“Skeletons in the Closet” is a new supernatural Horror film streaming on Shudder. Directed by Asif Akbar, it follows a couple’s journey as they try to do everything in their power to save their young daughter from terminal cancer. Terrence Howard plays the husband, who tries to find money for the treatment in the wake of a financial tragedy. Valery Ortiz plays the wife who revisits her painful past to save her daughter’s life. Since they both work hard for their family, it will likely resonate with many viewers. Throughout its duration, the film explores the unending hold of past traumas over the present. Spoilers ahead.
Skeletons in the Closet (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is ‘Skeletons in the Closet’ about?
“Skeletons in the Closet” is the new Shudder exclusive release starring Terrence Howard and Valery Ortiz in the lead roles. It follows Mark and Valentina as they try to do everything they can to save their daughter Jenny from cancer. They face financial and supernatural obstacles that change the course of their lives. If you’re a fan of supernatural horror flicks dealing with themes of haunting memories, demons, possessions, and similarly grim themes, this film will satisfy you. The script of “Skeletons in the Closet” is written by Koji Steven Sakai & Joshua A. Cohen based on a story by Al Bravo. Besides Howard, the cast includes Cuba Gooding Jr., Udo Kier, Clifton Powell, Louis Mandylor, Sally Kirkland, Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez, and Niko Foster in the supporting roles.
What happens in ‘Skeletons in the Closet’?
“Skeletons in the Closet” follows a married couple – Mark (played by Terrence Howard) and Valentina (played by Valery M Ortiz) as they raise their daughter Jenny (played by Appy Pratt) in a suburban neighborhood. One day, Valentina sees a white-haired woman in a white robe standing right behind Jenny. It startles her. Within a few moments, this woman vanishes from her vision. Unlike her, Mark and Jenny do not see this woman. Still, Mark tries to relieve Valentina’s anxiety about Jenny’s life. It seems like she had similar visions in the past as well.
Later, Mark goes to work, hoping for a promotion. Instead, he gets fired because of some things beyond his control. On the other hand, Valentina goes to meet Father Francisco (played by Clifton Powell) to speak about what she saw. He tries to calm her worries and makes her believe that the lord will not let her take any reckless steps. Afterward, she goes to the hospital to check on Jenny’s health. The doctor diagnoses Jenny with cancer. As if that’s not enough, their medical insurance cannot cover the hospital bills. This, along with Mark’s job loss, puts a financial strain on their family.
How does Mark find money for Jenny’s chemotherapy bill?
The hospital tells Valentina that they won’t start the chemotherapy on Jenny until they pay for the treatment. Meanwhile, Mark returns home to find a strange grim reaper figurine lying outside. It makes them both worried about an evil presence in their lives. At night, he goes to meet his older brother Andres (played by Cuba Gooding Jr) to speak about his troubles. Andres knows someone who can help with money. But he warns of this person’s bad reputation. However, Mark is so desperate that he decides to meet this person.
Mark asks for 50 grand for his daughter’s treatment. The man agrees to pay half the amount. But Mark requests the full amount in exchange for his material possessions as collateral. The criminal threatens to harm his family if he does not pay it back with interest in a month. Later, he gets angry at Andres for not warning him enough. To help him relieve his stress about the future, Andres takes Mark to a tarot card reader. Madam Futura (played by Sally Kirkland) sees unending pain & worry in Mark’s future. She reckons she can read it but cannot change it.
What happens to Valentina after Jenny’s cancer diagnosis?
Valentina keeps having terrifying nightmares. She sees herself as a young kid running away from a scarecrow-like figure that follows her through a farm. Later, at her job as a nurse, she imagines that scary woman’s presence creeping around a patient. So, she meets Father to ask why her prayers haven’t stopped such occurrences. Back home, Mark tells her that he has found a way to take care of the hospital bills. He takes her to meet Madam Futura, who redirects them to Luc (played by Udo Kier). This old man tells them a way to get rid of the cancer that has spread through her brain. He offers a parchment to the couple to write down their wish and bring it back the next day.
Once they return home, Valentina opens up about her worries. Anyone close to her has died in the past. She feels the same will happen to Jenny. Mark tries to help her decompress. But soon after, the criminal’s cronies show up at his door to threaten their lives. That’s when Mark comes clean to Valentina about her worries. Later, in the hospital, she senses that woman’s presence once again. It coincides with a patient’s sudden pain & suffering. Scared, Valentina runs out to her car to see a man in the back seat, who vanishes the very next moment. She returns home and keeps whispering something to herself.
What do Mark & Valentina learn from Luc? What does ‘Skeletons in the Closet’ mean?
Mark and Valentina go back to meet Luc. He takes them to a creepy void and checks on her willingness to do anything necessary to save Jenny. A few moments later, they find themselves in their bed, waking up from this nightmare. How did they get there from Luc’s void? They both wonder. But neither has the answer for it. Later, they take Jenny to the hospital. Valentina keeps seeing and hearing things that put her in unease. So, Mark tells her to go back home. Instead, she goes to meet Luc to speak about her stress. Luc talks about the skeletons in the closet aka a painful memory that still haunts her.
Valentina revisits a part of her past when Father Francisco carried her back to her house. With Luc’s help, she looks back at this memory and notices a dead woman lying in the bathtub. The older Valentina sees a grim reaper-like figure next to it. It scares her so much that she wakes up, once again, in her own bed. In the following days, a man keeps meeting Jenny and handing over some things to her before Valentina can catch him. Nevertheless, Valentina keeps praying for her daughter’s better health. One day, a miracle happens. The doctors find no signs of cancer in Jenny’s brain. Valentina believes it is because of her efforts. Around the same time, Mark’s debt gets paid in full.
Skeletons in the Closet (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
What happened in Valentina’s past?
Despite Jenny’s positive test results, Valentina cannot keep her mind at peace. She realizes that Luc is the man who kept meeting her daughter. While Mark tries to make Jenny look forward to their future, Valentina worries her past is catching up with her. Luc says that Valentina needs to pay for a woman’s death. Turns out, a woman named Ceila (played by Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez) sacrificed her life to save someone else. She is the woman Valentina envisions lying in a bathtub, soaked in her own blood.
In the past, Young Valentina saw another woman suffering. She ran away and bumped into a scarecrow-like figure. After that, Father Francisco happened to notice her lying unconscious on the ground. He carried her back home. The Father assumed that the man who accompanied a Latina woman’s ritual was killed in a fire. But this man – Santeros (played by Louis Mandylor), returns to her life to reveal that Jenny has cancer because of Valentina’s past. It is because of an intergenerational curse where someone’s life led to other people’s deaths. If someone doesn’t die, it will keep plaguing their lives for multiple generations.
What happens to Valentina in the end?
At the end of “Skeletons in the Closet,” Valentina learns about her terrifying past. She realizes that her mother died to save her life. Now that her daughter has recovered from cancer, someone else will suffer the consequences of their intergenerational curse. So, with Santeros, Valentina and Mark return to the wooden cabin. They suddenly see Luc appear out of nowhere, followed by the scarecrow-like grim reaper figure. Valentina fights for her life but eventually succumbs to death in a fire. However, despite her sacrifice, Mark and Valentina may continue to suffer from unavoidable repercussions.
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