Even Stripped, "Skinwalkers" a Good Werewolf Flick

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux


Skinwalkers (2006)
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour 31 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language
DIRECTOR: James Isaac
WRITERS: James DeMonaco, Todd Harthan, and James Roday
PRODUCER: Dennis Berardi and Don Carmody
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: David A. Armstrong and Adam Kane
EDITOR: Allan Lee

FANTASY/THRILLER with elements of horror

Starring: Matthew Knight, Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Natassia Malthe, Kim Coates, Sarah Carter, Tom Jackson, Rogue Johnston, Barbara Gordon, Shawn Roberts, and Lyric Bent

The subject of this movie review is Skinwalkers, a 2006 werewolf movie and horror-action film directed by James Isaac (Jason X). It was released to theatres in the United States in 2007.

In Skinwalkers, a pre-teen boy learns that he is the balance of power and object of desire in an old war between two factions of werewolves.

As he prepares to turn 13, 12-year-old Timothy (Matthew Knight) finds his health crashing around him, as he’s beset by asthma attacks and fainting spells. Timothy is also blissfully unaware that he is the tipping point in a long war between two groups of werewolves, which are also known as skinwalkers. One faction wants to be free of the curse of the werewolf; the other side joyously feeds on human flesh and thirsts for human blood. Timothy doesn’t know that he is a half-breed; his mother, Rachel (Rhona Mitra), is human and his deceased father is a werewolf. Timothy doesn’t even know that the extended family with which he grew up, including his Uncle Jonas (Elias Koteas), is a band of good-hearted werewolves that has been protecting him since the day he was born.

Timothy is the child foretold by an Indian prophesy. The arrival of Timothy’s 13th birthday during the last night of the “blood red moon,” will somehow forever end the curse of the werewolves. Skinwalkers will become wholly human. However, the werewolves who don’t see their condition as a curse and embrace the bloodlust have been lurking in the shadows. Led by Varek (Jason Behr), an evil pack of werewolves has been waiting for more than a decade to kill Timothy before he turns 13, and now they’re making their move. Jonas, Rachel, and a select group of fellow believers go on the run hoping to keep Tim just out of reach of the other werewolves until his birthday, but the relentless Varek practically has Timothy his bloody grasp.

What was supposed to be a 1 hour and 50 minute, R-rated movie was cut down to a 91 minute, PG-13 rated movie (although this movie still has enough blood, gore, violence, and simulated sex to have maintained it’s R-rating). Still, even with the obvious holes in the plot and story that come from removing 19 minutes of narrative, Skinwalkers is a very entertaining monster flick. It’s more fantasy and suspense thriller than horror, and though it doesn’t have the bite of such werewolf flicks as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, Skinwalkers often packs a wallop. Its intricate back story and open-ended final scene leave room for sequels, but what it offers now is entertaining enough to make one pine for an “extended edition” DVD.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, January 05, 2008

"The Walking Dead" Travel to 2012 Wizard World Austin

Jon Bernthal Makes It A 'Walking Dead' Trio At 2012 Wizard World Austin Comic Con

Joins Fellow Cast Members Norman Reedus, Michael Rooker At Austin Convention Center, October 27-28

Fans of “The Walking Dead” have another great reason to rejoice, as Jon Bernthal, who portrayed “Shane Walsh” in the hit AMC series, has been added to the roster at Wizard World Austin Comic Con at the Austin Convention Center. He joins fellow cast members Norman Reedus (“Daryl Dixon”) and Michael Rooker (“Merle Dixon”); all three are scheduled to appear on Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28.

The classically-trained Bernthal recently completed filming Ric Roman Waugh’s action drama, Snitch, opposite Susan Sarandon and Dwayne Johnson. He has appeared in such large-scale productions as World Trade Center, The Pacific and Rampart, and has had guest roles on top TV series like "CSI: Miami," "Boston Legal," "Without a Trace" and "How I Met Your Mother."

Bernthal, Reedus and Rooker will greet Wizard World Austin Comic Con fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops (including a chance to be photographed with all three) and participate together in an interactive Q&A panel.

