Skeletons in the Closet (2024)

 

 

Streaming Service: Shudder 

Movie Name/Year: Skeletons in the Closet (2024) 

Genre: Horror, Thriller 

Length:  1h 38min 

Rating: R 

Director: Asif Akbar 

Writers: Al Bravo, Joshua A. Cohen, Terrence Howard, Mira Pak Howard, Koji Steven Sakai 

Actors: Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Udo Kier, Louis Mandylor, Valery M. Ortiz, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez, Clifton Powell, Appy Pratt, Mona Arkin, Deena Bacon, Randall J. Bacon, Marco Bisbikis, Niko Foster, Sally Kirkland, Landa, Reno Reyes, Khaleesi Rivera, Rebekah Samuel, JT Tomangi 

 

IMDb Blurb: Haunted by a malevolent spirit since childhood, a desperate mother allows herself to become possessed in order to save the life of her terminally ill daughter.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View: 

When we were looking over movies releasing in February, I was drawn to Skeletons in the Closet first because of its cast. I mean, seriously, - Terence Howard (Empire, The Walk, Showdown at the Grand) and Cuba Gooding Jr. (The Butler, Machete Kills, Bayou Caviar) are not small names in the industry. Then I saw a flash of Udo Kier (Dragged Across Concrete, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, Hunters) in the trailer and I was intrigued. He always plays interesting and seemingly sinister characters. Call my curiosity solidly piqued.

 

 

I will be honest that there were moments of the trailer that gave me a couple red flags that led me to not include Skeletons in the Closet with my personal Top 20 for February. When we were offered an opportunity to screen the film, however, we were excited to give it a chance and see where the experience took us.

 

I wasn’t disappointed with Skeletons in the Closet, but at the same time I wasn’t blown away either.

 

There were just some moments where it was hard for me to suspend my disbelief.

 

 

Skeletons in the Closet could have benefited from a little tighter editing, as it felt like it drew a few things out a little longer than necessary. By the end, when I should have been at the edge of my seat as events ramped up to the conclusion, I was just fighting to keep my attention focused. I will add the caveat that my ADHD sometimes does that to me when I’m not immersed enough in a movie.

 

I don’t want to point any fingers at any of the cast or the story – there was a really solid idea behind Skeletons in the Closet. It probably just could have benefited from a little more tweaking in the execution. I have been excited for the recent surge of horror projects that bring other cultures to audiences. The fact that this story involved Santa Muerte was another interesting element that gave Skeletons in the Closet it’s potential.

 

 

By the time the credits rolled, I felt a bit like I had finished watching someone put a puzzle together and the picture looked right, but they had to hammer a few pieces in along the way that were maybe not quite in the right places; so it gave the overall end product a bit of an Uncanny Valley feeling.

 

Skeletons in the Closet wasn’t bad, per se. There are simply far better titles available on Shudder – but there are also far worse. If the concept of the exploration of the lengths a parent would go to in desperation to save their child, generational trauma and inherited curses, and cameos from Santa Muerte catches your attention… you might find Skeletons in the Closet at least intriguing.

 

Skeletons in the closet released on Shudder today, February 9^th, 2023.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None 

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None 

Metascore – None 

Metacritic User Score – None 

IMDB Score – 5.0/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

 

Movie Trailer: