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The Skeleton Key is a 2005 horror-suspense film released in the UK on 22 July and in the USA on August 12. It is set in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana and has a cast led by Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, and John Hurt in an original screenplay by Ehren Kruger, directed by Iain Softley.
PlotSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Caroline (played by Kate Hudson) is a New Orleans hospital aide from Hoboken, New Jersey, who, after her latest patient dies, quits her "medibusiness" job and takes a position as a private hospice caregiver at an isolated plantation house deep in the bayous of southern Louisiana. The lady of the house, Violet (played by Gena Rowlands) is a diffident woman who requires help to care for her husband Ben (played by John Hurt), who suffered a serious stroke which has left him paralyzed and speechless, with about a month left to live.
The TwistSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details about this film's twist follow.
Caroline, after realizing that Violet is working harmful spells on Ben, seeks the help of the young lawyer Luke (played by Peter Sarsgaard) hired to rewrite Violet and Ben's wills. While in Luke's house, Caroline discovers clues leading to the revelation that Luke is in fact assisting Violet. Just as Caroline is about to act, Luke captures her and takes her back to the manor. Caroline is held captive, but manages to get free and "rig" (roughly, enchant) the house with brick dust, which is said to keep away those who mean one harm. After accidentally breaking Violet's legs, Caroline delves further into hoodoo and learns to form a protective circle around herself. Violet comes into the ritual room, and explains that "they" have been waiting for her to believe. Caroline tries to deny the fact that she now believes in hoodoo, but cannot convince herself. Violet pushes a mirror at Caroline, which contains the image of Mama Cecile. The mirror smashes into Caroline, knocking her unconscious. In the morning, Caroline wakes up and walks over to Violet, who is barely awake. She takes Violet's cigarettes, and begins to smoke, while she utters the words "Thank you, child," revealing to the audience that the soul of Mama Cecile is now inside Caroline's body. The mirror acted as a catalyst, and it transferred Mama Cecile's soul into Caroline's body, while placing Caroline's soul in Violet's body. Luke walks in, and it is revealed that he too is not who he claims to be. His body is possessed by the soul of Papa Justify. Ben, who was previously the host to Papa Justify's soul, is revealed to be the real Luke.
By examining the flashbacks and listening carefully to the dialogue, one may infer that Mama Cecile and Papa Justify transferred their souls into their employer’s children on the fateful night of their lynching, placing the children's souls in their own bodies. Thus, their employer actually killed his own son and daughter. In 1962 the pair again used hoodoo to transfer their souls to Ben and Violet, leaving the real Ben and Violet to die in the bodies of the Twins. Once Ben and Violet became too old, they performed their ritual once more on Luke and Caroline. Thus, Mama Cecile and Papa Justify have occupied the house in various forms since the 1920s. The setting in realityThe movie was filmed at the historic Felicity Plantation, actually located on the Mississippi River in Saint James Parish, Louisiana, not the coastal, swampy, Terrebonne Parish. At the end of the movie the aerial shot of the house and its grounds was actually done with CGI technology. In that shot, the house and the grove of trees surrounding it are real, but the swamp that seems to be on the verge of engulfing the house is not really there. Behind the house actually lie hundreds of acres of fields. In reality the house is not really run down; it was decorated with ivy, among other things, to set the tone. NotesThe 78 RPM record "the conjure of sacrifice", that played a key role in the film, was actually remixed by DJ Steve Lawler into an electro song. Bits and pieces of the incantation can be heard in the song.
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