Movie:
Skeletons in the Closet is written and produced by Donna and Wayne Powers; Wayne also directed the film. First conceived over ten years ago, the screenplay was finished about seven years ago and has bounced around from studio to studio over the last few years. The Powers, who also wrote the screenplays for Valentine and Deep Blue Sea, got the screenplay back and brought it to Artisan, who gave them a $1.5 million budget if they signed Treat Williams. Realizing this was better than nothing, the Powers accepted, and the film was shot in twenty days in the New Hampshire area. The film is also notable, as it is shot entirely on high definition video. Starring in the film are: Treat Williams (Will Reed), Linda Hamilton (Tina), and Jonathan Jackson (Seth Reed).

When Will Reed learns of a local boy's brutal murder, he questions his son Seth about the incident, as the two were seen together earlier that night. Seth admits that he killed him, but the next day, when the real killer is caught, Seth confesses that he just wanted to see what his father would say. However, when Will starts getting presents from his son that may or may not be connected with more killings in the area, he begins to suspect his son is a serial killer. But did the son really kill those people, or is Will just paranoid?

Skeletons in the Closet is a film that could've been great. From listening to the commentary, one learns what changes were made from the original screenplay to fit in with the budget they were given from Artisan. In cutting/changing the screenplay, I think the film lost some scenes and ideas that would have made it better, and as it is now, it feels like a "movie of the week." The storyline itself is quite intriguing, but it is hampered by the love story between Will and Tina. Speaking of which, neither Treat Williams nor Linda Hamilton did much for me in the film, but Jonathan Jackson is incredible as the tortured and enigmatic son. As it is, though, the film is worth checking out for the curious.

Picture:
Skeletons in the Closet is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The film is shot entirely in High Definition Video, though in a few scenes, the transfer seems a bit soft, as fine detail is wanting. Darker scenes especially seem to be slightly murky. There is also a bit of shimmering in a few scenes. Colors are natural and flesh tones are accurate throughout the film.

Sound:
Skeletons in the Closet is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0 Surround. The surrounds in the 5.1 track are fairly active, used mainly for directionality of moving vehicles. The surrounds are also used effectively in a few scenes where voices come from every direction. Dialogue throughout the film is clean with no distortion that I detected. Optional Spanish subtitles are also included.

Extras:
The main extra here is a screen-specific commentary with both Wayne and Donna Powers. They discuss the changes they made in their original screenplay to accommodate the smaller budget, as well as casting, locations, and problems they had shooting certain scenes with their budget. It is a fairly interesting track: particularly interesting to me was what they changed/deleted, as I feel the film would've benefited from some additional material. Also present are some fairly thorough production notes, the film's trailer, and biographies/filmographies for ten of the cast and crew, most notably Williams, Hamilton, Jackson, and the Powers.

The liner notes in the case also mention that their original short film, "The Taming Power of the Small" is included on the DVD, though I couldn't find it. I did, however, find an easter egg. To access it, go to the cast and crew list, highlight special features at the bottom, and then hit left. You'll then see two extended scenes from the film with commentary.

Summary:
Skeletons in the Closet is a decent suspense film with some great ideas, but slightly poor execution. Fans of the genre or the actors should give the film a look, though for most, a rental will suffice. Rent it.