The Innkeepers (2011)
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Duration: 101 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Ti West
Stars: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis
IMDb score:
5,5 (39.358)
Releasedate: 18 August 2011
The Innkeepers plot
"Some guests never checked out."
The 'Yankee Pedlar' hotel has been open for almost a hundred years and will soon be closing its doors. The last two receptionists Claire, a woman in her twenties, and Luke, a computer geek, are convinced that the hotel is haunted and want to prove it. But then a group of mysterious guests check into the hotel, including Leanne Rease-Jones, a former actress turned clairvoyant. Then when strange things start to happen, Luke and Claire don't know what to believe or not to believe.
Actors and actresses
Claire
Luke
Angry Mom
Young Boy
Leanne Jones
Barista
Madeline O'Malley
Old Man
Officer Mitchell
Medic
Reviews & comments
Tonypulp
-
- 21231 messages
- 4608 votes
Revised and remains a mighty genre bending work by West. Balances on a difficult border of funny (characters very witty, quirky, authentic) and blood-curdling exciting (patient, more is less). After The House of the Devil (2009) this is his best work. Painfully underappreciated, but will undoubtedly be a film that people will look back on with more appreciation later - with a renewed perspective.
Translated from Dutch · View original
remorz
-
- 2498 messages
- 2750 votes
Pretty okay.
Claire and Luke work in a nearly abandoned, ready-to-demolition hotel. In the evening they go in search of the ghost of Madeline O'Malley, who is said to be staying at the hotel. Nicely designed, that hotel. With its carpets, old-fashioned wallpaper and dark wooden furniture. Typical ghost horror location, which you hope the film will deal with effectively.
Unfortunately, Luke and Claire in particular deal with their mission rather laconic: on the one hand they go through the dark corridors with special recorders, on the other hand they don't shy away from sarcasm, and they don't take the clairvoyant seriously either.
Strange balance between bored humor and half-baked scary, which needs a long run under the guise of slowburn. But just when boredom threatens to leave you indifferent as a viewer, West still manages to strike nicely.
A fairly classic approach, though, with slowly shuffling characters who open a door or go down stairs accompanied by hum and echoing tones. Whenever the sound track gets more intense, you can actually expect the jump scare right behind it.
The last half hour is a bit more relaxed, but the hour before that is quite lame. West builds up a mysterious atmosphere and - also in view of the chapter announcements - probably wants to tell more than an average ghost horror, he does not know how to adjust the tone completely, so that it still hangs in the void. 2.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
-
- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Good West.
As a director, clearly a fan of the older horror films. The Innkeepers is another Western movie that doesn't feel like a modern movie, but an ode to the older ghost movies. Not that it's worked out brilliantly, but West knows very well what to do when it comes to smaller horror films and I appreciate that.
Healy's acting is nice to begin with. Perhaps it is an actor who consciously opts for smaller productions, but he does have the talent. I have seen him several times in various roles and he never really disappoints. In this role, he can actually play someone who is special in his own way. Maybe a bit exaggerated, but entertaining nonetheless.
Paxton, however, is a bit more moderate. Her role does allow some room for good acting, but the acting itself disappoints. Also, West takes quite a while to jump to the horror side of the story, and once it gets there, the change is a bit hasty and the duration too short. The Innkeepers is therefore not very satisfying, but a few strong moments in between make up for that.
Seriously effective horror here and there with excellent effect. The ghosts look ominous and West makes the most of his minimal resources. Still, I was in suspense around the final, because they work well with light and darkness. It makes for some genuinely scary scenes that stayed with me for a while. Those kinds of moments also lift The Innkeepers to a slightly higher level.
It's not brilliant, but those looking for a nice, easy, effective and entertaining horror snack can knock on the door of The Innkeepers. I prefer to see West this way. A production that gives him the space to do something, without being held back by meddling studios or distraction through starpower. Nice suprice.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Corporate & Media
Realtimes Network
Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31(315)-764002
