Skeleton Key is a new politcal thriller about...anyone? Anyone? Voodoo economics. All joking aside, (I was kidding about the political part) I actually enjoyed this flick despite a final act that many will no doubt find extremely silly. For me, it worked and I credit much of it to solid performances by a great cast.

Skeleton Key features the gorgeous Kate Hudson as Caroline Ellis, a young woman who takes care of the sick and elderly. When she becomes disenchanted with her current job (she doesn't feel that her employer really cares about their patients) she opts to leave and find employment where her ministrations will be better appreciated. Her quest for hire takes her to the deep south where she accepts a position caring for an elderly man (John Hurt) who's recently suffered from a stroke. Caroline must also tend to the gentleman's feisty and overbearing wife Violet (an entertaining Gena Rowlands). Before long, this caring nurse becomes ensnared in a strange world of magic spells and voodoo, neither of which she really believes in.

Skeleton Key is like the recent Dark Water in that it walks that fine line between drama and horror, but it does so in a much more assured fashion. Both films feature women trapped in supernatural surroundings they don't particularly buy into, and in both cases these independent women continue to move forward because of dramatic events that have occurred in their own lives.

Kate Hudson is simply stunning both physically and in terms of performance. She really anchors this film. If she doesn't believe, then neither do we. If she does believe, we're with her every step of the way. This lovely, talented actress is at once tough and vulnerable in what I believe is her best work since Almost Famous. John Hurt is outstanding as Ben, a feat made all the more amazing considering he speaks maybe five lines of actual dialogue. His entire performance comes across through facial expression, and I was extremely impressed. Peter Sarsgaard is solid as a southerner who lands Caroline her new job. Finally there is the terrifically entertaining Gena Rowlands who just looks to be having a blast here. She's immensely entertaining, and I'd love to see her tenacious Violet engage in a brawl with Kathy Bates' Annie Wilkes (of Misery fame) in an episode of MTV's Celebrity Death Match.

Skeleton Key (which has a tone comparable to Wes Craven's Serpent and the Rainbow and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby mixed with the visual style of Clint Eastwood's less than stellar Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) was directed by Iain Softley (Backbeat, Hackers), and he does a good job building tension, particularly in the final act when all the pieces start to come together. The big showdown during the climax of the picture is very entertaining, much more so than the recent Red Eye which also ends with a big, excessive chase. Here though, the proceedings work more effectively because of the supernatural subject matter.

Skeleton Key is also beautifully shot. There's a very creepy sequence in which Hudson makes a getaway by means of a dark and murky bayou, that's extremely well executed. What's more, Softley doesn't resort to a bunch of quick cut MTV style editing to generate the scares. He does use this technique during a couple of brief and effective nightmare sequences, but for the most part, he allows us to see what's going on through long tracking shots. Furthermore, he uses the richly sumptuous locations to his fullest advantage, and compliments them with a perfect, southern inspired score.

Finally, I'd like to touch a bit on the ending, but without giving anything away. There is a twist of sorts at play in Skeleton Key, but the film doesn't feel gimmicky or labored. In fact, I found it most engrossing. It easily could have fallen apart, but the strong performances keep it from reaching the terrain of Roman Polanski's silly Ninth Gate, and Ehren Kruger's absorbing screenplay and keen insightfulness into that fine line between doubt and belief prevent it from turning into a mess like Gregory Hoblit's fumblesome Fallen.

Skeleton Key lacks the creepy, sinister tone of The Ring but it does generate some great thrills and I'll take it over crap like that Amityville Horror remake any day. With a strong cast, picture perfect cinematography and spectacular southern settings, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this flick. But mostly, I loved that it had the nerve to offer up a surprisingly dark ending. I'm giving this movie a B for BALLS!