The Innkeepers (2011)

After seeing brilliant "House of Devil" I decided to check out other movies of Ti West, who seems to be a very talented and promising film director. Even lots of negative reviews on IMDb did not dissuade me to watch this film. "Innkeeprers" turned out to be a very well made horror film which will be truly appreciated by more mature horror movie fans looking forward for suspense rather than lots of gore and high bodycount. Tension builds up slowly, gradually reaching the climax. Actors are doing a great job and director is a true master of the genre attempting to produce a small masterpiece in a minimalistic premise, only a few actors and almost no special effects. Watch this movie at night, alone, with lights off and I promise you that you are going to be scared.

Fmovies: Welcome to the Yankee Pedlar Inn, current residency: five. Living, that is. Tasked with minding the 100-year-old establishment the weekend prior to it shutting its doors for good, employees Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) find that besides the lone, mysterious woman (Kelly McGillis) and mother/son duo that populate the creaky old domicile, something more sinister lurks.

From 31-year-old director Ti West, who in 2010 directed the wonderfully retro The House of the Devil, comes The Innkeepers, a simultaneously old-fashioned (and unabashedly so) and tongue-in-cheek deconstruction of overused genre clichés such as "the boo moment." But that isn't to say The Innkeepers doesn't embrace these staples with equal affection, and eventually utilizes them wonderfully (and with ample flair) as things escalate toward the chilling final act.

What initially distinguishes this supernatural thriller from others of its kind is that the first third of the film offers barely a hint that this is a horror movie. Sure, nobody would be mistaken that this wasn't a fright flick, but the debut act is more concerned with the character development of Claire and Luke and showing the simply the mundane nature of running a practically (excuse the wording) dead business. These scenes are punctuated with silver-tongued dialogue that would make Sorkin or Tarantino smile. Not to say that West's script is on the same level, but it is certainly akin to that style and speed of exchange.

This is essentially a three-man show (though to be more accurate a two- woman and one-man show) led by the wonderful Paxton. She exudes a down-to-earth sexiness and plays Claire as a bit of an oddball but with a magnetic spark, a performance that couldn't have been more different than her work in last fall's Shark Night 3D. This proves she is a legitimate talent to watch and can hold her own when she is only required to emote through silence.

Healy is also great as Luke, who is even more of a nerdy outcast than his co-worker. He passes his time on the graveyard shift by watching porn and working on his paranormal-themed website. He has a great, easy chemistry with Paxton throughout.

The last remaining piece of the character trifecta comes from McGillis' Leanne, a former television star who has since turned to the profession of medium. She goes great work as more complex "Crazy Ralph" character though her inclusion at all lacks any real necessity, only to point out the ominous.

The Innkeepers has clever, underlying elements from the "are they crazy or not?" horror movie structure, and though there is never a doubt of certain characters' sanity, questions are certainly posed as to the truths behind what transpired. West's flick also has a clever foil to the normally dopey (and often infuriating) cliché of what I shall now refer to as the "door paradox": when stuff goes poltergeist-style crazy, use it! You see these characters unwillingly provoke the dark history of the inn, determined to capture some proof of paranormal infestation before it closes for good. The bumps in the night only spur them further (especially Claire) right into the finale, which finds her way over her pretty blond head.

A lack of gore and a very deliberate pace may dissuade those accustomed to the quick-cut, bloody flashiness of mainstream offerings, but this movie again proves ample talent exists in indie circles. Overall very humorous as its pokes and prods at the genr

It's quite difficult to form any real opinion on this movie, as it is so bland. Two bored employees working at a hotel just before it closes after the tourist season, find ghostly goings on. And erm, that's about it. It is a full forty minutes, yes FORTY, before anything out of the ordinary happens, and even that is a piano key moving on it's own.

Prior to that nerve-shredder, we are treated to a chunk of the hum-drum working lives of the two employees, who share a common interest in the paranormal, mostly conveyed via a laptop they have at the front desk. There are a small number of guests at the hotel - a woman and her son, a woman who used to be an actress, now a self-proclaimed 'psychic', and later on, an elderly man.

