The setting is current day Louisiana. Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson)
has dreams of becoming a nurse's practitioner. To accomplish those dreams
she moves from New Jersey to work as a hospice nurse in a small town
in Louisiana. A new position relocates her to the Devereaux estate where
she is to attend to the terminally ill Ben Devereaux (John Hurt). But
Violet Devereux (Gena Rowlands) is skeptical of the young girl's capabilities
and keeps a watchful, sometimes unnerving eye on Caroline throughout
her days.
As Caroline undertakes her work, caring for the handicapped Ben who
was rendered paralyzed after a stroke in the attic, she begins to suspect
that the lush scenery and grand estate may have a haunting past that
provokes ill-feeling in the house. From the lack of mirrors, to the
suspicious locked door in the attic, Caroline grows more and more suspicious
of the house. Moreover there is an undeniable tension between her and
Mrs. Devereaux which makes her rather uneasy at times. Her anxiety is
only heightened when Ben randomly goes into a fit of panic as if he’s
seen a ghost or feel trapped or something inexplicably wrong is occurring…
As Caroline begins to investigate she turns to Violet for inquires
about the history of the house. As the 'story' goes her and Mr. Devereaux
moved into the estate about sixty years ago after an elderly brother
and sister were too old to care for the house. The children were the
product of the first generation who initially owned the plantation.
Working for the children’s parents were the slaves Papa Justify (Ronald
McCall) and Mama Cecile (Jeryl Prescott). Rumor went that they were
famous Hoodoo doctors who performed a series of magical feats from healing
the sick etc. But apparently they were very powerful and could use their
Hoodoo to hurt as much as heal. Meanwhile their antagonistic master
was of no help in provoking friendly feelings.
One night the headmaster decided to host a fancy banking party where
all the bigwigs of town would flock to socialize and imbibe themselves
in copious amounts of liquor and music. After several hours had passed
the guests noticed the children were missing. Searching every room in
the house they at last found the children up in the attic in a circle
surrounded with hundreds of lit candles. There Mama Cecile and Papa
Justify stood seizing in violent fits before the horrified party guests.
Apparently they were attempting to 'teach' the children how to ‘conjure
a sacrifice’ (a spell that helps you buy more life by switching your
soul into a younger body). Enraged, the parents dragged the slaves downstairs
where they immediately hung them and burned them on their lawn.
Violet thus tells Caroline that it is rumored that the ghosts of Papa
Justify and Mama Cecile still roam the house. The reason there are no
mirrors is so that they don’t see the ghosts in the reflection. Violet
then begins to censorship Caroline's acquisition of knowledge about
Papa Justify’s taboo practice of Hoodoo. Apparently such superstitions
are only real if one believes in them, like hypnotism. Unless you believe
Hoodoo doesn't work. Nevertheless the practice has spread far and wide
in the Southern plains of Louisiana and Caroline begins to suspect their
might be a legitimacy to the brick dust and strings of bones hanging
in the houses.
As Caroline snoops behind Violet’s back she begins to learn the inner
workings of Hoodoo against the protestations of former Devereaux estate
nurses and her best friend Jill. But Caroline is becoming more and more
convinced that there is foul play and she begins to suspect none other
than Violet for perpetuating Ben's illness which she believes to be
caused only by Violet’s Hoodoo spells. Attempting to heal Ben, Caroline
invites herself into the world of Hoodoo and so chooses to believe in
its methods. But Violet intervenes before Caroline can fully heal Ben
and it is right after Ben utters “Caroline help me!” that Violet insistently
keeps Caroline away from her patient.
Caroline begins to fear that she too is in trouble and begins to employ
methods of Hoodoo as safety precautions. Unable to fully grasp why,
but suspecting the "Conjure of Sacrifice" record she found
in the attack to play some important role in Violet’s plans, Caroline
seeks help from Violet's young and affable lawyer, Luke (Peter Sarsgaard).
But just when she thinks she has the story figured out a twist in the
plot proves completely surprising, and life altering…
Racing to outrun her perpetrators Caroline realizes that she is person
who is to be sacrificed, making Ben Devereaux a former sacrifice that
has been kept drugged up by Hoodoo to prevent his telling anyone about
his switch. But who is in Ben's body, and why is Violet trying to live
if her husband is dying? Moreover, can ghosts do Hoodoo or did Papa
Justify and Mama Cecile actually complete the 'Conjure of Sacrifice'
ritual ninety years ago (which would mean that they must be the ones
still alive)? But that means that the children were the one's hanged
and that Caroline is to be the new body for Mama Cecile! Twists and
turns fill this high-suspense climactic end. Can Caroline refuse to
believe and save herself from Hoodoo doom or is she too far in to deny
its truth?
SKELETON KEY is compelling. Though many people argue that it falls
flat I argue that there is something they have missed. The ending is
opened but not unsolvable and the implications it leaves behind are
truly unnerving and further enrich the tale with equally gruesome and
horrifying consequences. The story extends itself beyond the film’s
conclusion and allows one to grapple with what actually happened to
not just Caroline, but the real Luke, Violet, Ben, the former filial
residents, and eventually Papa Justify and Mama Cecile. Though the story
is a forward progression you actually have to work backwards and then
forwards again to finally understand what happens to each character.
Therefore, whereas most horror films are blatantly obvious and exact
their terror through conventional scare tactics, SKELETON KEY is far
more compelling in that it invokes inquisition and begs reflection after
its ended.
But more than an interesting plot line the whole concept of Hoodoo
itself is compelling. Apparently a legitimate but perverted form of
Voodoo, the film offers an insight into the methodologies of Hoodoo
and the apparent justification for its legitimacy. Hoodoo is practiced
in the here and now and it is the psychological power of the mind to
believe in such ‘magic’ that makes Hoodoo work. In that sense, the plot
line isn’t altogether that far-fetched and unrealistic based on the
premises of Hoodoo.
Moreover the film offers a unique cultural insight into the life of
the Deep South. The film is filled with appropriately Southern, particularly
Cajun Southern references from the dress, the dialect, the mannerisms,
to the Blues music which fills the backdrop. SKELETON KEY isn't the
best horror film to date, but it is extremely compelling and Hoodoo's
legitimate practice gives SKELETON KEY a realism that makes it all the
more frightening and intriguing.
PS: Also think about the title's implication. A skeleton key can unlock
every door in a house. So too does Papa Justify and Mama Cecile operate
in this manner as they enter any body they choose as if they are personified
versions of a skeleton key.
Main Characters:
Kate Hudson plays Caroline Ellis, the garden state girl who moves to
Louisiana and takes a hospice job at an old plantation in the Deep South
where strange things await.
Gena Rowlands plays Violet Devereaux, wife of the dying Ben Devereaux,
and senior owner of the Devereaux estate who employs Caroline’s help
with her husband.
John Hurt plays Ben Devereaux, the dying husband of Violet Devereaux
whose sudden illness smacks of mysterious foul play. Peter Sarsgaard
plays Luke, the Southern gentlemanly lawyer with a knack for sweet talking.
Ronald McCall plays Papa Justify, former slave and mysterious Hoodoo
Doctor who worked for the old masters of the Devereaux estate.
Jeryl Prescott plays Mama Cecile, Papa Justify's Hoodoo wife and also
former slave of the Devereaux estate.
THE
SKELETON KEY ... THE DRAMA REVIEW
