| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
A- |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Atmosphere, Story Uplift The Skeleton Key.
by stevens (movies profile)
Nov 5, 2005
23
of
26 people found this review helpful
For me, seeing The Skeleton Key was a no brainer because it was filmed in my homestate of Louisiana (particularly New Orleans). The outskirts of New Orleans provides the perfect atmosphere for the dark and chilling movie; it provides a gothic feel to the movie that is eerie and very successful in creating suspense.
The story of The Skeleton Key is for the most part one's basic haunted house horror script with a few differences. It follows Caroline, a live-in nurse who answers an ad to work in a house to care for an elderly man who just suffered a stroke and his grief-stricken wife. She soon discovers many secrets that the house and its residents are hiding and believes this to be the source of the man's illness. The only thing that truly makes this story remarkable is its amazing revelation at the end which has been widely talked about. The ending follows the likes of other great horror films such as The Sixth Sense and The Others; however, it does require some thinking and an extra minute or two of explanation could have benefited some of the more puzzled audience members. How one perceives the ending is the defining factor on whether or not one likes the film.
The Skeleton Key features a very talented cast and they all deliver above average performances for this genre. Kate Hudson gives a good performance as Caroline. For the most part she is able to hold her own against Gena Rowlands. John Hurt really doesn't have much to do as the camatose Ben, but he is creepy nonetheless. Peter Sarsgaard plays an entirely different role that he is used to, but he manages well even though he is not given much to do for most of the film. The real star of the film is Gena Rowlands however. She is amazing as the haunting Violet Devereaux. She delivers her marvelous lines with a menace that will chill anyone's bones. I haven't seen a creepier performance in a horror film since Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense.
Director Iain Softley should also be credited with the overall success of this film. He uses the lush backdrop of Louisiana to great effect to create a very atmospheric presence which has been lost in most horror films as of late. He directs his actors nicely and knows which shots to use to convey the dark tones of the film.
Overall, while this is not even close to the best film of the year, The Skeleton Key is definitely the best of its genre. A chilling atmosphere, stunning revelation, and above average performances uplift this horror film from just good to highly entertaining. |
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