The Skeleton Key
Review by Clint Morris
Not unlike the titular tool in Kate Hudson's new movie, not
every door gets a look-in within The Skeleton Key, but
there are some surprises behind those that are opened though
- in turn, almost making up for the safe treading the film
does in it's opening half.
Caroline (Kate Hudson - looking more and more like her mother,
Goldie, everyday) snags a new job as a live-in nurse caring
for the sick husband (a mostly mute John Hurt) of a cantankerous
elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) at their run-down mansion on
the outskirts of New Orleans.
Caroline, a bit of a snoop, decides to have a look around
the house, and stumbles upon the rather spooky attic. There,
she discovers leftovers from the previous owners - a couple
of servants who delved into black magic - and gets inopportunely
interested.
Who were they? Do they have something to do with the sick
hubby's stroke? Why can't Caroline put up any mirrors in the
house? And what's with the old guy scrawling 'help me' across
his bed-sheets?
A much more imaginative thriller than what Hollywood's served
up lately - mercifully, it's not a remake of an old spookfest
for once either, but something original - Iain Softley's The
Skeleton Key might be still insolently Hollywood (scares
you can see coming from a reel away, fairly controlled performances,
and the odd expected plot twist) but a lot of it is also quite
inimitable.
From its fairly innovative storyline to its hard-to-guess
outcome, it's a film that, although could've been better,
with an extra oil and grease near the middle, both enthrals
and satisfies.
It's a rare case of film exceeding trailer, and in today's
world where 'preview puts cheeks on seats' - that's an atypical
thing (slap on the wrist for the studio trying to market it
as a horror film too, when it's no more than a nail-biting
whodunit).
Points, no doubt, go to screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who penned
Hollywood's impressive remake of The Ring a couple
of years ago. Here, he's also put together a film that's as
justifiably captivating as it is creepy. If only his middle-act
had been as engrossing as his first and third, he'd have an
even better movie.
Though the performances are quite good - Rowlands is obviously
having a great time here - the motivations of their characters
mightn't ring true for some. Hudson's character, for one,
seems to lack a healthy dose of logic.
Still, The Skeleton Key is one of the year's most
pleasant surprise packages, and it's a film that'll have a
few of us - including your trusty reviewer - paying more attention
to rumours that the mother-in-law has been trying to put on
you since the day you met.
3 out of 5
The Skeleton Key
Australian release: Thursday the 18th of August, 2005
Cast: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard.
Director: Iain Softley.
Website: Click
here.
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