I’ve been very curious over the past few months to see what Ti West’s new film, The Innkeepers, was all about. Having heard some good thing about one of his prior films, House of the Devil, and then reading all the positive buzz about this one from the festival circuit, I started getting really excited about seeing it. I shouldn’t have built up my expectations without understanding exactly what the film was about because then I wouldn’t have been as let down as I was.
The Innkeepers is about two hotel attendants, Luke (Pat Healy) and Claire (Sara Paxton), who are working at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a Connecticut hotel that is about to shut its doors after over 100 years of service. During this final weekend, they decide that it is time to get concrete proof that there are ghosts haunting the hotel and so they set up some equipment and take turns being amateur ghost hunters. As a few odd characters check into the hotel, things begin to get creepy as the duo challenge the spirits to make contact with them.
I was a big supporter of Claire’s actions in the beginning but throughout the movie her intelligence level gradually diminishes. Somehow her curiosity overpowers her basic survival instincts resulting in the obvious horror scenes we’d expect as a consequence of her actions. It honestly surprised me how dumb she became and I’m really curious as to why West made this decision. I was happy with the way he handled Luke’s character and the complete and unexpected personality change towards the end of the film.
His setup was great and managed to build up enough suspense to keep me interested for the entire movie but when the horror actually turns on it resorts to the same old cliche that we’ve all become accustomed to. And not only that, the horror turns on much too late in the picture to be truly effective, which ended up bumming me out.
I will give Ti West credit for the pacing of the film and finding ways to make a simple ghost story engaging and interesting. He deliberately keeps it slow so that he can carefully build this layered piece of cinema, gradually giving us more information about each of the characters and the terrible story behind the spirits that roam the halls. This coupled with a screechingly good score makes for a very eerie picture despite its shortcomings.
Overall, I think West’s film will be acceptable for those looking for a good ghost story but will fall short for those who are looking for some spooky scares, and a lot of them. I don’t believe it’s a film for the wider audience but for those that appreciate good cinematography and classic storytelling tactics, Ti West’s The Innkeepers will quench some of your thirst but may not hold you over for long.
Rating: A spooky tale that would best be served as a campfire story rather than a feature film. (5.6/10)
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