The Monotony of Monogamy

 
Scooby Scooby Doo, where are you?

Summary time: so this hospice care worker (Kate Hudson) decides she doesnt like the hospital she works at and leaves to work as a live-in with an elderly couple. The man just had a heart attack while in the attic which just so happens to be the location of the old "servant" quarters. These werent ordinary servants, these were hoodoo practicing servants. Without revealing too much of the "biggest twist since Sixth Sense" (which was also used as a tag line for [i]The Village[/i]), I will say that it got me. Yes, I actually didnt predict the outcome of this movie. It's amazing. That alone makes this movie better (and because that ending actually fit with the plot). However, the rest of the movie followed classic "horror movie" structure: overly curious person explores in places they shouldnt and end up pissing some people / spirits / demons off. Then, said person attempts to find some way to defeat the evil being, and usually does so. Usually. And, as Greaney so astutely pointed out, the Scooby Doo Syndrome is in full effect.

A few little things that annoyed me / made me laugh / were memorable for some reason or another:

The skeleton key really had nothing to do with the plot. All it did was allow Kate to open all the doors in the house, which, for some unknown reason, needed to be locked and unlocked every time someone wanted to pass through them. There was only 1 logical reason to keep any door locked, the door to the husband's room. Other than that, there was absolutely no reason to lock and unlock ever single door and therefore no reason at all for the skeley key and the title of the movie.

The electricity was out, yet the wheel-chair lift still worked? And bullshit hoodoo moved the lift. As it was clearly stated in the movie, hoodoo only works if you believe in it, therefore it is all in the mind, and Im fairly certain that the lift doesnt have a brain.

When Hudson suplexed the lady over the top rail. Followed closely by the line "I think you broke my legs". Nothing wrong with it, just a blatantly funny moment in an otherwise 'serious' movie.

Kate Hudson, or as I have now dubbed her "Curious Caroline," constantly waking up, and walking around . . . in a small t-shirt and panties. But I guess that's proper sleep-wear / exploration gear in the Louisiana swamps.

Overall: I give this movie a plane trip to a foreign land. The trip there is rather predictable and mondaine, but the final result is somewhat startling. This movie really isnt all that scary, even the wee lasses in the theater only screamed about 5 times. But it's still worth a look-see with a somewhat decent plot.

Book of Wise Pohl, Chapter 8, Verse 29: 'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my works. Ye Mighty, and despair!'


posted by Dave at 12:12 AM