The Skeleton Key

Films that address themes related to black magic, witchcraft, voodoo practices and other beliefs and religions of Afro origins are usually fertile fields for cinema, as they arouse a natural curiosity and even feelings of fear regarding the meaning of each belief. The movie The Skeleton Key, 2004 uses hudu, a lesser-known belief, to tell a good story of mystery, superstition and fear. Despite having some flaws, The Skeleton Key deserves to be watched for having a well-kept production, competent cast and a daring ending. The film tells a story set in the same bizarre universe and full of superstitions seen in the exceptional Satanic Heart, directed by Alan Parker in 1987 - and, although it doesn't quite reach that film, it manages to establish a correct atmosphere of strangeness by confronting the rational mentality of its protagonist with the extravagance of the black magic beliefs of the other characters. And the mere fact of being able to make the viewer remember Angel Heart (1987) already gives important points to the film.

The film tells the story of young nurse Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson, from Almost Famous, 2000), who, through a newspaper ad, takes care of an invalid man named Ben Devereaux (John Hurt, from Alien, 1979), who lives with wife Violet (Gena Rowlands, from Taking Lives, 2004) in a detached 18th-century house on the outskirts of New Orleans. The region is famous for the amount of mystical ceremonies performed there since the colonization period, but Caroline doesn't believe in these beliefs. The huge house has several rooms and a master key that unlocks all the rooms, except for a door hidden behind furniture located in the attic, where Ben had suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed weeks before. Moved by curiosity, Caroline does not take long to open such a door, then getting involved in a curse that seems to plague much more than the place and its inhabitants.

Despite the ad campaign trying to sell it as a horror movie, The Skeleton Key is not tense or frightening. In fact, its occasional supernatural elements don't even take on particularly grim characteristics, as the script sees voodoo (or, for that matter, 'hoodoo') as something almost prosaic, used - or, at the very least, known - by virtually every local. That strange region. So, instead of investing in fear, the film opts for an atmosphere of restlessness, employing a dark photograph and unexpected shots, such as plongées (camera pointing vertically downwards) on Caroline and traveling along just her feet, as if the girl were being constantly watched and followed.

The film's art direction is also quite effective, creating a house that really is capable of causing fear. Old, dark and full of rooms. It even resembles the dwelling of the great The Others (The Others, 2003), but on a smaller scale and without appearing to be a copy. The swamps around the city of New Orleans also help to create this macabre setting, and the region itself is known for having a great tradition in cults involving rituals of religions and beliefs of African origin. At the beginning, the camera walks around the house and through well-dosed movements, it presents us with enough iconography to understand the characters' conflicts, as well as suggesting things in the extra-field context that we will only see in scenes closer to the final act. Leaving the urban area and blending in with the rural environment is one of the ways used by the film to better hide the exploits of the "invaders of bodies". The film does not actually "desecrate" the rituals arising from the practice of voodoo and hodu, being concerned only with showing the issue and using the material as an element to coax the action.

Directed and produced by Englishman Iain Softley (Backbeat, 1994), the film deserves to be checked out as it manages to capture attention through a well-developed and non-linear suspense. As the action unfolds, new elements are presented with the intention of deciphering or confusing the plot. The script, signed by Ehren Kruger (from Scream 3, 2000 and also responsible for the american version of The Ring, 2002) has interesting twists in addition to working positively with the time factor, showing some scenes using flashbacks. The characters in The Skeleton Keyare well built, the events do not require explanations with so many unbelievable twists and the ending is, as we have seen little in horror movies, surprising. There is no infamous search for a sequel and that's what makes the film a successful narrative. Unlike easy scares, this film is more interested in developing a good argumentation on the themes of faith, courage, evil and contact with the unknown.

Ingeniously conducted, the film grabs attention from start to finish. Especially when we realize a mystery that bothers Caroline when she notices that Violet has imposed strange rules, for example, mirrors are prohibited in the house, and Caroline finds several in the attic. The movie gives you a tense and terrifying atmosphere when we notice that strange house, and Ben showing fear of his wife, even he tries to escape from there, but without being able to say anything. Caroline, in turn, is convinced that Violet mistreats Ben, and plans to save him. What she doesn't know is that she's there for a purpose. Tension and suspense predominate in the final minutes, and when we least expect it together with the protagonist, we find ourselves embarrassed by a devastating ending.

Adopting a firm posture, quite different from the usual girls of the genre, Kate Hudson embodies Caroline as a brave and intelligent young woman who doesn't usually scream whenever she is surprised by something or someone - which is already a relief for all who are tired of the hysterical screams of the disciples of Jamie Lee Curtis (in fact, in this respect, Hudson's approach is close to that adopted by Jennifer Connelly in the superior Dark Water). Deeply skeptical, Caroline doesn't easily accept the fantastic explanations given to her - and, above all, The Skeleton Key is mainly concerned with following the protagonist's trajectory towards acceptance of the supernatural, which is nonetheless interesting. Meanwhile, the supporting cast plays its part: John Hurt turns a speechless role into a fine portrayal of a man gripped by fear; Peter Sarsgaard does what he can with a purpose-built character; and Gena Rowlands abandons the sweetness of her previous character (from the great Diary of a Passion) and takes on an ambiguous type that annoys the viewer.

As not everything in life is perfect, the film also has some slips, which don't interfere with the final product, but if they were removed they wouldn't be missed. As it became fashionable in the made-in-Hollywood thriller movies after Wes Craven released his Scream (Scream 1996) in The Skeleton Key, director Softley also unnecessarily uses elements to provoke the so-called easy scare in some scenes such as sharp cuts, fast movements of camera and a soundtrack that suddenly increases. Such frights add nothing to the plot, which is actually supported by the unfolding of the story. In fact, not even the occasional stumbles compromise the film - such as underestimating the viewer's intelligence and insisting on drawing a parallel between Caroline's pain at not having the opportunity to help her sick father and her exaggerated dedication to Ben Devereaux - something that it was already clear long before Softley forced his hand to include a shot in which the girl sees a photo of her father and then looks at the frail Ben on the porch.

Overall, however, The Skeleton Key is a film that unfolds discreetly, without showing serious defects, but also without having great moments. Whether for the well-conducted history, to see the beautiful and talented Kate Hudson or to discover the natural beauty of New Orleans, especially after the place was devastated by Hurricane Katrina leaving thousands of people homeless and hundreds of dead, as well as a large part of the city destroyed. It is a place that, in addition to its history and architecture, also has strong beliefs and legends that will be perpetuated for future generations and that will continue to serve as inspiration for good films.