The Innkeepers

"The Innkeepers" is … well, first and foremost a very difficult movie to rate and review! I can't deny feeling a bit disappointed after my viewing, but on the other hand I realize I can't possibly claim that this is a bad movie. Quite the contrary, in fact… In a relatively short time, the still very young writer/director Ti West distinguished himself as a respectable narrator with a versatile imagination and a vastly profound knowledge of the genre classics. Horror buffs' expectations naturally increase with every new movie, so after West's creative and playful zombie debut "The Roost" and the captivating throwback to 70's satanic horror "The House of the Devil", a whole lot of people – including myself – were highly anticipating his homage to atmosphere driven haunted house effort. And "The Innkeepers" is largely a praiseworthy accomplishment, for sure. Particularly the tone, atmosphere and the decors/set pieces are downright stupendous and the hotel filming location ideally lends itself for a good old-fashioned and nostalgic ghost tale. Dreamy Claire and sarcastic Luke work as reception clerks at the classy old Yankee Peddlar Inn. The hotel exists since many decades but has filed for bankruptcy now, so during the last boring weekend with minimum capacity, Claire and Luke occupy themselves with trying to find evidence of the hotel's legendary ghost story from the past. Many years ago, the abandoned bride Madeline O'Malley hung herself in the honeymoon suite, and according to the local folklore legends her restless spirits still meanders around the corridors of the Yankee Peddlar Inn. Claire seems the most receptive for the ghostly vibes, even to a point where a spiritual medium strongly advises her to leave the hotel. If it were all exclusively about style & atmosphere, "The Innkeepers" would deserve a solid 10/10 rating. Not since "The Shining" we have seen such an efficient usage of a guest house in horror films and Ti West (very) patiently takes his time to introduce the main characters, as well as to illustrate the background of the hotel and generate the ominous mood-setting. This inevitably results in very long suggestive horror tableaux (slow moving camera through the hallways, doors slowly closing by themselves, etc…) and false scares, but it's all very stylish and eerily crafted. But slow building ups do eventually have to lead somewhere and this is where the film falls short in my humble opinion. The whole denouement is too confusing and leaves too many elements open for personal interpretation. There are some truly powerful "jump" sequences in the last fifteen minutes of the film, but the horror always remains oppressed in favor of the mystery of it all. I wasn't looking for gore and filth, but a bit more excitement would have been welcome. Too bad. Purely talking in terms of "new" atmospheric ghost stories, the James Wan/Leigh Whannell film "Insidious" is slightly more satisfying.

If you like stereotypically quirky indie comedies, full of stereotypically quirky characters, doing stereotypically quirky things, then this will probably appeal very strongly to you. If you're looking for a suspenseful horror movie, you might be a bit disappointed, since so much of this movie is dedicated to showing us just how endearingly quirky our protagonist is, rather than setting any kind of mood or atmosphere.

To some extent, I think this is an attempt to see what a Jim Jarmusch remake of The Shining would be like. As much as that appeals to me (I love both Jarmusch and Kubrick), I think this film is a bit unfulfilling. While many people have criticized Jarmusch for populating his movies with listless hipsters who wander through an eventless plot, there's a sublime and subtle atmosphere in them, along with elements of postmodernism. I get the feeling that Ti West is aiming for that kind of vibe here, but what you get is something more like Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch Project, where nothing happens for 90 minutes, and then you get a "shocking" dénouement, after a largely silly and overdone climax. Still, it's better than a by-the-numbers horror remake or sequel.

I'd probably recommend this film to fans of quirky indie comedies, rather than horror fans. There isn't enough horror or suspense to keep horror fans interested. If you're a big Jarmusch fan, you might like this.

If you consider this a Ti West film starring Sara Paxton, then it is merely a clinic on how to get the most (as a Director) from the least (minimal cast, set, SFX). And West does an impressive job of setting a mood and maintaining production quality. But It is still a so-so result. If however you consider this a Sara Paxton film directed by West, it will have a special appeal for her fans. Playing younger than her actual age at the time, with no makeup, she holds the attention. In many ways, one of her best roles.

This movie had a lot of potential with an interesting hook and great location but failed to deliver all around.

A horror movie relies on tension and atmosphere to build fear. This movie takes a very long and tedious time establishing characterization instead of mood. Unfortunately, the two main characters and in fact all the characters in the very small cast are so two-dimensional and stereotypical that all that time was thoroughly wasted. To add insult to injury, there is even a cheap jump scene at the beginning that breaks what little mood is established by the opening credits and pans of the set. When the movie finally reaches its climax, it still is not scary or horrific. It just falls flat. The ending was unsatisfying as well with no real resolution or twist.

It's just good enough to keep you watching and waiting for something to happen, but it never does.

I don't usually write reviews but after watching this film and then looking at the latest reviews posted on here i felt compelled to give this a serious review.

If you like Slasher movies where girls who fall down a lot are being chased by a maniac with a weapon. THIS FILM IS NOT FOR YOU.

If you like Zombie movies with lots of blood and gore. THIS FILM IS NOT FOR YOU.

If you've got the attention span of a goldfish and like to chat to your mates all the way through a movie. (Guess What).

Right now the rantings out the way.

If you like sitting in a dark cinema/room, late at night with no distractions and you like ghost stories, then watch this film. I thought the acting, directing and sound score of this movie all worked really well and that with ghost stories less is more. The odd noise here and there, was that a ghost? or wasn't it? The uncertainty of whether this is real or not is what a ghost story should be all about, yes it's slow but that builds up the atmosphere, which i thought was great and there's some genuinely jumpy parts in the film. Sat here on my own in the dark watching this film had me gripped from start to finish. It's been a long time since i've seen a film this good and i recommend this to anyone who's into ghost stories.