There are three distinct themes running throughout the movie. The first is the magical art of Hoodoo. Hoodoo is a magical practise; it is different from Voodoo, which is actually a religion. Caroline comes across the magic when she first goes into the attic and finds all the Hoodoo material, but only when her friend explains to her what it actually is, does she really understand the culture of it all. It is considered to be magic mainly because some of the Hoodoo herbs can only be grown in the southern part of America. People believe that this area of America is special so they travel from all over to collect the herbs and Hoodoo items. All the items are natural and can be grown and Hoodoo practitioners believe that the herbs and practises can actually heal you. Sceptics call the practises witchcraft, as they are unconvinced that herbs can cure you. This idea creates tension in the film as Caroline initially doesn’t believe in Hoodoo, however, as the story unfolds and she learns more about the practises she starts to believe in it little by little. In the end she resorts to a Hoodoo practise, and this leads to her “death”.
A second theme is the guilt. Caroline has an overwhelming feeling of guilt because of the untimely death of her father. Her father died a few years before she went into the Devereux household, but she feels guilty, as she wasn’t there to care for him before he died as she thought she had more time. This is the reason she is so conscientious when caring for Ben. It is also the reason she stays on in the house even though she is uncomfortable when the strange and mysterious things begin to happen. Her feelings of guilt and her curiosity ultimately result in her misfortune, as she seems prepared to stay in the house at all costs. Softley builds the tension cleverly throughout the film as we follow Caroline through the storyline.
The final theme is the supernatural, and there are a lot of references to ghosts and spirits throughout the film. Caroline is told to believe that there are ghosts in the house. This builds an immense amount of tension as every time she opens a door or enters a room the audience are gripped wondering what is going to happen. The music to underscore the film has been chosen specifically to create a creepy and frightening atmosphere. It is ‘bluesy’ and dark and builds in tempo and pitch as the action in the scene becomes more tense. This draws the audience into the film and makes them feel part of the action it keeps the audience interested and involved in the storyline as they are made to feel something bad is always just about to happen. Ironically, there are in fact no ghosts in the film; there is only the faith in what people say and believe. This shows how powerful peoples minds can be and that we can convince ourselves of anything if we believe it or want it enough. Again, “Fearing is believing”!
When Caroline first comes to the house, we see a ‘Keep Out’ sign. This reveals how Caroline is extremely vulnerable and very powerless. The next camera shot after her arriving at the house is a high angle shot of Caroline’s red beetle and the trees. The trees are significantly bigger than the car and seem to bow over it in an arc shape. This signifies that she is not in control and her fate lies in the hands of her surroundings and the people in the house. This highlights her vulnerability and encourages the audience to identify with her and emphasise with her as we are made to feel she will need protection, as something bad will happen to her.
Caroline doesn’t fit in with these surroundings at all. It is as though she has been drawn her by some invisible force. Her brightly coloured car is in complete contrast to the house and we are made to feel by the clever use of camera shots and angles that she is being watched from the very beginning.
Just as she is about to enter the house, the camera cuts to a shot of a chair on the porch. Tension is cleverly built here as the chair is rocking but there is no wind and no one in sight. This is another indication that there may be ghosts in the house. When she finally enters the house, she comes across a figure. The audience is led to believe it is a real person, however, it is only a statue of a clay doll, another suggestion that she is being watched. The dolls face is split in two one half is white the other black. As Caroline enters the house she sees the white side, white, indicates goodness and purity, this is highlighting Caroline’s qualities. The black side indicates the evil and disturbing side of the house and the sinister events that are going to unfold. As we follow her through the house we see lots of evidence that illustrates the inhabitants of the house are as old-fashioned as the house itself. We hear an old gramophone playing Hoodoo music, which gives an eerie feel to the rooms.
Caroline is first sent to the attic on an errand to collect some seeds for the garden. Contrasting lighting is used in the attic sequence in order to create bold shadows. This makes the audience believe that something at any second will jump out on Caroline. It reinforces the idea that there are ghosts in the house – a belief shaped by the title and marketing of the film. Whilst in the attic her attention is drawn towards a small door. The lighting is used to great effect here as the rest of the room is in darkness, but the small door is brightly lit. As she approaches the door the music begins to build and becomes louder and bolder, and the door begins to shake and rattle. The audience will now be on the edge of their seats wondering what is going to happen next. Further tension is built as the ‘Skeleton Key’ she has been given that opens every other room in the house, fails to open the small door. As soon as she puts the key into the keyhole the door stops shaking. When Caroline enters the room her face is lit to emphasise her goodness, however, the further into the room she moves the darker her features become, suggesting that the evil is taking over her.
There is a constant struggle between good, Caroline, and evil, the house. The sequence where Caroline decides to try and unlock the small door is a good example of this. Initially we see Caroline in control making the decision to unlock the door; a low angle shot upwards towards Caroline highlights this perfectly. However, as the door will not open we see the shot switch to high angle emphasising her defencelessness. An extreme close up of the skeleton Key, links back to the title and its importance.
The climax of the film is unexpected. The audience are led throughout the entire film to believe that something bad is going to happen to Caroline and we are constantly reminded of her vulnerability and goodness. However, Caroline has begun to believe in the Hoodoo practises and this knowledge and belief means she has taken over the faith from Mrs Devereux, yet again ‘Fearing is believing’. Caroline uses her knowledge of the Hoodoo to protect Ben by locking him in the shed using a Hoodoo dust that determines your enemies.
The lighting and sound are used dramatically in this sequence to echo the feelings and action of the actors, this technique is called pathetic fallacy, where the setting symbolises the turmoil being experienced by the actors. Fast editing of the scenes create panic, tension and suspense. This is also created by the quick beat of the camera shots switching from Caroline to Mrs. Devereux. This technique of switches camera shots echoes the beating of Caroline’s heart, this together with the music which also thumps like a beating heart makes the audience feel as though they are right in the middle of the action as it is appealing to all their senses.
Caroline escapes and goes to the Lawyer for safety, but she realises too late that he is also involved in the evil of the house. Luke takes her back to the Devereux house. However she outwits him and manages to escape from him. She hurriedly runs up to the room in the house where previously she had seen a Hoodoo practise set up. So she sets up her own practise to keep Mrs. Devereux away from her by lighting candle, chalking a circle around her and even cutting herself to provide blood along with plenty of other Hoodoo herbs and equipment.
Little did she know, was that the practise she had set up was precisely what Mrs. Devereux and Luke required her to execute. This enabled souls to switch bodies but only if both people believed in Hoodoo. And so Mrs. Devereux was now technically Caroline and vice versa. This allowed the tradition of Papa Justify and Cecile to carry on another generation.
Softley has used all the traditional cinematic techniques in order to draw the audience in and make them believe in the characters and the storyline. The lighting, sound and camera angles all help to set the mood and atmosphere of the film and this has been done to great effect. The actors play a huge part in the success of the film and I feel the actors were well chosen and effectively increased the success of the film. The genre of horror is such that the audience expects to be terrified and frightened by the film and Softley does this very effectively with the exception of the end, which I feel could have been more dramatic. Tension is built throughout the film, however, I think the climax is disappointing and leaves the audience feeling dissatisfied.