Skeletons In The Closet (2000)

40% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(130 ratings)

Single father Will Reed (Treat Williams) and his teenaged son Seth (Jonathan Jackson) have increasingly uncomfortable conflicts that go beyond the usual coming-of-age difficulties. Seth has grown reclusive and mysterious as his father does his best to communicate with him. Seth's binge drinking and… More Single father Will Reed (Treat Williams) and his teenaged son Seth (Jonathan Jackson) have increasingly uncomfortable conflicts that go beyond the usual coming-of-age difficulties. Seth has grown reclusive and mysterious as his father does his best to communicate with him. Seth's binge drinking and drug use get him in trouble with his girlfriend Robin (Schuyler Fisk) and her family, and his unwelcome advances on Tina (Linda Hamilton), a co-worker of Will's who has a crush on Will, make things even more unsettling. Will is hardly prepared for what comes next: Seth begins giving his father items of clothing as gifts -- items that may be evidence of a series of murders in their small New Hampshire town. Each time Will confronts Seth with the evidence, a very calm Seth has an innocent answer. Even the police think Will is going too far. Is Seth a serial killer, or is Will losing his mind? ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Wayne Powers
Written By: Donna Powers, Wayne Powers
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: May 1, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Jul 24, 2001
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

Critic Reviews

David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
There's no tension here, and when it comes to thrillers, that's about the worst transgression that exists.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Skeletons In the Closet doesn't do a very good job of creating tension and, consequently, feels like little more than a movie-of-the-week melodrama
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Unfortunately pathetic production values

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Featured Audience Ratings

jd c

Excellent little crime thriller/mystery. An unknown hidden gem. Engaging performances, a tight solid script, and superb directing. For being shot on a shoestring budget this film certainly hits home. Forget "The Good Son" or "Joshua". Skeletons in the Closet… More
Excellent little crime thriller/mystery. An unknown hidden gem. Engaging performances, a tight solid script, and superb directing. For being shot on a shoestring budget this film certainly hits home. Forget "The Good Son" or "Joshua". Skeletons in the Closet crushes those films! "Treat Williams plays the father, raising his teenaged son (Jonathan Jackson) on the New Hampshire coast. The son is rebellious, like any teenager but almost dangerously so. Prone to keeping to himself and lashing out in a violent manner, when unsolved murders begin to turn up, Dad begins to suspect that his son may be involved." Don't expect any gore or any extreme violence. This film isn't about all of that. It focuses more on building suspenseful tension through the studies of creepy character development. It moves at a very slow pace but never falls flat, thanks to some wonderful acting and intriguing dialogue. This is the kind of film that will have you guessing till the very end. I highly recommend this movie.