“The Walking Dead” earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series, a Writers Guild of America nomination for Best New Series, and recognition as one of AFI’s Ten Best Television Programs of the Year. The series set new records as the most watched drama series in basic cable history, and is aired internationally in over 120 countries and 33 languages.

In addition to Bernthal, Reedus and Rooker, eight stars of the popular series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” will gather for their first 25-year U.S. reunion at Wizard World Austin Comic Con, including the legendary Patrick Stewart, who portrayed the stern, determined "Captain Jean-Luc Picard," commander of the USS Enterprise.

Other popular Wizard World Austin Comic Con guests include Eliza Dushku (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” True Lies), WWE® Superstar CM Punk®, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino (“Jersey Shore”), Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “90210”), Anthony Michael Hall (Sixteen Candles, Weird Science), Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk,” “The King of Queens”) and the Boondock Saints trio of Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery and David Della Rocco, among others.

Wizard World Austin Comic Con (Oct. 26-28), produced by Wizard World, Inc. (WIZD.PK), will bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Admission is free for kids 10 and under, and Sunday, Oct. 28, is “Kids Day,” with an array of programming specially designed for children.

For more on the 2012 Wizard World Austin Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-tx.html.


About Wizard World:
Wizard World produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.


***** SAVE THE 2012-13 DATES *****

October 26-28, 2012 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con

November 30 - December 2, 2012 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con

February 22-24, 2013 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con

May 30 - June 2, 2013 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con

August 8-11, 2013 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

September 20-22, 2013 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con

Review: "Snow White and the Huntsman" is a Fractured Fairy Tale

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 78 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hour, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality
DIRECTOR: Rupert Sanders
WRITERS: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini; from a screen story by Evan Daugherty
PRODUCERS: Sam Mercer, Palak Patel, and Joe Roth
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Greig Fraser
EDITORS: Conrad Buff IV and Neil Smith
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

FANTASY/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris, Brian Gleeson, Vincent Regan, and Noah Huntley

Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 action fantasy film starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron. The film re-imagines (a word I’m starting to hate) the German fairy tale “Snow White” as an epic fantasy.

The film opens in the Kingdom of Tabor, where King Magnus and Queen Eleanor welcome a baby daughter they name Snow White. Sometime after Eleanor dies, Magnus marries the mysterious Ravenna (Charlize Theron), who turns out to be a powerful sorceress. After usurping the throne, Ravenna imprisons Snow White (Raffey Cassidy) in the north tower of the castle. With her brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), at her side, Ravenna rules over the kingdom, while draining the youth from young maidens in order to maintain her own youthful appearance.

After coming of age, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes into the Dark Forest. Ravenna orders Eric (Chris Hemsworth), a huntsman, to find Snow White, but Snow White’s destiny may prove to be bigger than any one person’s plans for her.

I discovered that Snow White and the Huntsman is the first feature film directed by Rupert Sanders, which may explain why the movie’s narrative develops in fits and starts. Sometimes, Snow White and the Huntsman is overly serious, and sometimes, it is painfully dull. It’s as if Sanders wants to treat some of the movie as if it were Lord of the Rings (which it is not). When he’s not trying to do his own version of director Peter Jackson, Sanders is trying to create some character drama and that’s mostly awkward.

First, let me say that I am a fan of Kristen Stewart. I think Stewart is perfect for Sanders, because, as an actress, she is overly serious. In practically any movie in which she appears, Stewart will spend part of that film kind of hunched over, like a dog waiting to be smacked across the head with a newspaper even when she does something good (like rescue Timmy from a well). I could be nice and say that her acting is decent, although she delivers dialogue with all the stiffness of a graduate of the Keanu Reeves School of Acting. Her big speech scenes in the last act of Snow White and the Huntsman are not inspiring and are, in fact, dry as dust.

Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron try, and Theron really tries, but the script seems unsure about what it should be – action movie or fantasy drama… or Evil Queen movie? The script isn’t even sure who the lead character is, and I’m not sure Sanders knew which characters should be the focus and when they should be. This movie should have been titled “Sometimes Snow White and sometimes the Huntsman and sometimes the Queen.”

