Thin films of FeSb3 were characterized by electronic transport, magnetometry, x-ray diffraction, 57Fe and 121Sb nuclear inelastic scattering, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Resistivity and magnetometry measurements reveal semiconducting behavior with a 16.3(4) meV band gap and an effective paramagnetic moment of 0.57(6) B, respectively. A systematic comparison of the lattice dynamics with CoSb3 and EuFe 4Sb12 reveals that the Fe4Sb12 framework is softer than the Co4Sb12 framework, and that the observed softening and the associated lowering of the lattice thermal conductivity in the RFe4Sb12 filled skutterudites are not only related to the filler but also to the Fe4Sb12 framework
