The Skeleton Key

"Fearing is believing."

2005 1h 44m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 2,407

DramaHorrorMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.

“Fearing is believing.”

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Cast

Kate Hudson
Caroline Ellis
Gena Rowlands
Violet Devereaux
Peter Sarsgaard
Luke Marshall
John Hurt
Ben Devereaux
Joy Bryant
Jill
Marion Zinser
Bayou Woman
Maxine Barnett
Mama Cynthia
Fahnlohnee R. Harris
Hallie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Iain Softley
Writers: Ehren Kruger, Richard K. Buoen
Languages: English
Countries: Germany, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Iain Softley, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Edward Shearmur. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands and Peter Sarsgaard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Fearing is believing.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0397101 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Iain Softley directs. Dan Mindel behind the camera. Edward Shearmur scores. Joe Hutshing cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Germany, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 21 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Germany, United States of America.
3Directed by Iain Softley, shot by Dan Mindel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Edward Shearmur. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joe Hutshing shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kate Hudson and Gena Rowlands and Peter Sarsgaard carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Fearing is believing.".
8IMDB entry: tt0397101 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 21 themes, including "dreams", "nurse", "key", "new orleans, louisiana".
10Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dan Mindel
Original score: Edward Shearmur
Editing: Joe Hutshing
Production design: John Beard
Costume design: Louise Frogley
Makeup / hair: June Brickman
VFX supervisor: Karl Herbst
Sound: Harry Cohen
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Joe Hooker
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $43,000,000
Box office: $93,983,911
Return: 219% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Skeleton Key (2005)

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Iain Softley

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-08-27
★ 7/10
The Louisiana bayou, an antebellum mansion, Hoodoo and Kate Hudson A New Orleans hospice worker (Kate Hudson) takes a job at a dilapidated antebellum mansion in the bayou caring for a dying old man (John Hurt). His wife seems to be hiding something, however (Gena Rowlands). Peter Sarsgaard is on hand as the estate’s amiable lawyer. "The Skeleton Key" (2005) is a Southern Gothic supernatural thriller set in the Louisiana bayou à la “Cat People” (1982) and “The Reaping” (2007). It’s not as good as the former, but arguably superior to the latter or at least on par. Most of the film is an eerie drama taking place in and around the old Southern mansion, but the pace picks up in the final act with a quality surprise climax. Neither my wife nor I were able to anticipate the revelation, but it makes sense and hails back to earlier obscure horror flicks which I can’t name because I don’t want to give it away. Kate is a highlight with her cute face and the director doesn’t fail to capture her beauty in a tasteful way, but she needed to gain about 12 lbs as her thinness is un-alluring. Really, the only negatory is that the setting/cast is one-dimensional, which makes the movie tediously mundane, but this is offset by the creepy supernatural element. The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in Louisiana (Felicity Plantation, Vacherie; Bayou Gauche & New Orleans) with additional stage stuff done in Universal City, California. GRADE: B/B-

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