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Review of The Skeleton Key (Edward Shearmur)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... only if you are an enthusiast of classic blues tunes of a truly depressing nature, and could tolerate some twangy suspense underscore interspersed.

Avoid it... if you seek heightened intelligence in your horror works, and the same old stereotypical strikes and banging won't compensate for some good location design for America's deep south.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The Skeleton Key: (Edward Shearmur) A stock thriller released in the height of summer, The Skeleton Key takes the notion of the haunted house and places it in the Louisiana delta region outside of New Orleans. One of the ironies of the film is that it seems to rain all the time in this place, and wouldn't you know... a "hurricane of the century" would hit the real life location a few weeks after the release of the film. The rain, unfortunately, is the only realistic leap of logic in this rather trashy film. It's amazing how such established groups of actors can end up in a rehash such as The Skeleton Key, with stereotypical horror twists and camera techniques that no longer cause the majority of the audience to even squirm slightly in its seats. Kate Hudson's primary character is given a skeleton (master) key to a mansion where she is the live-in nurse, and there is inevitably a room in the attic with a rattling door and all sorts of nasties within. Heck, there's even a gas station in this little town setting that looks perfect for Deliverance. The only variation on the horror theme here is the "Hoodoo" folk magic variation on familiar incantations and herbal remedies. Director Iain Softley has been deteriorating in his progression of projects, and he's been taking his loyal composer, Edward Shearmur, along for the ride. From The Wings of the Dove to K-Pax to The Skeleton Key, Shearmur's music for Softley's films has not stayed consistent with the otherwise slow, but sure increase in quality from the composer for other projects. One thing that Shearmur has going for him is an intelligence about genres of music, however, and he does his best to inject the spirit of America's deep south into the soundtrack. Hearing a genuine Southern twang in scores these days is relatively rare, and the album that Shearmur has put together includes some classic, historically regional songs.

For a film that relies heavily upon atmosphere, shock, and superstition, Shearmur seems content to provide music that is restrained to those simple concepts. His acoustic guitar work will remind of John Williams' Rosewood, though his straight horror cues take familiar orchestra hits, wild string strikes, and considerable drum beating to get their message across. Distant thematic wanderings in the lower ranges of the orchestra are highlighted by the guitar, and in "Violet's Story" and "Hoodoo Woman," Shearmur begins to establish some dramatic appeal in the strings and guitar's performances. There are individual electronic contributions to the score that merit a mention, including a distant vocal wailing and seagull sound effect (so high that it almost sounds like dolphin calls) in "Ben Escapes." But the rest of Shearmur's music passes quite anonymously. It's always a disappointment when you have essentially a haunted house movie and neither the house nor the rattling thing in the attic receive any thematic development or instrumental motif to foreshadow and surprise the listener. In fact, all of Shearmur's thematic material in The Skeleton Key remains elusive at best, with its pace of movement so slow that it's difficult to remember where the ideas started by the time they unceremoniously evaporate at the end. The album for The Skeleton Key was produced by the composer and director together, and reveals another problem with the music for this film. The difference between the historical blues songs (sometimes with the static from the record player clearly evident) and Shearmur's deeply resounding sound quality makes for countless jarring transitions, as the songs and score are alternated throughout the entire album. This sequencing problem is the nail in the coffin of Shearmur's work, and makes the album far more interesting for fans of old, depressing blues tunes rather than film music collectors. Fans of Shearmur's work won't find enough quality material here to enjoy.

• Music as Written for the Film: ***
• Music as Heard on Album: *
• Overall: **

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 52:48

• 1. Death Letter - performed by Johnny Farmer/Organized Noise (3:39) • 2. Opening Titles (3:00) • 3. Come On In My Kitchen - performed by Robert Johnson (2:49) • 4. Barefoot Dancing - performed by Blackbud (3:42) • 5. Ben Escapes (3:12) • 6. Do Watcha Wanna - performed by Rebirth Brass Band (3:24) • 7. 61 Highway Blues - performed by Mississippi Fred McDowell (3:11) • 8. Violet's Story (2:28) • 9. Hoodoo Woman (2:45) • 10. God Moves on the Water - performed by Blind Willie Johnson (2:59) • 11. The Goldrush - performed by Joe Washbourn (4:18) • 12. Saving Ben (4:41) • 13. Iko Iko - performed by The Dixie Cups (2:04) • 14. The Conjure Room (5:53) • 15. Conjure of Sacrifice - performed by Walter Breaux, Bruce 'Sunpie' Barnes, Fawn Lohnee Harris, Eluard Burt II & Alfred Roberts (2:40) • 16. Thank You Child (2:04)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes a list of performers, but no extra information about the score or film.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from The Skeleton Key are Copyright © 2005, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/12/05 (and not updated significantly since).