The Skeleton Key is a 2005 supernatural horror-thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kate Hudson as Caroline, a hospice nurse from New Orleans who takes a job caring for a stroke patient named Ben (John Hurt) at a remote plantation manor in the Louisiana bayou. Caroline soon discovers that the house holds a dark and disturbing past, and that the hoodoo-obsessed owners Violet (Gena Rowlands) and Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) may be up to something sinister.
After finding a old key hidden in a secret spot in the house, Caroline begins to investigate the history of the manor and the people who lived there before Violet and Luke. She meets a local lawyer named Luke Stranton (played by Maxine Barnett) who tells her about the legend of hoodoo (an African-American folk magic) and how it could be used to unlock the secrets of the house. Caroline becomes obsessed with discovering the truth and sets out to break the curse that seems to be plaguing the mansion.
Caroline soon realizes that Ben's stroke was not an accident and that he and the previous owner of the house, who disappeared mysteriously, were victims of a hoodoo ritual that trapped their souls inside the house. This revelation leads Caroline to perform her own hoodoo ritual to free Ben's soul and destroy the house's evil spirits. But just when she thinks she has won, Caroline discovers that Violet and Luke have been using her all along to further their own twisted agenda.
The Skeleton Key is a suspenseful and atmospheric film that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Its blend of Voodoo and Southern Gothic creates a spooky and haunting atmosphere that will not be easily forgotten.