Director: Iain Softley
Staring: Kate Hudson, John Hurt, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard
Region: 2
Out Now
Kate Hudson plays Caroline, a young hospice worker who leaves her job after losing a patient and takes a well-paid live-in role for a woman named Violet. She assists in looking after her husband Ben, who has had a stroke. Ben appears to indicate that he needs help from something unseen, a fact backed up when Caroline discovers a mysterious locked room in the attic that holds Hoodoo equipment.
The exploration of Voodoo and Hoodoo (a type of magic) is uncommon in horror, rarely touched on even in zombie movies, but in The Skeleton Key it is effectively used as a creepy and scary phenomenon. Set in the home of Hoodoo, New Orleans, the movie deals with death and the impact it has on a person, and its importance within the Voodoo religion.
The Skeleton Key benefits from its New Orleans setting greatly. Caroline moves from the busy, lively and ‘real’ looking city centre to the living, breathing, almost ethereal swamps and the large plantation house where Violet and Ben live. If anything, this wonderful setting was a little underused, especially considering the amount of work that went into its design.
Script wise it is well written and paced, however the movie slightly lacks in enough exposition and perhaps leaves a little too much for the audience to assume concerning Caroline’s drive and desire to help the sick. If this were included it would make the reasons she stays in this obviously strange house clearer. Once you get past her desire to investigate the secrets and help Ben with seemingly little motivation, the creepy atmosphere becomes very effective.
Luckily, The Skeleton Key boasts an excellent cast, headed by the consistently superb Kate Hudson. Natural and believable, her performance adds a great deal to how the film feels as it progresses. Never once do you feel she is not doing exactly what you would expect, regardless of her sketchy reasons. The other standout is John Hurt. With no actual lines to speak, he has to act via his expressive face, eyes and his reactions to others. He brings life to what could have been a ‘nothing’ part.
Part horror, part thriller, the movie relies on tension, atmosphere and the aforementioned quality acting rather than effects, gore or flashy editing. Fans of more cerebral horror should enjoy this. Without resorting to the ‘music video’ style of filming and editing, Iain Softley includes some effective camera angles and some fun visual twists and flourishes throughout the movie.
The DVD has a nice array of extra features including a making of, a Voodoo overview, a look at the house used in the move and a feature commentary. The features run at only around 5 minutes each and would have benefited from being lumped together. There are also a few deleted scenes with a commentary from the director. Iain Sofley’s talk track is entertaining and he clearly thought a great deal of the actors and in finding the right look and feel for the movie. As you would expect from a modern movie, the picture and the audio are fine. The only complaint would be that the Dolby Digital track lacks a touch with surround effects.
The Skeleton Key doesn’t break new boundaries, but it does provide a high level of tension, an involving story about an underused horror subject and allows us to enjoy some good acting for a change. Oh, you may hear references to a ‘twist’ ending from others, but this is not in the realm of the M Night’s of this world. What the ending does do is go against the expected type for a mainstream horror movie, making a nice change from the normal! Recommended.
