Movie

The Skeleton Key

2005 · 104 min

A humid, slow-creeping southern gothic that lulls you with atmosphere before tightening into a genuinely unsettling trap.

Directed by: Iain Softley
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard

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

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Directed by: Iain Softley
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: eeriestrength 3 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: deception
identity
obsession
race
power
Places: single country house
countryside
small town
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
single location
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	6
Humour	1
Realism	6
Romance	1
Tension	7
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	6

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Cast

Kate HudsonCaroline Ellis
Gena RowlandsViolet Devereaux
Peter SarsgaardLuke Marshall
John HurtBen Devereaux
Joy BryantJill
Marion ZinserBayou Woman
Maxine BarnettMama Cynthia
Fahnlohnee R. HarrisHallie
Deneen TylerDesk Nurse
Ann DalrympleC.N.A.
Trula M. MarcusNurse Trula
Jen ApgarMadeleine Thorpe
Thomas UskaliRobertson Thorpe
Jamie Lee RedmonGrace Thorpe
Forrest LandisMartin Thorpe

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Details

Genres: drama, horror, mystery, thriller
Directed by: Iain Softley
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt, Joy Bryant, Marion Zinser, Maxine Barnett, Fahnlohnee R. Harris
Music: Edward Shearmur
Cinematography: Dan Mindel
Runtime: 104 min
Country: Germany, United States of America
Languages: English

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The Skeleton Key

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