No meat on these bones

When I saw a scheduled listing for DVD release today of Skeleton Key 2, I naturally assumed it to be a direct-to-DVD sequel to Iain Softley's 2005 Skeleton Key, a rather gray Cajun-themed supernatural thriller with a rather gray ending, notable only for getting John Hurt and Gena Rowlands to take starring roles.

While Skeleton Key's DVD sequel is probably in the works, Skeleton Key 2 is actually a sequel to John Johnson's direct-to-video 2006 Skeleton Key. It could be a clever marketing trick for a canny producer, come to think of it: pick a somewhat successful film with a fairly generic title, rush out a low-budget film of the same title, and then beat the studio production to the punch with the second installment, cashing in on all that sweet DVD sequel money.

Further research shows that the full title is Skeleton Key 2: 667 The Neighbor of the Beast. Though I'm sure it's older, I can casually date this terrible joke back to a horrible Lenny Dee industrial album I had to file and reprice occasionally since 2001, which means I've had a number of years to ponder that 667 would actually be across the street from the beast, and 668 its next-door neighbor.