The Skeleton Key

REVIEW
A decent supernatural thriller, The Skeleton Key comes to DVD with a few more ghosts than intended. Within weeks of its theatrical debut, hurricanes slammed into the Gulf Coast, destroying many of its New Orleans locations. It may be a while until we can watch any film set in those environs without thinking of the devastation caused by Katrina. Doing her duty as a southern gothic movie heroine, Kate Hudson spends a lot of time snooping around murky corridors of the Old Dark House while various things wait to jump out at her, and even contributes a shower scene. Traditional as the role may be, she manages to flesh it out a bit by making her character more than a little nosy and obstinate. However, this also has the negative effect of making her a bit annoying to the viewer. One can’t help thinking that she should just do her job and leave the mystery solving to Scooby-Doo. John Hurt seems to be channeling the ghost of John Carradine.