There is some waffle about the ghost of a woman who is supposed to haunt the hotel and the lacklustre staff wander around sporadically (some bespectacled net-surfer and the girl from Last House on the Left, Sarah Paxton). The supernatural elements escalate further into the movie, but by then you will probably have fallen asleep, started staring at the carpet or at best, trying to amuse yourself with guessing the ending. The latter proves a fruitless task, by the way, as whoever wrote this story either has the imagination of a dead gerbil or simply couldn't be bothered.

And before anyone thinks 'ooh, he probably doesn't get the subtle nuances of psychological horror,' trust me, I do. 'The Blair witch Project' and 'Session 9', to name but two, showed thought and enthusiasm, but, like the employees of this hotel in the first half of this movie's running time, the makers of 'The Innkeepers' have somehow fused boredom and horror together. The result is shockingly tedious.

The Innkeepers fmovies. The Innkeepers is written and directed by Ti West. It stars Sara Paxton, Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis. Music is by Jeff Grace and cinematography by Eliot Rockett. It's the last few business days at the historically spooky Yankee Pedlar Inn, and two employees spend their hours by indulging in some amateur ghost hunting. But as the clock ticks down it becomes apparent that the hotel's haunted past is anything but an urban legend.

Following on from his excellent slow burn girl-in-peril horror film, House of the Devil, Ti West determinedly sticks to his principals for The Innkeepers. This automatically alienates a good portion of the horror faithful, especially in the younger echelons, for those who need and seek thrill after thrill, a ghost train ride of a horror movie, The Innkeepers is sure to be a hard slog to get through. But for a certain niche in horrorville, where the adults reside who love a sombre tone, character and story build up and a last quarter pay off, then The Innkeepers is a little gem of a creeper.

That's not to say that West's movie is flawless, far from it, there is still dumb decisions made, including a major league one that the film's terrifying conclusion hinges on, and the Inn itself is not exactly the stuff of haunted building nightmares. That is until we go down to the basement or up to the deserted third floor....But West has such a good sense of mood and the good sense to involve us so thoroughly with the two protagonists, both excellently portrayed by Paxton and Healy, that once things eventually take the turn into the realm of the outright scary, the little missteps are easily forgiven. West's traditional values to be applauded, not frowned upon. Bonus, too, is McGillis in a decidedly off kilter performance as an ex-actress-come psychic healer who likes a drink and has a significant role to play in proceedings.

The haunted house spooker is making something of a come back lately, and it's great to see directors prepared to get their movies out there and offer up an alternative to the over populated slice and dice formula. Ti West is showing himself to be a friend to the grown-up chill seeker, long may he continue in this vein. 8/10

For the over 25 crowd who miss great ghost stories like The Changeling, Poltergiest,The Others, or eerie films like Suspiria and The Fog(Carpenter's original not the horrid remake)- heck I'll even throw Insidious in there, then check out The Innkeepers. It is a bit of a slow burner at times but is consistently spooky, scary, and even during the down time has you involved and getting to know the characters dwelling in this Gothic tale.

Really good work in my opinion. If you are into Saw or Horror Remakes you can let this one go, but if you like being spooked on a stormy night with your other half sitting along side you gnawing on your shoulder then this is quite a fun ride! The director of this Ti West made House Of The Devil last year which I thought was entertaining if not a bit boring throughout. It showed the potential and he nailed it with The Innkeepers. A ghost story about an old hotel with a few secrets and a small yet interesting cast of specters and human characters, namely the female lead(Actress Sara Paxton) who while working the last weekend before the hotel is closed for good decides along with the other employee(Actor Pat Healy) to have a few scares ghost hunting the place. Kelly Mcgillis, yes that one- Maverick's gal from Top Gun has a great supporting role in this as a once former actress turned medium.

Anyway, it is just a good flick and will have you thinking about the ending for some time after it finishes. Check it out so hopefully more films like this are green lit. The Inkeepers surprised me quite a bit..

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.