
Overview
After New Orleans hospice worker Caroline (Kate Hudson) answers a help wanted ad, she finds herself working as the live-in caretaker of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), a stroke victim who has lost his ability to speak. Ben's wife, Violet (Gena Rowlands), presents Caroline with a skeleton key to open any door in the house--with the exception of one, which she claims she has never been able to open. But curiosity gets the best of her, and Caroline opens the door to find a wealth of materials representing the old house's history of hoodoo, an ancient form of folk magic. She soon discovers that the house harbors a dark secret--one that Violet knows more about than she first admits. Breaking her string of lighthearted romantic comedies, Kate Hudson gives a performance that proves she's more than capable of playing a feisty damsel in distress. Ehren Kruger's (THE RING) script gives her some physically demanding scenes, while providing the audience with a steady string of effective jolts culminating in a SIXTH SENSE-style twist that few are likely to see coming. Louisiana's swampy, heavy atmosphere is literally a character in the film, while Gena Rowlands, at age 75, astounds once again with one of her most surprising roles.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Iain Softley - Director
Kate Hudson
Gena Rowlands
John Hurt
Fahnlohnee R. Harris
Peter Sarsgaard
Joy Bryant
Trula M. Marcus
Tonya Staten
Deneen Tyler
Fahnlohnee R Harris
Details
- Format: Blu-ray (Digital Theater System, AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Widescreen)
- Run Time: 104
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 025192049842
- Genre: MYSTERY / SUSPENSE / THRILLER
- Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
- Release Date: September 2010
Movie Reviews
Notes:
THEATRICAL RELEASE: AUGUST 12, 2005
Reviews:
"[T]he performances are full-throttle, with Hudson as the most pig-headedly fearless heroine in years, making good on her ALMOST FAMOUS promise." - 09/01/2005 Uncut, p.138
"[A] basic bayou thriller distinguished by a very self-conscious subversive streak..." - 08/19/2005 Entertainment Weekly, p.120
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