Movie Review: THE INNKEEPERS

THE INNKEEPERS
USA 2012
Directed and Written by Ti West
Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis


SYNOPSIS:  In its final weekend of operation, the skeleton crew at the Yankee Pedlar Inn decide to pass the time by investigating the hotel's haunted history, little expecting to actually rustle up some truly dark spirits.


THOUGHTS:  There's quite a bit about this concept that I enjoy.  I love classic, traditionally styled ghost stories, with doors creaking slowly open of their own accord.  I like that it's a slow build, allowing for a lot of humor in the early chapters, in an attempt to disarm you for the final barrage of scares.  And I really like Sara Paxton as the main protagonist, who is attractive in the way that all lead actors tend to be, but is such a charmingly goofy nerd that you feel a genuine concern for her plight.


Even though quite a few of the early jump scenes are "joke" or fake-out scares, director West shows a lot of the same restraint with drawing out the suspense as he did in his previous film, THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.  The atmosphere is perfect for this kind of film, and it pays homage to many of the classics of the genre.

Where the film is going to make or break it for you is in your response to the climax.  The ending of House Of The Devil was a huge letdown for me, and much the same applies here.  Maybe it was that after a fairly jokey film, I didn't feel so much disarmed as I was bemused by the sudden stab at gravitas.


But, to each their own, and more often than not you'll have wildly divergent reactions to stuff like this.  My friend who watched this was scared shitless by it, so it might float your boat more effectively than it did mine.  While not finding it particularly terrifying, I would classify it as extremely charming.


RATING:  5 (LIKE)