I’m being critical because this movie and its story/concept have so much potential, and there are times when Snow White and the Huntsman seems like it is going to be an exceptional fantasy film. A clunky opening act and its occasional meandering are what keep Snow White and the Huntsman average rather than special.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, October 14, 2012

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"Ginger Snaps" Breaks Werewolf Movie Mold

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ginger Snaps (2000)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
Unrated by the MPAA
DIRECTOR: John Fawcett
WRITERS: Karen Walton; from a story by John Fawcett and Karen Walton
PRODUCERS: Karen Lee Hall and Steven Hoban
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thom Best
EDITOR: Brett Sullivan
COMPOSER: Mike Shields

HORROR with elements of comedy

Starring: Emily Perkins, Katharine Isabelle, Kris Lemche, Mimi Rogers, Jesse Moss, Danielle Hampton, John Bourgeois, Peter Kelegan, Pak-Kong Ho, and Christopher Redman

The subject of this movie review is Ginger Snaps, a 2000 Canadian horror film and werewolf movie. The title is a pun on the term, “ginger snaps,” which in the U.S. is a name for a kind of cookie. In this film, there is a girl named Ginger who “snaps,” as in goes really crazy.

In the horror and dark comic film, Ginger Snaps, Brigitte “B” Fitzgerald (Emily Perkins) and her sister, Ginger (Katharine Isabelle), are local outcasts because of their fascination with death and the macabre. Sullen and frequently dressed light goth, the girls earn the derision of their classmates. However, one night while wandering near the woods on their way to get a minor revenge against tormenting female classmate, a large wild animal attacks and bites Ginger.

Sam (Kris Lemche), a local drug dealer with an eye on “B,” runs over the beast while it’s chasing the girls and realizes that the thing is a werewolf. Before long, Ginger is exhibiting hostile behavior and becomes sexually aggressive. Her body begins to change, and once she realizes and accepts that she is becoming a werewolf, Ginger wants “B” to share it with her just as they promised to share death in a suicide pact. Brigitte is having second thoughts, and she gets Sam to help her find a cure for Ginger. Ginger, however, isn’t taking “no” for an answer.

Ginger Snaps is a novel take on the werewolf mythos, mixing in elements of teen angst, feminism, grrrl power, and lots of teenage female body issues, especially menstruation. The film comes across as a bit gross at times, but film’s ideas are engaging. It’s unique and interesting how the “curse” of the werewolf is tied to the “curse” of that time of the month and to Ginger and B’s close and intense relationship. Most of the credit should go to screenwriter Karen Walton for her sharp and witty dialogue. Though the script tends to drag, the chatting between the characters has an intimate feeling (even when characters are fighting amongst themselves) that gives the illusion that these people really know each other. The performances are occasionally tepid, but sometimes nuanced and passionate. Mimi Rogers is creepy as the girls’ mother, Pamela.

Ginger Snaps seems about five or ten minutes too long, and it really tends to drag. However, the film has good atmosphere and is a nice twist on the werewolf movie. I especially like the fact that the creature effects are makeup and (apparently) animatronics rather than CGI.

6 of 10
B

"The Innocents" is the Ultimate Ghost Story

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 71 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Innocents (1961) – B&W
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Jack Clayton
WRITERS: William Archibald and Truman Capote with John Mortimer (additional scenes and dialogue); based upon the novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Freddie Francis
EDITOR: Jim Clark
COMPOSER: Georges Auric
BAFTA nominee

HORROR/MYSTERY

Starring: Deborah Kerr, Martin Stephens, Pamela Franklin, Megs Jenkins, Peter Wyngard, Michael Redgrave, Isla Cameron, and Clytie Jessop

The subject of this movie review is The Innocents, a 1961 British horror film produced and directed by Jack Clayton. Although it is based on Henry James’ novella, The Turn of the Screw, this black and white film takes its title from The Innocents, a 1950 Broadway stage adaptation of James’ novella by William Archibald.

Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), a young governess, accepts a position supervising a young girl, Flora (Pamela Franklin) and her brother, Miles (Martin Stephens), (who is away at school when Miss Giddens first arrives), in a lonely old house on a large English country estate. Things are going well until Miles is expelled from school and returns home. Not only must Miss Giddens deal with Miles disruptive behavior, but she also begins to see shadowy figures and ghostly apparitions and to hear mysterious voices, strange noises, and unexplained music in the manor house and on its grounds. Miss Giddens comes to believe that the house, as well as the children, are haunted by former servants, but the estate’s clouded history is keeping her in the dark… and in danger.

The Innocents, a film adaptation of Henry James’ famed novella, The Turn of the Screw, is one of best English-language horror films ever made. It’s hard to imagine that this film isn’t among the top three to five best Western ghost stories on film. Like James’ novel, producer/director Jack Clayton’s film is coy about whether there are actually ghosts haunting the house or whether Miss Giddens the governess is mentally disturbed, though Clayton and his writers lean towards the former. Viewers may recognize one of Nicole Kidman’s films, 2001’s The Others, as a clever reworking of Henry James’ story via this film. The 2005 film The Skeleton Key also seems to have been launched from this concept.

However, regardless of how one interprets the film, it is a masterwork. Deborah Kerr is superb as the busybody Miss Giddens who is at once high-strung and then quite reserved. Pamela Franklin and Martin Stephens are mesmerizing as the sly, manipulative, and clever children. Rarely have young actors managed to look purely innocent and naïve while at the same time coming across and guilty and disingenuous. Megs Jenkins does a fine turn as the subtle messy housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, with her crafty touch of instantly feigning innocence. We can’t quite get a bead on the children, and Miss Giddens obviously has her problems, while Mrs. Grose knows more than she’ll ever let on – no matter how innocent she may act. And those ghosts: they are determined phantoms that the children must see because they seem like such obvious solid looking phantoms, but the director presents them in such a way that maybe only Miss Giddens is crazy enough to see them. And the great performances totally sell us into the confusion and doubt.

Not only do we get excellent acting, but also Clayton, cinematographer Freddie Francis, and composer Georges Auric deliver career-defining work. Auric’s music for The Innocents defines the term, “haunting score,” yet you wouldn’t really notice it unless you stopped specifically to hear it. Auric made the score quiet, yet forcefully effective. Oscar-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis (Sons and Lovers, Glory) gave the film a look that is as beautiful and it is frightening. Rarely does a ghost story seem so fascinating; his lighting crew certainly did stellar work. I wanted to live in Francis’ beautiful shot dream world no matter how many ghosts were there. Finally, producer/director Jack Clayton brought his talented cast and crew together and created a captivating film that is as distant as it is alluring – always calling the viewer, yet being standoffish.

The Innocents is a ghost story that seems itself to be a ghost – a haunting black and white dream that refuses to give up it secrets no matter how coy it is when giving up tidbits. Its shocking, disquieting ending is like an unsettled ghost that won’t let us leave but also pushes us away. This spectral ghost story is unforgettable.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1962 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Film from Any Source,” and “Best British Film”

1962 Cannes Film Festival: 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (Jack Clayton)

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Charlie Brown, Peanuts Gang Get New Feature Film

[Although this press release does not say specifically, the film will apparently be computer-animated, which is obvious (I guess) as Blue Sky Studios does 3D and computer-animated films. - Editor]

20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios and Peanuts Worldwide Announce Iconic Peanuts Gang to Hit Theaters

Release To Coincide With The 65th Anniversary Of The Beloved Comic Strip in 2015

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios have acquired rights to make a feature film based on the late Charles Schulz’s beloved and iconic “Peanuts” franchise. The agreement is the culmination of over two years of discussions – focused on the film’s creative direction – between the Studio and members of the Schulz family. The announcement was made today by Vanessa Morrison, president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

The as yet untitled animated event will be released on November 25, 2015. 2015 will mark the 65th anniversary of the debut of the “Peanuts” comic strip and the 50th anniversary of the landmark television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Charles Schulz drew the most popular and influential comic strip of all time, which was read everyday by 355 million people in 75 countries. In addition to the famous strip, Peanuts holiday television specials such as “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” have won Emmy’s and continue to be among the highest rated prime time TV specials.

