It´s Hoodoo magic baby! And "The Skeleton Key" is not a horror film, but a supernatural thriller that limps along throughout much of the film and finally redeems itself in the closing moments of the picture. Under the guise of being a horror film, "The Skeleton Key" is a slow building thriller that combines a few jump frights with hints of the final outcome that makes this film one of those rare pictures that isn´t very good the first time through, but is a far superior film the second time around. As I watched "The Skeleton Key," I kept hoping the film would step up and become either scary or begin to unleash the horror and plot that was slowly building. With only a few minutes left until the film´s running time was reached, the payoff came in a big way and the ending of "The Skeleton Key" completely changed my mind and a film that I was not enjoying became so much better.
To save ruining the important plot twist that occurs before the final credits roll, I´ll avoid telling much of the story featuring Kate Hudson, but provide a brief setup to the story and background on the main characters. Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a hospice worker who is fed up with the business-like treatment that the elderly are given in a Hospice center where she works. She is a young girl who cares about people and is abhorred by the way they are forgotten and discarded the moment they did. She takes a job working at an isolated plantation in the bayous of Louisiana. She is hired by the lady of the house, Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard). Violet´s husband Ben (John Hurt) has had a stroke while spending time in the attic and Violet needs help taking care of him.
Against her reservations, Violet hires Caroline on Luke´s recommendation, but is worried that the girl will not be able to understand the house. Ben has been completely paralyzed and is unable to speak. Caroline is leery of Violet and finds concern on Ben´s condition and is set on uneasy ground when Ben starts to show some recovery from the stroke and unusual happenings being occurring during the house. Caroline continues to care for Ben, but finds some resistance and unusual behavior from Violet. Luke becomes somebody for Caroline to talk to and she slowly uncovers some of the history and secrets that reside in the house and within a locked room that her skeleton key is unable to open in the attic.
John Hurt is especially good in his role as Ben. It isn´t easy to play a catatonic stroke patient, but the veteran British actor brings about the strongest suspense in the film. His facial expressions and stares into nothingness are impressive. Rowlands, Sarsgaard and Hudson are all solid in their performances, but they aren´t John Hurt. Much of the film is based upon interaction between the strong willed Caroline and the equally strong and stubborn Violet. Instead of focusing on creating individual suspenseful moments, "The Skeleton Key" builds into one final scene where everything is quickly explained and many of the seemingly uninteresting and unimportant bits of dialogue and happenings in the film quickly become relevant and interesting. I had not enjoyed "The Skeleton Key" for nearly its entire length, but the ending was quite well done. This isn´t a horror film, but a suspenseful thriller with a payoff that bests anything M. Night Shyamalan has done.
Video:
"The Skeleton Key" is provided with a gritty and determined looking 2.35:1 VC-1/1080p transfer. The bayou and old plantations are never pretty things and the imagery and scenery are far from lovely in "The Skeleton Key." Thankfully, the HD-DVD transfer brings every ugly and dirty moment to the screen in beautiful detail. Bright colors are often drowned out by a larger sea of the drab, but when a pretty color is present, it is perfectly rendered. The dark color scheme and heavy use of shadows are delivered with good shadow delineation and strong black levels. Detail is strong throughout, even when the screen looks the murkiest. This is a moody film that never tries to be lovely in its visuals. The HD-DVD transfer is solid and aside from a few scenes where the extremely low lighting creates a flat looking picture, this is a top-notch transfer.
Sound:
English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are the sounds du jour for this HD-DVD release. The soundtrack is just as moody as the film and is filled with the sounds of the bayou and the frightening emptiness of an old plantation home filled with hoodoo. The soundtrack is rather enveloping when the source material permits and a few swirling moments do occur in the rather creepy attic. The film´s cinematic score jumps to life to help provide thrills and chills on a routine basis. The .1 LFE channel thumps a number of times during "The Skeleton Key" to help the things that go bump in the night feel all the more suspenseful. This is not an overly aggressive soundtrack, but it is a quite effective sounding release that perfectly suits the foreboding sense of danger that slowly builds throughout the film. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout the film and this is a very technically competent mix.
To save ruining the important plot twist that occurs before the final credits roll, I´ll avoid telling much of the story featuring Kate Hudson, but provide a brief setup to the story and background on the main characters. Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a hospice worker who is fed up with the business-like treatment that the elderly are given in a Hospice center where she works. She is a young girl who cares about people and is abhorred by the way they are forgotten and discarded the moment they did. She takes a job working at an isolated plantation in the bayous of Louisiana. She is hired by the lady of the house, Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard). Violet´s husband Ben (John Hurt) has had a stroke while spending time in the attic and Violet needs help taking care of him.
Against her reservations, Violet hires Caroline on Luke´s recommendation, but is worried that the girl will not be able to understand the house. Ben has been completely paralyzed and is unable to speak. Caroline is leery of Violet and finds concern on Ben´s condition and is set on uneasy ground when Ben starts to show some recovery from the stroke and unusual happenings being occurring during the house. Caroline continues to care for Ben, but finds some resistance and unusual behavior from Violet. Luke becomes somebody for Caroline to talk to and she slowly uncovers some of the history and secrets that reside in the house and within a locked room that her skeleton key is unable to open in the attic.
John Hurt is especially good in his role as Ben. It isn´t easy to play a catatonic stroke patient, but the veteran British actor brings about the strongest suspense in the film. His facial expressions and stares into nothingness are impressive. Rowlands, Sarsgaard and Hudson are all solid in their performances, but they aren´t John Hurt. Much of the film is based upon interaction between the strong willed Caroline and the equally strong and stubborn Violet. Instead of focusing on creating individual suspenseful moments, "The Skeleton Key" builds into one final scene where everything is quickly explained and many of the seemingly uninteresting and unimportant bits of dialogue and happenings in the film quickly become relevant and interesting. I had not enjoyed "The Skeleton Key" for nearly its entire length, but the ending was quite well done. This isn´t a horror film, but a suspenseful thriller with a payoff that bests anything M. Night Shyamalan has done.
Video:
"The Skeleton Key" is provided with a gritty and determined looking 2.35:1 VC-1/1080p transfer. The bayou and old plantations are never pretty things and the imagery and scenery are far from lovely in "The Skeleton Key." Thankfully, the HD-DVD transfer brings every ugly and dirty moment to the screen in beautiful detail. Bright colors are often drowned out by a larger sea of the drab, but when a pretty color is present, it is perfectly rendered. The dark color scheme and heavy use of shadows are delivered with good shadow delineation and strong black levels. Detail is strong throughout, even when the screen looks the murkiest. This is a moody film that never tries to be lovely in its visuals. The HD-DVD transfer is solid and aside from a few scenes where the extremely low lighting creates a flat looking picture, this is a top-notch transfer.
Sound:
English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are the sounds du jour for this HD-DVD release. The soundtrack is just as moody as the film and is filled with the sounds of the bayou and the frightening emptiness of an old plantation home filled with hoodoo. The soundtrack is rather enveloping when the source material permits and a few swirling moments do occur in the rather creepy attic. The film´s cinematic score jumps to life to help provide thrills and chills on a routine basis. The .1 LFE channel thumps a number of times during "The Skeleton Key" to help the things that go bump in the night feel all the more suspenseful. This is not an overly aggressive soundtrack, but it is a quite effective sounding release that perfectly suits the foreboding sense of danger that slowly builds throughout the film. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout the film and this is a very technically competent mix.
It´s Hoodoo magic baby! And "The Skeleton Key" is not a horror film, but a supernatural thriller that limps along throughout much of the film and finally redeems itself in the closing moments of the picture. Under the guise of being a horror film, "The Skeleton Key" is a slow building thriller that combines a few jump frights with hints of the final outcome that makes this film one of those rare pictures that isn´t very good the first time through, but is a far superior film the second time around. As I watched "The Skeleton Key," I kept hoping the film would step up and become either scary or begin to unleash the horror and plot that was slowly building. With only a few minutes left until the film´s running time was reached, the payoff came in a big way and the ending of "The Skeleton Key" completely changed my mind and a film that I was not enjoying became so much better.
To save ruining the important plot twist that occurs before the final credits roll, I´ll avoid telling much of the story featuring Kate Hudson, but provide a brief setup to the story and background on the main characters. Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a hospice worker who is fed up with the business-like treatment that the elderly are given in a Hospice center where she works. She is a young girl who cares about people and is abhorred by the way they are forgotten and discarded the moment they did. She takes a job working at an isolated plantation in the bayous of Louisiana. She is hired by the lady of the house, Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard). Violet´s husband Ben (John Hurt) has had a stroke while spending time in the attic and Violet needs help taking care of him.
Against her reservations, Violet hires Caroline on Luke´s recommendation, but is worried that the girl will not be able to understand the house. Ben has been completely paralyzed and is unable to speak. Caroline is leery of Violet and finds concern on Ben´s condition and is set on uneasy ground when Ben starts to show some recovery from the stroke and unusual happenings being occurring during the house. Caroline continues to care for Ben, but finds some resistance and unusual behavior from Violet. Luke becomes somebody for Caroline to talk to and she slowly uncovers some of the history and secrets that reside in the house and within a locked room that her skeleton key is unable to open in the attic.
John Hurt is especially good in his role as Ben. It isn´t easy to play a catatonic stroke patient, but the veteran British actor brings about the strongest suspense in the film. His facial expressions and stares into nothingness are impressive. Rowlands, Sarsgaard and Hudson are all solid in their performances, but they aren´t John Hurt. Much of the film is based upon interaction between the strong willed Caroline and the equally strong and stubborn Violet. Instead of focusing on creating individual suspenseful moments, "The Skeleton Key" builds into one final scene where everything is quickly explained and many of the seemingly uninteresting and unimportant bits of dialogue and happenings in the film quickly become relevant and interesting. I had not enjoyed "The Skeleton Key" for nearly its entire length, but the ending was quite well done. This isn´t a horror film, but a suspenseful thriller with a payoff that bests anything M. Night Shyamalan has done.
Video:
"The Skeleton Key" is provided with a gritty and determined looking 2.35:1 VC-1/1080p transfer. The bayou and old plantations are never pretty things and the imagery and scenery are far from lovely in "The Skeleton Key." Thankfully, the HD-DVD transfer brings every ugly and dirty moment to the screen in beautiful detail. Bright colors are often drowned out by a larger sea of the drab, but when a pretty color is present, it is perfectly rendered. The dark color scheme and heavy use of shadows are delivered with good shadow delineation and strong black levels. Detail is strong throughout, even when the screen looks the murkiest. This is a moody film that never tries to be lovely in its visuals. The HD-DVD transfer is solid and aside from a few scenes where the extremely low lighting creates a flat looking picture, this is a top-notch transfer.
Sound:
English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are the sounds du jour for this HD-DVD release. The soundtrack is just as moody as the film and is filled with the sounds of the bayou and the frightening emptiness of an old plantation home filled with hoodoo. The soundtrack is rather enveloping when the source material permits and a few swirling moments do occur in the rather creepy attic. The film´s cinematic score jumps to life to help provide thrills and chills on a routine basis. The .1 LFE channel thumps a number of times during "The Skeleton Key" to help the things that go bump in the night feel all the more suspenseful. This is not an overly aggressive soundtrack, but it is a quite effective sounding release that perfectly suits the foreboding sense of danger that slowly builds throughout the film. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout the film and this is a very technically competent mix.
To save ruining the important plot twist that occurs before the final credits roll, I´ll avoid telling much of the story featuring Kate Hudson, but provide a brief setup to the story and background on the main characters. Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a hospice worker who is fed up with the business-like treatment that the elderly are given in a Hospice center where she works. She is a young girl who cares about people and is abhorred by the way they are forgotten and discarded the moment they did. She takes a job working at an isolated plantation in the bayous of Louisiana. She is hired by the lady of the house, Violet (Gena Rowlands) and her lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard). Violet´s husband Ben (John Hurt) has had a stroke while spending time in the attic and Violet needs help taking care of him.
Against her reservations, Violet hires Caroline on Luke´s recommendation, but is worried that the girl will not be able to understand the house. Ben has been completely paralyzed and is unable to speak. Caroline is leery of Violet and finds concern on Ben´s condition and is set on uneasy ground when Ben starts to show some recovery from the stroke and unusual happenings being occurring during the house. Caroline continues to care for Ben, but finds some resistance and unusual behavior from Violet. Luke becomes somebody for Caroline to talk to and she slowly uncovers some of the history and secrets that reside in the house and within a locked room that her skeleton key is unable to open in the attic.
John Hurt is especially good in his role as Ben. It isn´t easy to play a catatonic stroke patient, but the veteran British actor brings about the strongest suspense in the film. His facial expressions and stares into nothingness are impressive. Rowlands, Sarsgaard and Hudson are all solid in their performances, but they aren´t John Hurt. Much of the film is based upon interaction between the strong willed Caroline and the equally strong and stubborn Violet. Instead of focusing on creating individual suspenseful moments, "The Skeleton Key" builds into one final scene where everything is quickly explained and many of the seemingly uninteresting and unimportant bits of dialogue and happenings in the film quickly become relevant and interesting. I had not enjoyed "The Skeleton Key" for nearly its entire length, but the ending was quite well done. This isn´t a horror film, but a suspenseful thriller with a payoff that bests anything M. Night Shyamalan has done.
Video:
"The Skeleton Key" is provided with a gritty and determined looking 2.35:1 VC-1/1080p transfer. The bayou and old plantations are never pretty things and the imagery and scenery are far from lovely in "The Skeleton Key." Thankfully, the HD-DVD transfer brings every ugly and dirty moment to the screen in beautiful detail. Bright colors are often drowned out by a larger sea of the drab, but when a pretty color is present, it is perfectly rendered. The dark color scheme and heavy use of shadows are delivered with good shadow delineation and strong black levels. Detail is strong throughout, even when the screen looks the murkiest. This is a moody film that never tries to be lovely in its visuals. The HD-DVD transfer is solid and aside from a few scenes where the extremely low lighting creates a flat looking picture, this is a top-notch transfer.
Sound:
English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes are the sounds du jour for this HD-DVD release. The soundtrack is just as moody as the film and is filled with the sounds of the bayou and the frightening emptiness of an old plantation home filled with hoodoo. The soundtrack is rather enveloping when the source material permits and a few swirling moments do occur in the rather creepy attic. The film´s cinematic score jumps to life to help provide thrills and chills on a routine basis. The .1 LFE channel thumps a number of times during "The Skeleton Key" to help the things that go bump in the night feel all the more suspenseful. This is not an overly aggressive soundtrack, but it is a quite effective sounding release that perfectly suits the foreboding sense of danger that slowly builds throughout the film. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout the film and this is a very technically competent mix.
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