The genre of mystical thriller is a truly unique direction in cinema. It was in it that the film The Skeleton Key was filmed, released in 2005 under the direction of British director Ian Softley.
The Skeleton Key, as horror fans note, is one of the best representatives of such films. Let’s see why it is distinguished from other paintings, and most importantly: what is the meaning of the authors put into it?
What is the movie The Skeleton Key about?
A young girl named Caroline came to work as a nurse for an elderly, wealthy, disabled man who had suffered a stroke and lost the ability to speak and move. He had very little time left to live, according to doctors’ forecasts.
His wife decides to give the girl the key to all the doors in a huge house. But when the girl decided to test all the doors for compatibility with the key, she discovered an interesting thing – the key does not fit the attic door. The owner of the house tells Caroline that this house has a great history, and 90 years ago it belonged to a banker, and a couple of African Americans lived in one of the rooms as servants. Both practiced hoodoo magic. The banker discovered this when he gathered guests for a big celebration, and the guests also became witnesses of the hoodoo practice. After the incident, it was decided to execute the servants, but this did not solve the problems, and the banker and his wife disappeared under unclear circumstances. It was a curse. However, their children continued to stay there, and later sold the house to the owners we already know.
Caroline realizes that Papa Justify has been developing a spell that can increase one person’s life while making another person’s life shorter. Thus, the girl-nurse believed in the hoodoo. And to believe in bad luck means that you yourself are now subject to the action of this magic, so the one who does not believe in it is not subject to it. The nurse comes to the fact that Ben’s wife decided to use this spell and thereby prolong her youth.
Luke comes to Caroline’s aid. Luke is a young man who handles the family’s legal affairs. But in the end it turns out that Luke is not a friend to the girl at all. He, along with Violet, locks her in a room to perform the ritual. The mistress of the house reads a spell, pushes Caroline to the mirror. But it doesn’t reflect Caroline, it reflects Mama Cecile. Then it turns out that the purpose of the ritual is not the adoption of other people’s years, but the exchange of bodies. This meant that in Violet’s body was the soul of Mama Cecile, in the body of Luke – Papa Justify. And the dying Violet (that is, Caroline) and Ben (Luke) are being taken to the hospital. According to a false statement by the dying, the house is now owned by Mama Cecile in Caroline’s body.
Papa Justify was smart, after all, and on the day of their execution, he still managed to use the spell. He chose the children of the banker as experimental subjects, that is, it was they who were executed that day. And only then, when their bodies wore out, they moved into the bodies of Violet and Ben, having made a very cunning and prudent move.
The meaning of the film The Skeleton Key
The meaning of the film is that people, if they want, they will still achieve their goal. Do not underestimate your enemies for this very reason.
It is also worth paying attention to the history of the banker. If he had not been so greedy and cruel, it is likely that he and his family would not have had to endure such torments that they had to endure. The best way to resolve conflict is to talk like a human being. But not everyone thinks so, like the former owner of the house, they think that it is best to punish them physically, or even execute them. However, one cannot treat a person as an animal, and it does not matter who this person is: the president or the cleaning lady, the actress or the saleswoman.
We are all equal, and no one excludes the possibility that the roles can easily change in an instant. The one who was bullied may one day take over this role and take revenge. Therefore, you should not produce numerous conflicts out of thin air, you need to be able to listen to your neighbor, and then both he and you will have a good and pleasant life.
Meaning of the movie’s ending The Skeleton Key
The film ends with Mama Cecile finally getting the house where she was once in the humiliating role of a slave. Now she is the full owner of it.
She has a strong and assertive character, because she is able to go long and hard towards her goal, no matter what. It is these individuals who achieve success in the end. Moreover, the truth was on her side, and as you know, justice in the end will still prevail and conquer everything.
