Review of Skeletons

Skeletons (1997 TV Movie)
3/10
Some people will do anything for money
20 February 2014
"Skeletons" is listed as a 1997 TV-movie, but it must have been shown somewhere else given its not-ready-for-prime time language.

It stars Ron Silver, Dee Wallace Stone, Christopher Plummer, James Coburn, and Carole Baker.

This is actually a horror film, though it starts off as a mystery. When journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Peter Crane (Silver) suffers a heart attack, he and his wife (Stone) and young son move to a small, idyllic New England town, Saugatuck. They haven't been there long when a woman (Baker) comes to see Crane, knowing his reputation. Her son has been accused of killing his gay lover; she knows he didn't do it and wants Crane to investigate.

It's clear from the get-go that the town is anti-gay, and the Crane family is immediately harassed by the locals because of Crane's interest in the case. Crane smells a set-up, and when another tragedy occurs, he's sure of it.

This film disintegrated into horror-land toward the end. It became obvious that some of these actors -- Mr. Plummer, I'm talking to you -- did it for the money. One of our finest actors in this dreck - I find it reprehensible. Ditto James Coburn.

I'd like to say this film is dated but we know in some parts of the country, this kind of harassment against gays still goes on. This movie over-emphasized the point but still, since it is a horror film, it could be made today, seventeen years later. That makes me sad. Like a few other things in "Skeletons."
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