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The Skeleton Key
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The Skeleton Key (2005) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 101 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- Clip: Violet tells Caroline why she has no mirrors
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- Clip: Violet Gives Caroline the Skeleton Key
The Skeleton Key (2005) -- Clip: Caroline asks Violet what happened in the attic

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   25,772 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 25% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Iain Softley
Writer (WGA):
Ehren Kruger (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Skeleton Key on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 August 2005 (USA) more
Tagline:
It can open any door. more
Plot:
A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(34 articles)
Corus Entertainment: From Dusk To Dawn
 (From HollywoodNorthReport.com. 29 June 2009, 1:17 AM, PDT)

'The Dark Knight' Beauty Maggie Gyllenhaal Weds
 (From Celebrity Mania. 3 May 2009, 11:38 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A solid 6/10 - pushing a 7 because the ending is good. more
US TV Schedule:
Sat. July 255:00 PMUSA   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kate Hudson ... Caroline Ellis

Gena Rowlands ... Violet Devereaux

John Hurt ... Ben Devereaux

Peter Sarsgaard ... Luke Marshall

Joy Bryant ... Jill
Maxine Barnett ... Mama Cynthia
Fahnlohnee R. Harris ... Hallie (as Fahnlohnee Harris)
Marion Zinser ... Bayou Woman

Deneen Tyler ... Desk Nurse

Ann Dalrymple ... C.N.A.
Trula M. Marcus ... Nurse Trula (as Trula Marcus)

Tonya Staten ... Nurse Audrey

Thomas Uskali ... Robertson Thorpe (as Tom Uskali)

Jen Apgar ... Madeleine Thorpe

Forrest Landis ... Martin Thorpe
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some partial nudity and thematic material.
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The house used for this film used to be a working plantation call Felicity. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the beginning of the movie Caroline is reading a story to a patient who dies. She tells a nurse that he just died but you still can see him breathing (chest moves). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Caroline Ellis: [reading from Treasure Island] I lost no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I knew, and we saw ourselves at once in a difficult and dangerous position. Something must speedily be resolved upon, and it occurred to us at last to go forth together and seek help in the neighboring hamlet...
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (2005-11-14)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Do Whatcha Wanna more

FAQ

Why was Luke able to follow Caroline into the store despite the brick dust?
Will there be a sequel?
What's up with the mirrors?
more
107 out of 185 people found the following comment useful:-
A solid 6/10 - pushing a 7 because the ending is good., 19 July 2005
6/10
Author: tenten76 from London

Good performances all round. Good locations. Quite a lot of restraint on the writer's/director's part, building the chills in a more classic 70's way than out-and-out ghosts and scares. In fact, a few more scares after the half-way mark would have been welcome; if the ghosts were used any less, they wouldn't be in the film! The reason I've only rated a 6/10, is because it's so predictable. If you've seen any thriller set in the Deep South, you've seen this one. The background story is textbook 'New Orleans' voodoo vengeance, the characters' motives are obvious from the second they appear on screen, and the solid but pedestrian cinematography means that the locations are massively underused. If you've got a decrepit colonial mansion with antique furniture, surrounded by swamps and trees draped in that Lianna/lichen stuff, you've got to be pretty boring NOT to make it all seem brooding & scary - which is unfortunately what they've done.

Kate Hudson is really switched-on, and not your average dumb heroine. There's even one (small) moment where I think I saw a conscious attempt to subvert the conventions and have her do something quite intelligent while in a perilous situation. It's not a big thing, but I noticed. John Hurt is surprisingly effective, really 'working' his eyes and body, considering he's had a stroke (in the film). Gena Rowlands and Peter Saarsgard are fine, but their performances are hampered by the 'all too obvious' script and direction. Joy Bryant is gorgeous but her character is nothing more than a device to give Kate slightly more personality and a convenient person who can explain about hoodoo/voodoo.

Before I shut up, it's important to say something about the ending (without giving anything away). I'm not talking about the 'third act' - that's a bit OTT, as often happens in horror/thrillers - I mean the final scene.. Although the film as a whole is predictable and doesn't quite live up to its potential, the final scenes wrap up the story nicely and will put a grin on your face.

If you've not seen a lot of horror/thriller films, you'd probably give Skeleton Key a 7 or 8 out of 10 - it's coherent, not too long, and fairly enjoyable (like I say, Kate Hudson & Gena Rowlands are really good). But I have seen a lot to compare it to, so 6/10 it is. Which is still worth watching on a dull afternoon, or on a rental.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Skeleton Key (2005)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Anybody else think this movie was scary as hell? osbournesfan808
SPOILER ALERT! The old couple at the end travellingmick
creole gas station owners suzetterush
which antebellum plantation? Venicebeaches
some things I don't get... elexa_glome
which antebellum plantation? Venicebeaches
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