The Innkeepers [2012]

Intrigued by an interesting poster for The Innkeepers that suggested that this should be an innovative mix of horror and comedy, a new modern approach to this genre that flourished in the eighties, I checked out this movie. Directed by Ti West, a relatively young director with a good record behind him (The House of the Devil, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever) The Innkeepers is not a conventional horror, I think it created its own genre by emphasizing the characters and their personalities very realistically and then towards the end introducing a horror element. This hugely increased the believability of the whole thing, because you could feel the characters, you knew them, maybe you were them.

The story is set in an old hotel Yankee Pedlar Inn, with an haunting history of murder and strange apparitions. This is the last week that its open and there are only two employees and a handful of guests staying there. Claire and Luke, working there for sometime are very familiar with a reputation that this hotel has and two of them are determined to use the last weekend to prove that there is something going on. Armed only with one lousy Dictaphone Claire decides to capture the ghost on tape while Luke is less enthusiastic and prefers to drink beer and work on the site dedicated to this hotel. What will happen and will they find the proof they’ve been looking for is up to you to find out.

It’s good to know that The Innkeepers isn’t a true, classical horror-haunting movie, actually most of it is about the two main protagonists, their lives and dreams. So don’t expect to be entertained, scarred or otherwise engaged most of the film, that time should be spent pondering the motives and events that are unfolding, and perhaps drawing parallels with your own life. So its not a movie for everyone, but it is certainly a refreshing approach in an otherwise a little bit stale genre with stereotypes that are getting very boring…

Keep an eye on Ti West and his next movies, we can expect great things from this young director.

Director: Ti West

Cast: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Alison Bartlett, Jake Ryan, Kelly McGillis

Fun Facts: The movie is filmed at the actual Yankee Pedlar Inn, in Torrington, Connecticut.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1594562/