Steve Martino will direct the “Peanuts” feature; previously, he brought to the big screen (with Jimmy Hayward) Fox/Blue Sky’s “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” Martino also directed (with Michael Thurmeier) Fox’s recent box-office smash “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” The screenplay is by Craig Schulz and the writing team of Bryan Schulz & Cornelius Uliano. Craig Schulz and Bryan Schulz, respectively Mr. Schulz’s son and grandson, along with Uliano are producing.

Also playing a key role in the deal was Neil Cole, chief executive officer and president of Iconix Brand Group (NASDAQ: ICON), which, in a joint venture with Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, formed Peanuts Worldwide in 2010, the home to the global “Peanuts” property.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation director of development Ralph Millero worked closely with Morrison and with the Schulz estate in securing the rights to the property.

Commented Vanessa Morrison: "We are thrilled to partner with the Schulz family and Iconix and honored to bring the Peanuts characters to the big screen. This all started with our love and respect for the work of Charles Schulz. We thank the Schulz family and Iconix for letting Fox and Blue Sky bring his vision to new generations of film goers.”

Craig Schulz, President, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, commented, “We have been working on this project for years. We finally felt the time was right and the technology is where we need it to be to create this film. I am thrilled we will be partnering with Blue Sky/Fox to create a Peanuts movie that is true to the strip and will continue the legacy in honor of my father."

“This is a momentous step for the Peanuts brand. The beloved characters, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the whole gang resonate with multiple generations all over the world,” commented Neil Cole, CEO, Iconix Brand Group. “This film will give us a new medium in which to engage consumers globally and showcase the power of the Peanuts brand,” added Cole.


About 20th Century Fox Film
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, 20th Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

About Charles Schulz
Charles Schulz once described himself as "born to draw comic strips." A Minneapolis native, he was just two days old when an uncle nicknamed him "Sparky," after the horse Spark Plug from the "Barney Google" comic strip. Throughout his youth, he and his father shared a Sunday-morning ritual of reading the funnies. After serving in the army during World War II, Schulz got his first big break in 1947 when he sold a cartoon feature called "Li'l Folks" to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In 1950, Schulz met with United Feature Syndicate, and on Oct. 2 of that year, "Peanuts," so named by the syndicate, debuted in seven newspapers. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, Calif., Feb. 12, 2000 – just hours before his last original strip was to appear in Sunday papers.

PEANUTS WorldwideThe PEANUTS characters and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide LLC, a joint venture owned 80% by Iconix Brand Group, Inc. and 20% by members of the Charles M. Schulz family. Iconix Brand Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICON) owns, licenses and markets a growing portfolio of consumer brands including CANDIE'S (R), BONGO (R), BADGLEY MISCHKA (R), JOE BOXER (R), RAMPAGE (R), MUDD (R), MOSSIMO (R), LONDON FOG (R), OCEAN PACIFIC (R), DANSKIN (R), ROCAWEAR (R), CANNON (R), ROYAL VELVET (R), FIELDCREST (R), CHARISMA (R), STARTER (R), WAVERLY (R), ZOO YORK (R), and SHARPER IMAGE (R). In addition, Iconix owns interests in the ARTFUL DODGER (R), ECKO (R), MARC ECKO (R), ED HARDY (R) MATERIAL GIRL (R), PEANUTS (R), and TRUTH OR DARE brands. The Company licenses its brands to a network of leading retailers and manufacturers that touch every major segment of retail distribution from the luxury market to the mass market in both the U.S. and worldwide. Through its in-house business development, merchandising, advertising and public relations departments Iconix manages its brands to drive greater consumer awareness and equity.

