The Innkeepers is a 2011 film written, directed and edited
by Ti West, starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis. The
story takes place at The Yankee Peddler Inn, a once grand hotel than is
about to go out of business. Claire and Luke are the only two employees
working on the final weekend. Both are ghost hunting enthusiasts and
with only a few guests staying there, they do a little investigating
into the legend of Madeline O'Malley. The legend goes that Madeline's
husband ran out on their honeymoon and she hung herself.
I had heard rumblings that the movie was pretty good. It should have
been an earthquake I heard. This movie is very good. If you're looking
for gore, it's not here. If you're looking for a slow burn with lots of
tension, it's here. For the first 40 minutes not a lot happens. You
get a little comedy and learn about our Innkeepers. Then things start
to pick up.
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| She obviously had a rough day. |
West does a good job with lingering shots and when the scare arrives it
packs a punch. He does an excellent job building the characters early
on and then adding a creepy atmosphere that delivers in the end. That's
the best part of what he gives us in this film. He takes his sweet
time, building the mood instead of trying to scare us every minute. The
audience gets invested in the characters.
Sara Paxton and Pat Healy are both excellent in their roles. They have a
natural chemistry and play off of each other very well. They show the
mundane
nature of running a collapsing business with the type of dialogue you
may find in a Tarantino movie. Ok...it's not quite on that level but
you get the point. The banter between the two seems natural and Paxton
steals the movie with her charm.
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| DO NOT go down there. |
This is a movie that you turn out all the lights and crank up the sound on. Prepare to jump.
