[Review] Abandoned Rooms in Abundance, Explore at Your Own Discretion with 'The Innkeepers'
"I'm not negative, I'm a realist."
The supernatural is such an interesting subject because of the separation of believers and non-believers, the ethnic and religious views, spiritual guidance, and the fearless hunting for something that may or may not be there. It leads people to tell their stories of interaction, prompting controversial conversations that are debated at length for some sort of credibility.
Ti West's The Innkeepers places our two main characters Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) inside the Yankee Pedlar Hotel, open for its last weekend before shutting down for good. The two are supernatural enthusiasts and Claire is open to the idea of helping Luke and his website with investigations surrounding the supposed hauntings at the hotel.
"I'm a pumpkin. I gotta kill the snake."
As impressive as this movie starts out building atmosphere and characters, it welcomed me into this world and I felt like at times I was standing inside the Yankee Pedlar, a character in and of itself. Using time and space, the quiet halls of an empty hotel, the familiar feeling of loneliness only to feel that cold chill run down your spine when a pair of eyes are lurking on the back of your neck. It equally fell apart in the last act which left me a little confused and underwhelmed. Even then, it’s not a film that cheats you with cheap jump scares and unearned tension due to the two well-fleshed out main characters, especially Claire. They are charismatic and charming, at times a little silly, but all relatable nonetheless. Claire has a child-like naivety that feels as if it plays a role in the world of the Hotel we are consumed in. Possibly as a means to keep her engaged in what would be a long and boring night, hunting ghosts seems like a far fetched reality that brings joy and amusement. Then there is Luke, a warm-hearted, creatively passionate fella that wants to do what it takes to capture this phenomenon but is unsure of what it truly means to do so.
The usage of Kelly McGillis as ex-actress Leanne Rease-Jones was improperly used and served no real purpose within the film, which is a shame because she is such a fantastic actor, and that certainly was on display when on screen. Rease-Jones comes off a little cheap with no real supernatural medium capabilities other than a crystal ball and a few drunken takes. Ti West seems to have pulled back at times, just as the atmosphere was set for a creepy haunted attraction ride. He could have taken that extra step with the horror elements that were beginning to build off of something darker lingering in plain sight. I will always give him a tonne of credit for being patient, and allowing the subtlety of his story telling to completely engross you, breathing much needed life into his characters that keep lovers of the genre engaged as well as fans of dialogue driven cinema.
The Innkeepers was filmed on location at the Yankee Pedlar Hotel in Torrington, Connecticut. This hotel has been reported to be truly haunted by several spirits, malignant or benign, who is to really say. Several crew members on set claimed to have seen and heard odd things that could not be explained, which automatically enhances the creepiness for me so with a little bit of research beforehand, it may just heighten your experience as well.
All in all, great first half of the film coupled with a solid script and solid acting, a precisely built atmosphere along with beautiful camera work that leads us to a classic scare in the last act. A clunky ending hurts the payoff when the - up to this point - admirable story telling unexpectedly falls down a flight of stairs and bangs its head. Pacing issues in this 100 minute film and the lack of emotion from anyone involved at the outset tragedy of the film was a problem for me, but fortunately there are other great qualities about, and with a swellingly eerie score to boot, this is an absolutely worthwhile watch.
"I don’t want anything to do with this anymore. This is just too fucked up."
- Jordan Ferraro
Follow Jordan on Twitter - @JBaphomet905
Tags: Supernatural