As I’m certain you great gore-hounds know by now, we love each strange sub style the twisted world of horror has thrown our manner through the years. Sit this explicit horror fan down to observe the newest splatterfest, zombie bloodbath, creature function or slasher flick, to call however just a few, and I’d be blissful as a pig in shit. Happier the truth is. Folks horror and witchcraft is one subgenre that I’ve grown to more and more respect through the years, and most just lately the work of Robert Eggers, for instance, has had me enthralled. It was his 2015 people horror, The Witch, that first launched me to his nuanced, macabre but superbly crafted films, and every thing he’s produced since has been a should see. The trailer for his tackle Nosferatu has simply dropped on the time of penning this video and it appears immense. Nevertheless, with the world of folks horror very a lot on the forefront of my horror binging just lately, I figured what higher time to have a look again on a film that has its roots in witchcraft and folklore, 2005’s The Skeleton Key, starring the very, not nearly, well-known Kate Hudson, and Peter Sarsgaard. It’s loopy to assume that the film is sort of twenty 5 years previous, and from what I keep in mind after I first caught it as a younger whipper-snapper, it wasn’t nice. However… I used to be in all probability too busy rocking out to Metallica and Slayer to totally respect a few of the films we’d both catch as a household, or that my pals and I’d watch by beer soaked late adolescent eyes, to totally respect it. It additionally acquired very blended critiques from what I recall, however time can typically be variety to films equivalent to this one, so let’s discover out if it’s an efficient horror film in spite of everything, right here on WTF occurred to The Skeleton Key.
I assume one of the best place to begin earlier than we dive into the film itself is to ascertain the distinction between voodoo and hoodoo, because the film’s plot facilities primarily on the previous, but there’s typically confusion over what the variations really are. Voodoo, which can also be spelled Vodou, Voudou, and Voudon, is an precise faith that’s generally thought to have originated in Haiti, and has roots in West African religious traditions. It additionally has a set of spirits and deities which can be worshipped. Hoodoo, alternatively, differs in that though it doesn’t have any particular deities you need to observe, there may be nonetheless a perception in spirits and life-giving energies. There’s additionally no organized hierarchy and it doesn’t have the buildings usually related to the extra non secular voodoo. There have been many strange horror films with voodoo on the forefront of the narrative; The Serpent and the Rainbow and it’s nasty genital mutilation, the as soon as x-rated Angel Coronary heart, classics equivalent to White Zombie from 1932 and sure, even Disney went full voodoo with The Princess and the Frog. All nice examples of witchcraft in Hollywood, however it was The Skeleton Key that basically embraced the hoodoo facet of religious practices.
Earlier than we dive into the deserves of the film although, simply how precisely did it come about within the first place, and who’re the important thing gamers concerned in its manufacturing? The script was written by Ehren Kruger, an American screenwriter and producer who’s in all probability greatest identified for writing three of Michael Bay’s Transformers films: Revenge of the Fallen, Darkish of the Moon and Age of Extinction. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Finest Tailored Screenplay for the superior Prime Gun: Maverick and he already had some horror credentials with The Ring and The Ring Two, plus Scream 3 and uncredited rewrites on Scream 4 when Kevin Williamson needed to depart the manufacturing. On directing duties was English filmmaker Iain Softley whose films embody Backbeat, Hackers, The Wings of the Dove, Okay-PAX, Inkheart and the BBC adaptation of The Outcast.
As we all know, the primary protagonists within the film had been performed by Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard, who on the time weren’t essentially actors who you’ll affiliate with the horror style. The wonderful Cameron Crowe coming-of-age drama Virtually Well-known catapulted Hudson’s stardom, and earlier than she took on hoodoo in The Skeleton Key her most outstanding roles had been in The 4 Feathers, The Divorce and Elevating Helen. Peter Sarsgaard might be greatest identified for his many excellent character actor roles, plus some villainous turns additionally. He first got here to prominence in Useless Man Strolling which was adopted by extra substantial roles in The Man within the Iron Masks and Boys Don’t Cry. His profession was very a lot on the ascendency by the point The Skeleton Key was provided to him and like Hudson, it was an important alternative for him to stretch his appearing muscular tissues in a extra horror-centric position. The remainder of the forged contains the legendary, and sadly late, John Harm plus roles for Pleasure Bryant, Gene Rowlands and Jeryl Prescott, to call just some of the important thing gamers.
