The Innkeepers

This week in the corner we are going to take a look at Ti West's latest film...The Innkeepers.  Ti West gained notoriety a few years ago with his 80's homage The House of the Devil.  The Innkeepers is a similar film in style and scope and relies heavily on mood and ambiance.  The movie takes place at an old hotel in Connecticut called the Yankee Pedlar Inn.  The hotel is going out of business and we are with two employees on the final weekend of operation.  The catch to the whole thing is that legend says that the hotel is haunted and we are left with some of the typical bumps and spooks that come along with a haunted house movie.   Sara Paxton has the lead role and for me was the highlight of the movie.  She has a plucky and adventurous personality that lends to the need to explore the old spooky hotel.  Pat Healy plays the other hotel employee.  He is a bit older and owns the recording equipment used to find the paranormal entities a la Ghosthunters.  There are few extra characters sprinkled about the movie.  Lena Dunham from HBO's Girls has a one scene cameo.  A creepy old man checks into the hotel on the final night with strange requests and Kelly McGillis from Top Gun plays a sort of washed up actress who has now moved on to pursuing a psychic and holistic lifestyle that has influence in the rest of the haunts throughout the movie.  Regardless of how big of a role these extra characters play, they all seem to just be filler to the rest of the movie.  This is where many people will have problems with the film.  Ti West is meticulous with his movies.  Every shot, every camera angle, every character movement is done with a purpose and style.  His motives are to give his audience the same monotonous feeling as his characters. Much of the first two acts involve watching the employees working a graveyard shift in a practically empty hotel with not much to do besides surf the internet or listen for the supposed ghosts that haunt the halls of the Yankee Pedlar Inn.  This makes the first hour of the movie a pretty slow burn.  The movie is dialogue heavy and there are rarely more than two characters in any one given scene.  His intent is to try to build the anticipation and suspense that leads to the final 30 minutes of the grand finale.  If you are a fan of cinematography and art direction in movies I think you will enjoy the Innkeepers, the rest may just find it boring.  The final act does provide some real scares but the movie closes with a number of loose ends.  This movie isn't really gory, nor does it really have the cheap thrills of a Paranormal Activity.  The hotel is front and center along with what lurks in the hallways and basement.  The chance that something may happen at any moment is the draw.  Writing any more about the ending gives away too much because ultimately you should watch the movie and decide for yourself whether you think this movie is a masterpiece of suspense or just a slow boring haunted house movie.  If and when you watch it you should leave a comment at the bottom and let me know on which side of the fence you fall!

The Innkeepers can currently be streamed instantly on Netflix!

Next week I will be writing about one of the most controversial movies of all time.  Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust.  This movie has been banned in over 50 countries and is only for the hardest of the hardcore.  See you next week!