Der verbotene Schlüssel

For the ending, I give the film at least an average rating because it is still an interesting outcome, even though it takes quite a long time to reach it. At times, it is unnecessarily drawn out, which detracts from the atmosphere, and it ultimately relies mainly on the fact that the performances do not ruin the experience. Surprisingly, this is also true of Kate Hudson, whom I otherwise don't like at all. (29.06.2015)

Ein handwerklich geschickt gemachter Film, die Garantiezeit des Inhalts ist aber schon längst abgelaufen. Die Identifizierung mit der Heldin, die zu dem Schlüsselmoment im Finale führen soll, funktioniert gut. Es macht aber das Publikum nicht fertig. Es ist eher überraschend. Ein solider Thriller, der eigentlich keine Fehler hat, aber nicht so intensiv funktioniert, wie er es gern hätte. (24.09.2005)

A decent horror film, reasonably suspenseful most of the time, but so stupid towards the end that it slams the door of the house. The voodoo theme is used here for a twist that is anything but clever. The casting of Sarsgaard, then, is somewhat by-the-book, given his typical roles. (23.10.2023)

Ehren Kruger obviously got his writing juices flowing during the remake of the first The Ring because the second film didn't feature much intelligence. The same can be said about The Key. It's not completely stupid, but it's punishingly hollow at certain points. Softley knows how to film dialogue to perfection, but the atmosphere eludes him - the protagonist wanders around the house while the more knowledgeable viewer suspects that there are no boogeymen in the attic. It gets a small bonus for the relatively clever point and a big one for Kate Hudson's nice ass. (22.02.2008)

If any film has pleasantly surprised me lately and has truly brought me joy within its genre, it's the horror-themed The Skeleton Key. A smart film with the atmosphere of southern New Orleans, featuring black magic, mysterious rituals, mysticism, and African American animistic cults. It vaguely resembles the high-budgeted Angel Heart. Tension is gradually built, the acting is decent, and the twist ending is surprising. It's a film where the creators can play with the audience's expectations as well as traditional genre props and schemes. Furthermore, the twist ending is soaked in dark and corrosive humor. It's not a film that indulges in jump scares; rather, it's a horror thriller that genre connoisseurs will appreciate. Overall impression: 80%. (24.04.2010)

A bona fide old-school thriller with a ghost story and a likable main character, but no original or exceptional content. You can see the craftsmanship, especially in the building of the atmosphere in the house or in the ending, and I'm sure that when it was released it could very well have been the event of the year, but after so many years and films seen, the individual elements no longer strike me as innovative, but all seen a hundred times nowadays. Even so, I can objectively say that the film definitely did not spare any tension and I enjoyed it quite a lot. In particular, I must mention the final five minutes, which surprised and grounded me and earned the film a fourth star. (01.05.2023)