Skeleton Key (Widescreen) (2005)

""Kate Hudson's Best Work in Years" and "The Great Gena Rowlands gives a chilling performance."  Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
"One of the best twists since The Sixth Sense.  Melanie Moon, WB-TV
"The Best Thriller of the Year.  Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV

Editor's Note After New Orleans hospice worker Caroline (Kate Hudson) answers a help wanted ad, she finds herself working as the live-in caretaker of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), a stroke victim who has lost his ability to speak. Ben's wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands), presents Caroline with a skeleton key to open any door in the house--with the exception of one, which she claims she has never been able to open. But curiosity gets the best of her, and Caroline opens the door to find a wealth of materials representing the old house's history of hoodoo, an ancient form of folk magic. She soon discovers that the house harbors a dark secret--one that Violet knows more about than she first admits. Breaking her string of lighthearted romantic comedies, Kate Hudson gives a performance that proves she's more than capable of playing a feisty damsel in distress. Ehren Kruger's (THE RING) script gives her some physically demanding scenes, while providing the audience with a steady string of effective jolts culminating in a SIXTH SENSE-style twist that few are likely to see coming. Louisiana's swampy, heavy atmosphere is literally a character in the film, while Gena Rowlands, at age 75, astounds once again with one of her most surprising roles.

	Gena Rowlands
	John Hurt
	Kate Hudson
	Peter Sarsgaard
	Daniel Bobker, et. al. - Producer
	Daniel Mindel - Cinematographer
	Ed Shearmur, et. al. - Original Music By
	Ehren Kruger - Writer
	Iain Softley - Director
	Joe Hutshing - Editor
	John Beard - Production Designer
	Scott Stuber, et. al. - Executive Producer

Uncut
"[T]he performances are full-throttle, with Hudson as the most pig-headedly fearless heroine in years, making good on her ALMOST FAMOUS promise." 09/01/2005 p.138

Entertainment Weekly
"[A] basic bayou thriller distinguished by a very self-conscious subversive streak..." 08/19/2005 p.120

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
The Skeleton Key is the latest of the new breed of PG-13 "horror" movies that emphasize atmosphere and "boo" moments over gore. This film, which is not a re-make of a Japanese production (as many of these pictures are), maintains an internal logic that allows the viewer to follow the storyline without becoming confused or losing interest. There are weaknesses - the narrative traverses a predictable trajectory, the pacing is uneven, and there are times when the action goes over-the-top. But the heroine is smarter than the average horror movie scream queen and the ending doesn't cheapen proceedings. (Actually, one could argue that the ending is the best thing about The Skeleton Key.) - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
The Skeleton Key is one of those movies that explains too much while it is explaining too little, and leaves us with a surprise at the end that makes more sense the less we think about it. But the movie's mastery of technique makes up for a lot. Kate Hudson is convincing as the young nurse determined to help her patient, Gena Rowlands is awesome in the Joan Crawford role, and John Hurt, who says not a word, semaphores whole dictionaries with his eyes. - Roger Ebert