Virtually twenty 5 years on then, how does the film maintain up and was it effectively acquired upon launch? Properly, I’ll dive into the essential reception of the film a little bit later, however from a private viewpoint, I had a reasonably respectable time with The Skeleton Key. Largely. There’s a number of moments within the movie the place a few of the characters clarify that hoodoo solely works when you consider in it, and to be honest, the identical may be stated of the movie itself. This sort of horror film solely works when you’re capable of droop your disbelief and purchase into the truth that in the true world, hoodoo is ready to conjure up every kind of dangerous mojo, ghosts and different mildly scary issues that go bump within the evening. Additionally, whereas the script goes to sure lengths to elucidate that hoodoo is, the truth is, fairly totally different to voodoo, what we get doesn’t look fairly so totally different from different black magic thrillers which have preceded this film. One scene even features a nightmare the place one of many characters resembles a conventional trying voodoo doll. The themes of the occult and the imagery we see are all pretty convincing however don’t add a lot to the lavatory commonplace home with a darkish previous trope we’ve seen numerous occasions earlier than.
The plot facilities on Hudson’s nurse Caroline Ellis, who quits her job to take care of John Harm’s stroke sufferer Ben Deveraux. Shortly after assembly Ben’s creepy and really suspicious spouse, Violet, Caroline discovers a room within the attic filled with spells, hair and bones used to follow hoodoo. Violet has warned her about coming into the key room and shortly it turns into obvious that Ben might have been affected by it someway, and that Caroline may even quickly change into prone to a malevolent pressure in the home. At one level, on a darkish, threatening and stormy evening, Ben tries to flee the home by a second-story window. Which, let’s be trustworthy, would usually elevate every kind of alarm bells for everybody concerned, however keep in mind gore-hounds, we’re suspending our disbelief with these voodoo hoodoo shenanigans. As an alternative of searching for exterior assist, Caroline vows to assist Ben, primarily as a result of her personal regrets involving her personal father’s loss of life.
One factor The Skeleton Key has going for it, is the manufacturing design which makes for an atmospheric journey into the ominous and really darkish historical past lurking in the home. There’s a pleasant quantity of consideration to element, and director Softley has clearly executed his spooky home homework. Nevertheless, regardless of an efficient construct up of stress, the film falls into a few of the most blatant and overused tropes of the style; now we have the mysterious aged lady who is aware of all concerning the black magic within the attic, boo scares aplenty with characters abruptly showing within the body, plus these low-cost and ineffective very loud bursts of music at key moments. That shit isn’t scary. It’s lazy writing!
The forged do a great job of bringing the spooky shenanigans to life and whereas Hudson is a terrific actress, she doesn’t have an excessive amount of to work with right here. Additionally, whereas Sarsgaard is as reliable as ever, it’s a disgrace his different key male co-star, William Harm, is left with a largely thankless position that appears to be a waste of the late actor’s big skills. Like I stated in the direction of the start of this retrospective, I did have enjoyable with the film however it’s positively a missed alternative and must be filed beneath the class of ‘watch it if it pops up on your streaming service when you’re bored on a Monday evening’. It has some respectable manufacturing values and there’s a pleasant twist in the direction of the top which, when you’re a intelligent clogs, you’ll in all probability spot early on, however total this one is simply too tame to satiate this gore-hound.
The Skeleton Key was launched within the U.S. on August twelfth, 2005, which was a few weeks after these fortunate people within the UK, the place it opened on July twenty ninth. It made $16.1 million over its opening weekend domestically and went on to gross $47.9 million, which finally equated to a worldwide haul of $92 million worldwide. There wasn’t quite a lot of competitors for the movie on the time with films equivalent to 4 Brothers, The Dukes of Hazard, Wedding ceremony Crashers and Deuce Bigalow: European Bigalow in and across the film within the box-office charts.
Critically the film was met with a lukewarm response with Roger Ebert writing that, “The Skeleton Key is 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.” The Los Angeles Occasions had been extra constructive, calling it, “tightly plotted and suspenseful enough to keep you guessing until the satisfying, unexpected end, which is worth suspending disbelief for”. Nevertheless, The New York Occasions had been much less enthused, describing the movie as “enjoyably inane”.
Which, I assume is kind of the place I stand on the film and though it’s arguably a waste of the expertise concerned, I did have some enjoyable with it. However maybe not for the explanations the filmmakers supposed. Nevertheless, crucial opinion we at all times love to listen to is from YOU guys, so what’s your tackle The Skeleton Key? Am I being too harsh on its lazy writing and low-cost boo scares, or did the filmmakers craft a thriller with sufficient stress to benefit its hoodoo impressed mythology? Let me know within the feedback and I’ll see you great gore-hounds subsequent time. Thanks for watching!
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