The Innkeepers
Rated R
1 Hour 40 Minutes
Starring:
Sara Paxton
Pat Healy
Kelly McGillis
MY GRADE:
A-
First official movie review of the new year! Usually this time of year produces some truly stinker movies that most people never give the time of day. The Innkeepers is a horror/dramedy that takes place at the real Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington, CT (I believe). They filmed the movie at the actual hotel, and even kept it's name in the movie. The story is (in the movie) that the Yankee Pedlar Inn is in it's final weekend before it closes. It's two eccentric remaining hotel staffers decide to take advantage of the nearly empty hotel to do a final ghost hunt to find Madeline O'Malley...the woman who killed herself many years ago after her fiance left her on their wedding night. This by the way, is not a real story from the actual hotel. The actual hotel is supposedly haunted, but not as glorified as the movie makes it out to be.
The movie is directed by Ti West, who also brought us The House of the Devil a few years back. A subtle horror film that I really enjoyed. He's back at it here, and I think better than his previous film. This is a ghost/horror story that is actually not really for all fans of horror films. Today, we have "horror" films that are all about in your face jumps and spooks. There is almost no build up anymore, no tension, and certainly not subtlety. The Innkeepers is a movie told at a very slow pace, with almost no real big scares. Yet somehow, it still worked really well. It has a lead actress, Sara Paxton (Shark Night 3D) who absolutely fills up the screen with appeal. She gives a very vibrant, funny performance and you really like this girl. Her partner in crime, Pat Healy, is along for the ride but really balances Paxton out well. But it's Paxton who makes this movie what it is. It's her believable dedicated to the cause at hand that has you glued to the screen, and had me almost captivated. Both of these characters and even the situation had such down to earth elements that you couldn't help but believe what was going on.
There was wonderful cinematography and sound editing to suck the audience into this hotel. The hotel itself is really the main character. This isn't a set, it's the real deal. So it adds a fantastic depth to the story and almost makes you feel like you are part of the story, or like you have been there before. It kind of reminded me a lot of The Copper Queen Hotel here in Arizona in Bisbee. Gives off a bit of a claustrophobic vibe to, because the movie never really leaves the hotel. Which makes the story that much more simple. Some people have complained that there is a lack of story or point to the movie. To be honest...there isn't much of a point. The story is just so simplistic that it comes off as if there isn't one. When it ends, you kind of feel like "Um, what?!" and I can see why you might feel cheated. But the movie is told in a very realistic tone and it's one of those things where these people just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and did not leave when they were warned...a few times.
I can't really pinpoint why I loved this movie, but I did. I absolutely loved it. Not a ton happened. It wasn't really scary. I think the fact that it was just so well made and brilliantly performed just made up for the fact that it didn't have a crazy, in depth tale. I liked that it wasn't gory, for the most part. I liked that the characters were not your typical stupid horror movie people. This girl actually ran AWAY and screamed at things that startled her. A few times she walked towards inevitable trouble but only because she believed she was not actually in any harm.I don't know guys, I just liked this movie a lot, and I am very happy that 2012 started off so well. It might still be on the On Demand channels but it should be in theaters sometime in February.
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