Click here to copy URL

The Skeleton Key

2005

Iain Softley

Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt ...

5.7

11,694

Horror. Mystery Caroline (Kate Hudson), a live-in nurse, is hired to care for an elderly woman's (Gena Rowlands) ailing husband in their home -- a foreboding and decrepit Gothic mansion in the marshy backwoods just outside of New Orleans. Intrigued by the enigmatic couple and the dark and mysterious surroundings, Caroline begins to explore the old mansion. Armed with a skeleton key that unlocks every door, she discovers a hidden attic room that holds a deadly and terrifying secret. [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Carina Chocano Los Angeles Times	"Tightly plotted and suspenseful enough to keep you guessing until the satisfying, unexpected end, which is worth suspending disbelief for. After all, as they point out in the movie, 'It doesn't work if you don't believe it'."	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"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 (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"One of the most enjoyably inane movies of the season (...) It takes Mr. Softley a while to get the film in gear, which is understandable since it doesn't make much sense."	NEU
United States	Connie Ogle Miami Herald	"Neither scary nor thrilling, although it's reasonably entertaining despite an abundance of haunted-house clichés"	NEU
United States	Jen Chaney The Washington Post	"It's all ultimately made watchable by the exceptional cast"	POS
United States	Mike Clark USA Today	"Director Iain Softley 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"	NEU
United States	Ann Hornaday The Washington Post	"The appeal of 'The Skeleton Key' lies not in its plot but in its attention to detail, and the way director Iain Softley luxuriates in the deeply textured sights and sounds of Louisiana."	POS
United States	Chicago Tribune	"For all its dark, Gothic intentions and supernatural twists, it lacks the emotional and intellectual punch of similarly themed films"	NEU

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.