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Dear Constant Reader.
At last we managed to find a proper movie reviewer !!

We are going to start with a film that has been around for a while, but you, like myself might not have seen it. Our reviewer rated the film so highly that we felt you really ought to know about the film and you should also be able to find a copy quite easily.

So - Please take a tip and get this film. It’s as our reviewer Sarah says “ A True Gem”
Well this is certainly a movie that I will remember as being a true gem, and it just goes to show how a good story and excellent script writing can absolutely provide a winning edge to a movie, more so than any special effects or clever computer graphics. The title hides much of what the movie is about, and whilst there is indeed a skeleton key in the story, it is the ending, indeed the very last minute, that provides the true magic of the entire piece.

Yet it all starts, rather innocuously. A story about a young hospice worker called Caroline Ellis, (played by the very talented Kate Hudson,) who lands herself a job at, well yes, you guessed it, a bit of a creaky old house set far out on a Louisiana plantation. However, this is no ordinary scary movie, even though it may start off with the same predictable premise.

Caroline’s job is entirely focused around the care of one person, Ben Devereaux, an elderly old man who is paralyzed, who can’t speak and who appears to have suffered a serious stroke. John Hurt puts in a remarkable performance as the ailing, wheel chair bound figure who appears to have some disturbing traits, all of which are hard to discern but which are so unusual you find yourself just wanting to know more and more.

Caroline herself is a very well constructed character, deep in many respects, and ripe for the circumstances. Hudson nails the part absolutely, providing a clever mix of innocence, curiosity and inner strength, qualities which are all called upon in various combinations during the entire length of the movie.

Yet it is Ben’s steely eyed and demanding wife, Violet Devereaux who runs the oversized house with an iron grip who steals the film. Gena Howlands, who plays the uncompromising battleaxe, musters up a performance that includes incredible subtleties. She is a true joy to watch, and I found myself focusing on her performance during much of the movie. Her character is very believable, but she is so complex that it is highly unlikely that you would ever meet a person with all of her traits.

Sarah Middleton

And so we come to the skeleton key itself. Violet entrusts Caroline with a key to the house, a key which opens every door, and eventually the young girls finds herself in the attic taking stock of some very old African American Hoodoo (no, not Voodoo), artifacts.
On her first visit she is rudely interrupted by the now positively menacing Violet, who gives her a stern warning and an intimidating stare. However, as time goes by and with several slightly strange things happening in the house, Caroline decides to investigate further. Many of her attempts are thwarted by Violet in some way or another, but her clever restraint is just perfectly balanced for the story to play its course.

In the background, Luke Marshall, the swish young family lawyer (played by the exceptionally gifted (Peter Sarsgaard – who I always think looks very similar to Joaquin Phoenix) makes a sanguine appearance, but as the film progresses the two start to work together to uncover some of the secrets lurking within the house. IT could well be that the reason for confusing Sarsgaard and Phoenix is due to the fact they both play similar roles in many of their films, and this one is no exception. Luke is a tower of strength and speaks absolute sense to Caroline who seems to be gaining too many ideas about the nature of the artifacts.

As the movie progresses all is not what it at first seems, mysteries lurk not so much in every corner, but more so in every character, and so commences a complicated, clever and shocking set of events, culminating in an ending that will leave you absolutely gob smacked.. It would not be fair to spoil the latter part of the move or its ending but it is a must see!

Joy Bryant also makes an appearance as Jill, a friend of Caroline’s who, as an African American woman with just a cursory knowledge of Hoodoo from her grand parents, casts doubts on Caroline’s findings, but maybe just not enough. Her appearance at the end of the movie makes for an extra twist which just makes the final moment complete.

It is a shame not more movies are made like this one, after all the main elements were simply four good lead actors, an authentic but not opulent backdrop, and a thoughtfully constructed script that weaved its way elegantly around a story line which was absolutely original.

This movie kept me glued to the screen for the whole time and as things became more and more curious and intriguing I knew this film would need a truly awesome ending. It absolutely had one.
An easy 10 out of 10.