The Skeleton Key (2005)
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A hospice nurse becomes entangled in a mysterious web of Hoodoo rituals while caring for a paralyzed man in an isolated Louisiana plantation house.
The story
Hospice aide Caroline Ellis takes a job as the caretaker of an isolated plantation house in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, to assist Violet Devereaux and her paralyzed husband, Ben. Upon discovering a secret room filled with ritual paraphernalia, Caroline becomes entangled in a mystery involving the house's former inhabitants and the Hoodoo rites performed there. As she investigates the history of the property and the items within, she begins to suspect that the house's secrets are not merely historical, but actively influence the lives of those currently residing within its walls.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Caroline Ellis, a hospice nurse, is hired to care for the paralyzed Ben Devereaux and his wife Violet in a Louisiana plantation house. After finding a secret room of ritual items, Caroline learns of the house's history involving two hoodoo practitioners, Mama Cecile and Papa Justify, who were lynched 90 years prior. Caroline discovers a recording of a hoodoo rite and, believing Ben's condition is a result of hoodoo, seeks a cure from a local hoodoo woman. She eventually learns that the 'Conjure of Sacrifice' is a spell to steal years of life. When she realizes Violet intends to use the spell on Ben, Caroline attempts to flee with him. However, she is trapped by Luke, who is revealed to be Violet's accomplice. In a final confrontation, Caroline is forced into a ritual where her soul is swapped with Violet's. It is revealed that Violet is actually Mama Cecile, and Luke is Papa Justify; the two had been practicing the ritual for years by swapping bodies with the original owners. The film ends with Caroline and Ben trapped in the bodies of the practitioners, while the practitioners continue to inhabit the bodies of the Devereauxes.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Iain Softley
- Writers
- Ehren Kruger · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kate Hudson · Caroline Ellis; Gena Rowlands · Violet Devereaux; Peter Sarsgaard · Luke Marshall; John Hurt · Ben Devereaux; Joy Bryant · Jill
- Genres
- supernatural folk horror; psychological thriller
- Themes
- Hoodoo; Body swapping; Racism
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; atmospheric
- Setting
- A plantation house in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.
- Premise and plot tags
- Southern Gothic; supernatural thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Viy (story)
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 37% · scale: percentage · review count: 149; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.3 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- Gena Rowlands broke her hand during filming.; The film was shot at the Felicity Plantation.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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