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The Skeleton Key
HD DVD Title: The Skeleton Key Rated: R Screen format: 1080P 2.35:1 (VC-1 Encoding) Studio: Universal First theatrical release: Previously released on DVD/BluRay: Widescreen and Fullscreen DVDs November 2005 Director: Iain Softley Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Saarsgard. Joy Bryant, and John Hurt Sound Formats: English and French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Length: 1 Hour 44 Minutes Subtitles: English, French |
Plot: 4.5/5
Set in New Orleans (Pre-Katrina!), and in the bayou country surrounding it, The Skeleton Key is a modern update of the classic haunted house story that deftly melds gripping suspense, southern charm, voodoo, hoodoo and the fear of getting old into a taut horror tale. Disillusioned hospice worker Caroline (Hudson) decides she has had enough of the impersonal way her employer handles the passing of their clients and decides to apply for a more direct care-giving position. The job is miles outside of her current residence in downtown New Orleans and out in the swamps and bayous of Terrebonne Parish. Her new employer Violet (Rowlands) has scared off 4 potential nurses already, as she is too set in her ways and stubborn to let just anyone take care of her husband Ben (Hurt) who is a stroke victim and nearly mute.
Violet’s lawyer Luke (Saarsgard) convinces both of them to give it a go, and soon enough Caroline is presented with a skeleton key able to open every room in the house. Except one. Caroline discovers that this locked room in the attic houses even more mysteries which lead her to find out that the house has tremendous history revolving around Hoodoo, a spiritual belief system similar but different from Voodoo, which can grant strange powers to those who truly believe, and previous inhabitants included a hoodoo priest who believed he had written a spell which could be used to cheat death, for a little while at least. Caroline suspects that Violet may know more about these spells than she lets on, and may in fact be trying to use them to prolong the life of Ben, using any means she can.
I found The Skeleton Key to be a very enjoyable experience, eschewing all of the blood and gore and cheap theatrics that populate so many of the so called horror movies of today, and instead using a well crafted plot, genuinely believable characters, a setting that fit the story perfectly and a few smart ‘hooks’ that set it apart from anything like it in years. In fact it reminded me a lot of the great ghost stories that were so popular almost 40 years ago, with modern twists that made it all the more exciting. Even better, the film has an absolutely satisfying conclusion that rewards those who can set aside their disbelief and give themselves over to it.
Sound Quality: 4/5
The Skeleton Key’s sound qualities similarly deliver on all fronts. Musically this film is a blast, ranging from New Orlean’s natives Rebirth Brass Band to classic Bayou tunes from Blind Willie Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell, and capped with the the Iko Iko song by The Dixie Cups. Composer Edward Shearmur and The Hollywood Studio Symphony contributed the bulk of the music tho, and all told it is spooky, memorable and very Louisiana centric. Good stuff, and it’s also stretched out of the front sound stage and into the rears for the most part as well!
Effects are also not limited to the fronts, and while the bulk of the movie isn’t an audio feast, there are many scenes at the end of the film where positional audio is used to highlight Caroline’s plight and to shock viewers. One great example is the use of what would be assumed to be a mono 33 rpm record that is part of a hoodoo spell. It’s chilling content is amplified by the echoes that reverberate while it is being played. A key part of the film takes place during a torrential downpour, and the rain and thunder here are well imaged and howl around the room. While there’s not enough here to qualify this as go to demo material or that would stun listeners, it’s all crisply done and perfectly matched to the tone and vibe of the movie itself.
Visual Quality: 3.5/5
The visual side of things is a bit more subdued than the audio. Never fear HD Fans, as this is because of the movie itself and not any specific failing of the transfer, there just isn’t much to get excited about here.
The overall color scheme is very dark and low contrast with a few bursts of color especially in the Jazz Quarter of New Orleans. The Brass Band scene is probably the highlight as indoor club scenes are always tricky to capture without undo grain and it was flawlessly shot. Sharpness is also adequate without being remarkable, this is clearly a high definition transfer but it doesn’t call attention to itself, and there are no edge enhancement rings or other artifacts to quibble over. The print itself is very clean, I only noticed a passing pop or freckle about twice and otherwise it was pure. For being such a dark film grain was never distracting, tho certainly visible in many instances.
Again, not demo material by any means but well suited to the subdued and airy atmosphere that the film just oozes.
Extra Features: 4/5
The Skeleton Key packs in a very well rounded selection of extras, led by a feature length commentary track with directory Softley and 20 minutes of wisely excised deleted scenes. Both Hudson and Hurt relate specific short horror tales and these are probably the weakest but most unique additions. What is billed as a making of featurette ‘Behind the Locked Door’ is entirely too brief, probably as going any further in depth would have taken away from the ending of the film itself. Among the other odds and ends tossed in include a short blurb on the music in the film, focusing a bit on the Rebirth Brass Band and another on the origins of Hoodoo and explainations about the differences between Hoodoo and Voodoo. It’s a nice little batch and plenty enough without being billed as a special edition of any kind.
Overall: 4/5 (not an average)
I gained a lot of respect for all involved in this production. Kate Hudson took a much more challenging role than anything I’ve seen her in before and handled it with aplomb, Softley I’d only known from K-Pax and had mixed reactions to that, and while I was not really familiar with the work of veteran actress Gena Rowlands, she showed a tremendous amount of grace. John Hurt was limited by his characters extreme stroke, but even still, his facial expressiveness and body language was able to clearly evoke the torment he faced. As for the believability of Hoodoo, well it certainly isn’t as overused as a plot device as Voodoo is, and the film goes out of its way to delineate the differences between them, and this is expanded on in the extras as well. Kudos especially to writer Ehren Kruger who has tread new ground in a genre that has had a lot of action in the past but has sadly languished of late.
In the end, The Skeleton Key surprised me in a lot of good ways and firmly deserves a ‘Recommended’ from me. I recall seeing the trailer for its theatrical run and then it disappearing, so I was glad to take the advice of a friend who found it compelling and give it a shot on this HD DVD. This disk nicely complements all the film has going for it, bringing the full cinematic qualities home and bundling it with a good pack of extras. Give it a shot, and go in with an open mind and be ready to believe!
