands plays the character of Violet completely opposite of the aging Allie in The Notebook. At first you believe Violet is an aging woman set in her ways but then you slowly start to wonder if there is a more sinister side to her. John Hurt (known for his portrayal of Mr. Ollivander in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and as Kane in “Alien”) barely utters a word throughout the entire film. However, through facial expressions and other actions, you understand that this person is in some sort of torment. There is a particular scene where Carolyn holds a mirror to his face and we get the feeling that, without seeing or hearing anything ourselves, Ben is seeing something horrible.

Although the plot is decent, there are a few things, especially the last twenty to thirty minutes that can be confusing. I found myself thinking about a few scenes, particularly the Justify/Cecile flashback and even the ending, a few days after seeing the movie, questioned a few things and wondered if I had followed the story right.

“The Skeleton Key” is a thriller without a lot of special effects or gore. It will definitely convince you that it’s better NOT to believe in some things!

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This movie is available for purchase at Amazon.com and Half.com.