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The Skeleton Key The Skeleton Key's advertising campaign is very reminiscent of a 1970's-style campaign and invokes the names of some classic films, but most people who go to the movies today weren't born in the 1970's and have never seen Rosemary's Baby (maybe they saw The Others or The Sixth Sense), so what gives? I hope people still want to see it, because The Skeleton Key is a decent movie. Kate Hudson stars as Caroline - a caregiver for hospice patients and the elderly in New Orleans. After the death of a patient, she learns of an opportunity to make a large salary taking care of a recent stroke victim in a rural parish, and decides to take the job, even though others before her have left the creepy, isolated house sitting in the middle of a swamp (that's the first, second and third signs something just ain't right). Sadly, Ben (John Hurt) suffered a mysterious stroke while up in the attic one day (sign number 4), which piques Caroline's curiosity (idiot). As she learns more about the house, our young heroine/idiot becomes convinced she must get Ben out for his own safety. Will Caroline escape from the house with Ben? Is something going on, or is she just going crazy from the isolation? Does she really want to open EVERY door in the house with that skeleton key? The Skeleton Key is a decent supernatural thriller that could have been better, but has enough tension and scares to keep you interested until it delivers a fantastic ending. I just wish writer Ehren Krueger and director Iain Softley did a better job building up to the ending by letting us play detective (a frequent complaint of mine). Caroline is trying to solve a mystery, and Kruger and Softley drop some good clues along the way, fully taking advantage of the New Orleans vibe and history of voodoo/hoodoo/witchcraft, but it could have been more and more central to the movie. Instead, we have a series of fright scenes (lots of bumps in the night, no mirrors in the house) mixed in with some exposition from the duo as Caroline wonders what is going on in this creepy house. Granted, I found some of this at the end of the movie, when information given to us throughout the film suddenly makes more sense and becomes more important, so it's not a major complaint, but I think Softley made a movie that was almost too low key and coy for its own good. More hints at what was happening brings the audience into it. While The Skeleton Key has some good performances from supporting players Sarsgaard (the lawyer who hires Caroline and befriends her as the situation gets creepier) and Gena Rowlands (the patient's wife, who acts mighty peculiar at times), the movie is worth watching for Hudson. We'll all laugh as she heads up into that creaky attic when things go bump in the night, and want to scream at her for being dumb enough to open that door when we know danger is on the other side, but Hudson makes Caroline very likable, so we care when she does these stupid things and don't want to see the character harmed. Because we care about her, it's scary and we feel the tension, which is exactly what Softley wants. Most of all, Kruger develops Caroline into a compelling character full of heart ache, pain and wonder, and Hudson brings all of this forth in a natural way. She gives the heroine a strong and inquisitive spirit, which explains why the young lady doesn't go running out of the house within 24 hours (like chickens and wimps such as I would have) and makes us wonder if she might be going batty, which helps with the ending. Sadly, Hudson hasn't become the huge star most people hoped she could become after Almost Famous. She's funny, cute and has a strong screen presence, but you know the star is dimming when she has to do a semi-naked scene. My prurient side is not complaining, but, when she drops that towel or robe (I was so taken with her, I can't remember which) and we see her from behind, you get a sense that Hudson is being forced to show some skin to sell some tickets. That's sad. I hope The Skeleton Key does well, so she never has to do that again. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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