The Skeleton Key
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Skeleton key (disambiguation).
| The Skeleton Key | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster
| |
| Directed by | Iain Softley |
| Produced by | Michael Shamberg Stacey Sher Iain Softley Daniel Bobker |
| Written by | Ehren Kruger |
| Starring | Kate Hudson Gena Rowlands Peter Sarsgaard John Hurt Joy Bryant |
| Music by | Edward Shearmur |
| Cinematography | Dan Mindel |
| Edited by | Joe Hutshing |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates
| July 29, 2005 United States August 12, 2005 |
Running time
| 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $43 million |
| Box office | $91,974,818 (Worldwide)[1] |
The Skeleton Key is a 2005 American supernatural horror film[2] starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant. The film centers on a young hospice nurse who acquires a job at a Terrebonne Parish plantation home, and becomes entangled in a supernatural mystery involving the house, its former inhabitants, and the hoodoo rituals and spells that took place there. It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2005, and in the U.S. on August 12, 2005.
Contents
[hide]Plot[edit]
Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) is a New Orleans Hospice Aide who takes the position as caregiver at an isolated plantation house in the bayous of southern Louisiana. The lady of the house, Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands), looks after her husband Benjamin Devereaux (John Hurt), who has had a stroke. With some prompting from the family's estate lawyer, Luke Marshall (Peter Sarsgaard), Caroline accepts the position.
Caroline, using a skeleton key that Violet gave her, makes her way to the attic (where Ben had his stroke) and finds a secret room. She discovers dolls, a book of spells,potion jars, and various other magical paraphernalia. Violet reveals to Caroline that the room belonged to two house servants who were employed there 90 years prior. The couple, Mama Cecile (Jeryl Prescott) and Papa Justify (Ron McCall) were renowned practitioners of Hoodoo and were lynched for practicing spells with children. Violet also tells Caroline that they do not keep mirrors in the house because they see the reflection of the servants in them.
Taking advice from her friend Jill (Joy Bryant), she goes to a local dry cleaner, known to have a hidden Hoodoo shop, to acquire a defense for Ben. A practitioner teaches her a ritual with items to use to cleanse Ben's illness. When Caroline practices the ritual, Ben regains some ability to talk; he warns her to get him out of the house because Violet is a threat.
Caroline tells Luke about her suspicions, but he rebuffs her idea. They travel to a gas station that Caroline previously noted was lined with brick dust, which she is told is a defense against Hoodoo. A blind woman tells her of the Conjure of Sacrifice, a spell of immortality, in which the caster sacrifices someone and gains the remaining years of their life. Caroline increasingly believes that Ben is in danger, but Luke belittles her fear.
Caroline uses brick dust to confirm her suspicions of Violet and drugs her to keep her out of the way. She tries to escape with Ben, but they find the gates locked. She seeks help from Luke but he knocks her out and takes her to the house, where Caroline scatters brick dust, though Violet manages to enter. Caroline pushes her down the stairs and breaks her legs. Fleeing to the attic, she sets up what she believes is a protective circle but realizes that she has trapped herself inside. Violet enters and reveals that hoodoo cannot work unless you believe, to which she pushes a mirror at Caroline, which reflects one of the children, then Violet, and lastly Mama Cecile. The two fall unconscious and switch bodies as a recording of the Conjure plays. Upon waking up, "Caroline" gives "Violet" a liquid that causes a pseudo-stroke so that she can't reveal the truth about Mama Cecile and Papa Justify. When Caroline's friend Jill arrives at the Plantation, "Luke" informs her that "Ben" and "Violet" left the house to "Caroline", thus allowing Mama Cecile and Papa Justify to continue occupying the house. The film ends with Caroline and Luke looking at each other helplessly, trapped in the dying bodies of Violet and Ben.
Cast[edit]
- Kate Hudson as Caroline Ellis
- John Hurt as Benjamin Devereaux
- Gena Rowlands as Violet Devereaux
- Peter Sarsgaard as Luke Marshall
- Joy Bryant as Jill Dupay
- Isaach De Bankolé as Creole Gas Station Owner
- Maxine Barnett as Mama Cynthia
- Fahnlohnee R. Harris as Hallie
- Marion Zinser as Elderly Bayou Woman
- Deneen Tyler as Desk Nurse
- Ann Dalrymple as C.N.A
- Trula Marcus as Nurse Trula
- Tonya Staten as Nurse Audrey
- Thomas Uskali as Robertson Thorpe
- Jen Apga as Madeleine Thorpe
- Forrest Landis as Martin Thorpe
- Jamie Lee Redmon as Grace Thorpe
- Ronald McCall as Papa Justify
- Jeryl Prescott as Mama Cecile
- Cristha Thorne as Creole Mother
- Lakrishi Kindred as Frail Customer
Setting[edit]
The Skeleton Key was filmed at the historic Felicity Plantation, located on the Mississippi River in Saint James Parish, Louisiana, not the coastal Terrebonne Parish. At the end of the movie, the aerial shot of the house and its grounds was made by CGI technology. In that shot, the house and the grove of trees surrounding it are real, but the swamp was created by CGI. Behind the house lie hundreds of acres of fields. The house is not really run down; it was decorated with ivy, among other things, to set the tone.[citation needed]
Reception[edit]
Reviews[edit]
The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, most praising the premise and atmosphere, but denouncing the script. Review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes reported that 39% of critics gave positive reviews, based on 142 reviews.[3] Metacritic reported 47% with a score of 6.2, based on 32 reviews.[4] 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.".[5] Moira McDonald wrote in The Seattle Times that the film was "occasionally scary but more often silly.".[6] Scott Brown of Entertainment Weekly called the film "For anyone zombified by creaky thriller clichés, Skeleton is a fine little shot in the head".[3] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said "One of the most enjoyably inane movies of the season, this faux Southern Gothic offers an embarrassment of geek pleasures".[3] Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave a negative review of the movie and said "A well-intentioned horror film that is weighted down by stellar cast members who for the most part act as if they do not want to be there".[3] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Jessica Reeves called the film "serviceable but ultimately disappointing.".[7]
Box office[edit]
The film was a financial success, with a worldwide gross of $91,974,818. In the U.S., it raised $16,057,945 in its first weekend, reaching Number 2 at the box office, taking a total domestic gross of $47,907,715.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Skeleton Key - Box Office".
- ^ "Interview with Ehren Kruger and Holly Minnich". Dread Central. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ a b c d "The Skeleton Key – Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ "Skeleton Key, The (2005): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 12–14, 2005". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Skeleton Key House-Outside Tour
- Rotten Tomatoes aggregation of "The Skeleton Key" reviews
- Interview with John Hurt
- The Skeleton Key at the Internet Movie Database
- The Skeleton Key at AllMovie
- Trailer at Apple.com
- Review and info at Netflix.com
| ||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment