Fresh
This is a moody, creepy thriller with some genuinely scary moments and a couple of twists that took me completely by surprise.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
The Skeleton Key
Fearing is believing.
2005 · 1h 44m · PG-13
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by
Iain Softley
Overview
A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.
Director and cast
- Iain Softley Director
- Kate Hudson as Caroline Ellis
- Gena Rowlands as Violet Devereaux
- Peter Sarsgaard as Luke Marshall
- John Hurt as Ben Devereaux
- Joy Bryant as Jill
- Marion Zinser as Bayou Woman
- Maxine Barnett as Mama Cynthia
- Fahnlohnee R. Harris as Hallie
- Deneen Tyler as Desk Nurse
- Ann Dalrymple as C.N.A.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
38%
Tomatometer
Rotten
The Skeleton Key delivers on all formulaic counts, except one: It never serves up any truly nightmare-inspiring scares.
Jen Chaney, Washington Post
Fresh
A diverting, stylish thriller that, despite pivoting on that and other whoppers, deserves credit for creating an authentic, original vibe.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Rotten
Criminal waste of talent.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Rotten
There's lots of bad stuff brewing on the bayou in this occasionally scary but more often silly movie, which wastes some good actors along the way.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
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