Director: Ti West

Cast: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis, and George Riddle

Rated: R

Runtime: 100 min.

 

 

 

After his modest indie hit with the 1970s slasher throwback The House of the Devil in 2009, writer-director Ti West again explores vintage horror with The Innkeepers, a slow-burning spookhouse yarn that harkens back to ‘50s and ‘60s ghost movies. Fresh off the festival circuit and premiering on various VOD distributors courtesy of Dark Sky Pictures, this mild horror-comedy will find devoted followers in the same audiences that enjoyed West’s previous effort, and detractors in those who realize his plotting isn’t as significant as his style. Admirably, the film’s deliberate pacing puts concentration on mood over typical modern horror concerns such as shocks and bloodletting. But for all its low-key appeal and likeable main characters, West’s scenario spends far too much time building up to scares and not enough time effectively implementing them within a worthwhile story.

There’s only a few days of business left at The Yankee Pedlar Inn, a quaint hotel located in downtown Torrington, Connecticut, before it closes for all time. With most of the rooms vacant and stripped, the staff is comprised of two remaining employees, the tomboy Claire (Sara Paxton) and the nerdy Luke (Pat Healy). When they’re not being slightly rude to the two or three guests occupying the remaining rooms, these two use their down time at the front desk for idle talk and exploring their mutual fascination with the paranormal. Luke, having constructed a rather pathetic website containing videos of his ghostly encounters in the hotel, has audio recording equipment to capture ghost sounds. Claire is convinced that the emptiness of the hotel will be a prime atmosphere for spirit activity. As the two alternate shifts, the hotel’s emptiness overnight is enough to give you the willies, or put you to sleep, but the natural and comic banter between these two characters keeps us interested.

Continued HERE

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