Caroline (Kate Hudson) cares for the terminally ill and elderly at a hospice in Louisiana, and unlike the management at the medical facility, she has real concern for her patients. After a patient dies as Caroline reads him a poem, she becomes concerned when no one comes to pick up his belongings. Another employee tells her that nobody wants his miscellaneous items and that the thing to do is throw them away. When she takes his box of belongings to the dumpster, she observes other boxes of recently deceased patients in there as well. These people were dead to their friends and relatives before they died. Caroline removes the key chain from the box that says "Live Fast, Die Young," quits her job and finds a new one working for a family in New Orleans where Ben (John Hurt of "Hellboy") recently had a stroke. The doctors only give him about a month to live.

Ben’s wife Violet (Gena Rowlands of "The Notebook") is a bit stern with Caroline and has strict rules in her rambling old house, but she seems to be a caring wife. A family lawyer named Luke (Peter Sarsgaard of "Kinsey") is the recruiter who tells Caroline that she really should give the job a try because Violet is not as bad as the first impression she creates.

The house has seen grander days and Violet refers to it as one might a temperamental old friend. She tells Luke that Caroline "…will never understand my house." Nevertheless, she gives Caroline the skeleton key that will unlock the doors to the 30 rooms of the place. Ben, who is paralyzed, manages to move from time to time, and is obviously frightened of something in the house, as he tries to plead (with his eyes) for Caroline to help him escape. Throw in dark rainy nights, a swamp, locals that dispense voodoo rituals and an attic with links to the past to servants that were lynched, and we are taken to a scary emotional place.

Caroline’s friend Jill (Joy Bryant of "Antwone Fisher") as well as Luke live in the tourist area of New Orleans, which gives Caroline a lively place to spend time other than in the remote area of the Devereaux’s home.

As the relationship between Violet and Caroline becomes increasingly contentious and Caroline takes voodoo more seriously, those who believe will see a terror in the film that those who don’t believe will not. The film was interesting but not unduly frightening. With some of the real world horrors depicted in films such as "Hotel Rwanda" and "Turtles Can Fly," what might be is not as terrible as what is. That said, the movie clearly qualifies as good entertainment.