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 | |
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Fahnlohnee R. Harris | ... | Hallie (as Fahnlohnee Harris) |
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Marion Zinser | ... | Bayou Woman |
Deneen Tyler | ... | Desk Nurse | |
Ann Dalrymple | ... | C.N.A. | |
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Trula M. Marcus | ... | Nurse Trula (as Trula Marcus) |
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Tonya Staten | ... | Nurse Audrey |
Thomas Uskali | ... | Robertson Thorpe (as Tom Uskali) | |
Jen Apgar | ... | Madeleine Thorpe | |
Forrest Landis | ... | Martin Thorpe |
Caroline Ellis, a Nurse, quits her job to take care of a elderly man named Ben Devereux who has had a stroke and can't talk. When she gets to the Home in Terrebone parish Louisiana, Ben's wife, Violet Devereux acts suspicious and creepy. The Family Lawyer, Luke Marshall tries to convince her to stay. Caroline ends up staying. She ends up in the attic and she finds a secret room in the attic full of spells, hair and bones used to practice HooDoo. Violet says she has never seen the secret room. Caroline wants to help Ben, she thinks his wife Violet has put a spell on him. She knows HooDoo can't hurt you if you don't believe. Caroline does whatever she can to save Ben from his wife and crazy things start to happen. Written by amberbrigman
STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
Training to be a nurse, Caroline (Kate Hudson) moves down to New Orleans to care for an elderly man (John Hurt) who is invalid and has little time left to live. However, as events roll on, it becomes clear there may be more to his illness than meets the eye. Especially in relation to his stuck-in-her-ways wife (Gena Rowlands) and the use of Voodoo and the history of the creaky old house they live in, including the room 'no one can go inside...'
In amongst some effective jump scenes, The Skeleton Key also has a lot of depth and development to offer in terms of the story. But this is really a blessing and a curse, because on the one hand it makes the story more involving but on the other it kind of makes it drag on a bit in parts and this makes the film a little boring, especially towards the end.
Performances wise, there's good work from Hudson in the lead, as well as the support from Rowlands and Hurt, saying practically nothing in one of the most crucial roles in the film. Not the best horror film you'll ever see but definitely not the worst and a great stepping stone for Hudson to proceed on her journey into the A list of Hollywood stars. ***