Release Date – 2/2/2012 (limited)
Claire and Luke are two nerdy employees at the Yankee Pedlar Inn. The inn is going out of business and it’s the final weekend open. There are not many guests to assist but they must stay there just in case. The two friends decide to stay overnight for the weekend while working their shifts. The reason for this is because there are ghost stories stemming from the history of the hotel but they’ve never been proven. So with some sound recording equipment, they decide to get some proof before the doors are shut forever. Meanwhile, they must help out the few odd guests that do decide to shack up for the night. It’s a slow build ghost story with a huge payoff in the final act. All set within the walls of a creepy old hotel. Not a huge fan of ghost stories but the director knows the genre and does it well.
Sara Paxton plays Claire. She is usually playing the hot girl in movies like Shark Night, The Last House on the Left and Superhero Movie. They really uglied her up for this role. She is very plain and dorky to fit in with her co-star Pat Healy who plays Luke. He is a sarcastic, yet monotone, nerd obsessed with ghost stories to the point where he created a website about the very hotel he works in. He claims to have seen and heard various odd things to justify the ghost search during the final weekend of the inn’s existence. The ghost tale is about a woman from decades ago who was murdered and had her body hid in the basement of the inn. Legend says she haunts the guests and employees because her spirit is still trapped there but there is no concrete evidence. Small roles by Kelly McGillis as a washed up actress who dabbles in spiritual contact. She ends up helping Claire get into some of the spookier moments. And George Riddle as a creeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy old man. Creeps the hell out of ya. That’s pretty much the entire cast.
Like any horror film, there are jump moments here and there. But they are properly built up instead of cheesily added in at every moment possible. Director Ti West has a real love for horror, and cinema in general. In fact, he also wrote and edited the film himself because he did not want it changed from his own vision. I was a huge fan of his previous film, 2009’s The House of the Devil. The Innkeepers isn’t as great or unique as that one but it’s one of the better ghost stories of recent times. Simple premise of two nerdy kids in over their heads when they screw around with a local ghost tale and get the hell scared out of them. Don’t let the Paranormal Activity franchise run shop when it comes to ghosts. There are others out there still doing a great job in horror. I hope Ti West continues to keep horror alive.
IMDB – 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes – 76%
Movie Wiseguys – 7/10