"The Skeleton Key" Unlocks Harmless, Eerie Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 136 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Skeleton Key (2005)
Running time: 104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, some partial nudity, and thematic material
DIRECTOR: Iain Softley
WRITER: Ehren Kruger
PRODUCERS: Daniel Bobker, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, and Iain Softley
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Daniel Mindel
EDITOR: Joe Hutshing
COMPOSER: Edward Shearmur

HORROR/THRILLER/MYSTERY

Starring: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant, Ronald McCall, and Jeryl Prescott Sales

Set in the backwoods of Houma, Louisiana (in the same region as New Orleans) in Terreborne Parish (what La. calls its counties), The Skeleton Key is the story of Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson), a young hospice nurse hired to take care of an elderly woman named Violet Devereaux’s (Gena Rowlands) ailing husband, Ben (John Hurt). Ben supposedly had a stroke while poking through the attic of the Devereaux’s home, a foreboding and decrepit old plantation-style mansion in the Louisiana delta. Ben can’t speak because of the stroke, and Violet is certainly… eccentric. However, the enigmatic couple and their dark and rambling home intrigue her, so Caroline, armed with a skeleton key that unlocks every door in the house, Caroline begins to explore the home and discovers that the large attic actually hides a secret room.

The hidden room holds some darkly mysterious and terrifying secrets; according to Violet it was once the secret room of Papa Justify (Ronald McCall) and his wife, Mama Cecile (Jeryl Prescott Sales). Violet also tells Caroline that the couple practiced hoodoo, a mixture of African, European, and Native American conjuring or black magic (not related to voodoo), and that the couple was lynched and burned because they allegedly tried to teach their witchcraft to their white boss’ son and daughter. The written spells, potions, powders, etc. that they used in their dark arts remain in the secret room. Caroline believes that the method to curing Ben lies in that secret room, and that she must use psychology to convince Ben that the hoodoo only affects him because he believes in it. If she can prove to him that it’s all nonsense, he should be cured… or so Caroline believes as she slowly entangles herself in a dark trap that she’s apparently too stupid to recognize.

Universal Pictures’ advertising tried to sell The Skeleton Key as being a horror movie in the tradition of such late 60’s/late 70’s suspense thriller-type horror movies as Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, or modern atmospheric suspense flicks such as The Sixth Sense and Stir of Echoes. Director Iain Softley (K-PAX) certainly makes use of the charmingly gothic and dread-inducing New Orleans area locations, and his cinematographer Daniel Mindel (Spy Game) and his crew add the final touches that make the film look both moody and morbid. Art directors Drew Boughton and Suttirat Anne Larlarb and set decorator Fontaine Beauchamp Hebb team up, however, to be The Skeleton Key’s true stars. The Devereaux’s creepy old mansion, the surrounding swamps, and dilapidated dwellings are like the drawings of Graham “Ghastly” Ingels, beloved creator of some of the best art ever to appear in legendary EC horror comic books. Ultimately, any legitimacy that The Skeleton Key has as a good horror movie rests in their creative vision; the film is as much theirs as it is Iain Softley’s.

The Skeleton Key, for all that it is sinister, is the kind of film that the less you think about it the more sense it makes. Dig deeply enough into Ehren Kruger’s (The Ring and The Ring Two) script and the film falls apart because its internal logic is full of holes that Kruger either didn’t notice or chose to ignore – likely that latter. Horror movies aren’t supposed to make sense (which is the belief of many fans and quite of few of its practitioners); the scary movie’s success lies in scaring people, and The Skeleton Key is certainly a delightfully spine-chilling affair… as long as you don’t take a hard look at it.

Sure, it seems as if Kate Hudson is slumming for a paycheck; sometimes she doesn’t even bother to act. She stands or sits there with a stony, blank expression on her face, as if she’s wondering in which script hides another potential Oscar nod while a movie is being made around her. Luckily, the superb Gena Rowlands is there to tear it up; her Violet Devereaux is a combination of pointed wickedness, proud dishonesty, and dismissive sarcasm. Rarely has matronly evil looked so good; she’s Joan Collins/Dynasty mean. John Hurt is also great, taking his crippled Ben Devereaux and turning him into a totem of fear-drowned and cuckolded manhood.

While Ms. Hudson struggles to bat .300 in this film and although the villains are as comical and they are scary, The Skeleton Key is a solid, suspense filled horror hit. For all the holes in the concept, screenwriter Ehren Kruger is probably the best writer of scary movies this new century. Cast and crew have glossed over their missteps with enough hair-raising and spine-chilling tropes to make The Skeleton Key a must-go trip to the theatre, at least for true fans of the scary. Sit back, let the feelings and emotions take control, and submit to the will of a big screen full of eerie.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, August 27, 2005