Based on Arthur Machen's 1927 short story "The Islington Mystery," this Rogelio A. González-directed (Chanoc, Dr. Satán y La Magia Negra) film is considered by many to be a classic of Mexican film, not just Mexican horror.It's the story of taxidermist Dr. Pablo Morales (Arturo de Córdova, For Whom the Bell Tolls) who is stuck in a dead marriage to the hypochondriacal and ultra-religious Gloria (Amparo Rivelles, The Nail). He's dreamed of having children or even a moment of affection from his wife, who tells him that he smells of the dead.Pablo finds another dream. He saves for a camera, but he gives the money to the church, so he must save up again. Despite his wife convincing the community that he's an abuser and a drunk, he somehow finally gets his camera.Mrs. Morales responds by breaking it.That's when too much is too much, so the kindly man kills his wife, dissects her and displays her skeleton in his storefront.The priest is convinced that our protagonist is guilty, as is nearly everyone else in town, after Mrs. Morales has painted him as a drunk, a wife-beater and a general ne'er do well. That's when this movie shifts into a courtroom film.Well, Mr. Morales escapes the law. But he can't escape God.Screenwriter Luis Alcoriza was very influenced by Bunuel, which comes through in this. I love that Mexican cinema of the 1950's - or at least my experience of it - is monsters and luchadors on one side and mind-bending art films on the other.
Skeleton Man 720p torrent
I love films from all over the world and I understand that this makes me kind of weird--particularly here in the United States where most folks have little tolerance for subtitles. Perhaps it's because I have seen and reviewed so many films that I often look for something different--and The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is certainly different-- and in some very good ways.In the past, I've written some articles about cheesy Mexican films-- such as the Aztec mummy films and the luchador (masked wrestler) films of the 60s and 70s. These films are pretty bad, but also are wonderful for a good laugh. But this does NOT mean that all Mexican films of yesterday are bad or silly--there are plenty of wonderful older Mexican movies that I've seen and I hope to see many more. For examples, the comedies of Cantinflas are quite charming and Pedro Infante's musicals are quite enjoyable--plus I am always hopeful that readers will write to me to recommend their favorites (hint, hint--PLEASE send me the names of your favorites)! The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is an interesting tale because it's one of the few older films I've seen that would seem to endorse murder! Like the wonderful Hollywood film The Suspect (with Charles Laughton), the story is about a nice man who is married to a truly horrible woman. However, Mrs. Morales is unusual in her awfulness because she is two-faced. To her many friends in the local church and her extended family, she is a virtual saint who is forced to live with a terrible husband who drinks too much, abuses her and is irreverent. However, this is all part of Mrs. Morales' sick personality disorder. He is actually a very good husband and tries to love her, but she is both frigid and very cruel towards him--and being married to her is impossible. She wants others to think she's a martyr for staying with such a monster and he just wants a wife who will love him and so he puts up with a lot during their long and very unhappy marriage. All the while, most audience members are hoping that Dr. Morales will either leave this woman or kill her. I was rooting for him to kill her--especially after she smashes the camera he saved up to buy for two years and then convinced her friends that HE beat her! What's next? Well, the word 'skeleton' is in the title...so you might be able to guess SOME of what will happen. However, like all wonderful dark comedies, guessing exactly what will happen is just about impossible! And it features a wonderful twist ending that made me smile.The bottom line is that while most people are much more likely to watch a recent Hollywood movie, there are wonderful films waiting to be discovered from all over the world. And, in the case of The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales, you don't have to travel that far from Hollywood to find a classic.
This chiller in centred on hospice assistant Caroline Ellis; she has become somewhat disenchanted with the place she works to replies to an advert for a live-in carer at an old plantation house deep in the bayous. When she gets there she meets Violet Devereaux and her husband Benjamin; he has suffered a stroke and can't care for himself it will be Caroline's job to look after him for his remaining days. Shortly after arriving she is given a skeleton key that opens every door in the house. She finds a door in the attic that it won't open; Mrs Devereaux explains that the room hasn't been entered since she and her husband moved in several decades ago. Caroline manages to get into the room and discovers various spells, potions and other hoodoo paraphernalia. It turns out the room originally belonged to Mama Cecile and Papa Justify; two servants who had been lynched ninety years before. She investigates further and starts to believe that Mrs Devereaux is responsible for what happened to her husband and that she too is in real danger.If you want gore, a high body count and plenty of jump-scares this won't be the film for you; however if you want a decent atmospheric chiller that is creepy rather than scary then this film may be worth checking out. The setting adds to the films atmosphere; the sort of Deep South location where one can easily believe unpleasant things happened in the bad old days. Kate Hudson does a solid enough job as Caroline and Gena Rowlands manages to be suitably creepy while being a charming southern lady as Violet. John Hurt is impressive as Benjamin; a character who barely says a word but conveys a lot of emotion with every look. The story progresses at a decent pace and there are a few twists the ending isn't a total surprise though certainly anybody who has seen 'The Wicker Man' is likely to figure out that being the protagonist doesn't guarantee Caroline's ultimate safety. Overall though I thought this was an effective and atmospheric chiller.
The nurse Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) decides to quit her job in a hospital and work for a family in the swamps of Terrebone Parish, Louisiana, one hour far from New Orleans. The family lawyer Luke (Peter Sarsgaard) hires her for US$ 1,000.00 per week to take care of Ben Devereaux (John Hurt), the beloved husband of Violet Devereaux (Gena Howlands), who had a stroke and is totally paralyzed. Violet gives a skeleton key of the huge house to Caroline, and the curious young woman finds a secret creepy hoodoo room in a scary attic that belonged to a couple of sorcerers that worked in the house. Caroline, who does not believe in magic, decides to learn about hoodoo, and believes Violet put an evil spell on Ben. She decides to help the invalid man, and asks for help to Luke.Finally I was able to see an original and recent American horror movie that is not a remake of a successful Japanese film! "The Skeleton Key" is really a good movie, using psychological horror and mystery in a very consistent story, and a great conclusion. Kate Hudson has an excellent performance, and it is good to see her fixing her career after some terrible movies. I did not recognized Gena Howlands, who I believe was submitted to plastic surgery and has a completely different face. I am not sure whether fans of gore horror movies will like this film, but for those who liked "The Others", "The Sixth Sense", "Haunted" or "El Espinazo del Diablo" will certainly appreciate this film. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "A Chave Mestra" ("The Master Key")Note: On 16 July 2013, I saw this movie again.
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