Hotel Dunsmuir

First off, there's some great scenery on display in this movie. Scenery I haven't seen in another film before. The actors are pretty darn good too, given that it's a small indie. You can feel the budgetary constraints in the post-production, and there's some pacing issues. But all that aside I think it's a rather well made little supernatural movie. I would be inclined to recommend it as a October spooky watch, for those that enjoy low budget outings with their own character. Jet Jandreau and Amber Gaston are good as two young ladies fleeing some angry men. Does it all come together at the end? Not really, but I still enjoyed the ride.

Didn't quite know what to expect from this one. I saw it said horror and thriller, thought I would give it a shot. Glad I did. Again it's a B movie, so I rated as such. I gave it a 6.5 but this system doesn't have that option. Your hoping the whole move the abusive guy gets what he deserves. They introduce another girl to the mix. That keeps you guessing as to what her role is. So if you're one of those that is constantly attempting to figure out the ending, good luck with this one. When I wrote this there weren't a lot of naysayers, but as always, give it a watch for yourself. Nuff Said Mike Out.

I had the pleasure of going and seeing the movie in the cos theater with some of the cast and director, an amazing movie and experience. The entire film was very well done and exciting. Was really neat getting to meat the cast and ask questions and interact with them. The entire crew was great. I absolutely can not wait to see what the director and cast come up with next. I enjoyed the jump scares and the way they utilized the lights and sound track to help portray the moods through the movie. The way they used local attractions and sights was also really amazing. Again I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

While they clearly made this on a shoestring, there is some nice work on display here. The photography is often rich. The sets and backdrops are nice. The actors do a good job overall. There is a quirky factor which I liked. It's not all heavy and brooding. At times the film is playful. There are a few jumps which were nicely done. It created a mood, and felt like a throwback. There was a time I remember when horror movies were slower and not "that" intense. I'm fine with a slower paced spooky movie, in fact I prefer it to so many loud jumps. This scratched that itch.

I'd recommend Hotel Dunsmuir to someone looking for a slow spooky indie. For those that prefer modern studio horror, this might not be appealing. Definitely for fans of indies that are rough around the edges.

I suspect "Hotel Dunsmuir" will divide audiences pretty harshly, but I really liked it. Jen Jandreau plays Billie, a young women who is dealing with a seriously abusive husband. After a particularly unpleasant event, she finally gets up the courage to leave him and go stay with her grandmother.

During her travels she stays a night in Dunsmuir, California at a hotel named the "Hotel Dunsmuir." In an unfortunate coincidence, she runs into a friend of her husband and makes up an awkward excuse as to why she's alone. But during the night, weird, possibly supernatural events start to happen, and she decides to get away as quickly as she can. She also meets a fellow abuse survivor and agrees to take her along on the drive...

As I said, this movie is going to divide viewers. I'm calling it a "slow burn" but that doesn't really communicate how much of a slow burn it is. Part of what makes the movie work so well is Jet Jandreau, who is a revelation here -- she is enormously appealing in the role and gives the character enough emotional weight that we are really, actively rooting for her. That makes the scares and dangers more effective when they show up (and they do show up). And while there are a lot of times where it appears not much is happening, we know her rat of a husband is looking for her and there are sounds in the background that make the sequences really suspenseful.

It's not perfect, of course. Billie is a beautiful, smart, sweet, and pious woman. There's no indication of why she would abandon her life to go live in the sticks with this hideously abusive redneck. Some of the story resolution is probably going to be pretty obvious to viewers. And we have the old "important stuff happens in the poor light so we can't actually see what happened" issue that plagues so many low budget films.

But overall, it hit all the notes for me. As I said, serious slow burn territory so if that turns you off, this might not be the flick for you. But gets a pretty strong recommendation from me.