The Innkeepers

Released:  February 2^nd, 2012

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Magnet Releasing

Starring:  Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis

Directed by:  Ti West

Written by:  Ti West

Personal Bias Alert:  likes moody horror, dislikes slacker characters

7.2 of 10

            A cursory glance at the horror landscape of today might leave you feeling that your only options are jump scares or gore, but that’s an incorrect limitation, as just below the Cineplex surface lies a thriving, diverse community of horror filmmakers that offer up every kind of scare under the sun.  After dredging it in the festival circuit, some of these filmmakers even get to peddle their wares to the masses, especially with the advent of streaming and VOD services.  One such director is Ti West, whose reputation has earned him segments in V/H/S and The ABCs of Death, and with The Innkeepers got to remind people of a more methodical kind of scare.

            Set in a real-life haunted hotel, most of the film is taken up by the lackadaisical investigation by the hotel’s staff of two, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy).  The ghost at the Yankee Pedlar Inn is rather mundane:  a disappointed bride who killed herself on her wedding day.  Claire and Luke are interested, but they know they won’t find poltergeist-level events.  Luke just wants some decent EVP recordings to add to his rinky-dink website, and Claire is mostly game just because her friend is into it.  Therein lies the charm of this film; Claire and Luke are real friends, the kind that can while away hours in an empty hotel without being bored.  The fact that they’re doing it by investigating for a ghost just gives their well-worn games a little edge.

            Paxton and Healy both shine as too-old-to-be-doing-this slackers.  They know that they’re better than their current situation, but they don’t ask you to pity their underwhelming lives, either.  Healy plays Luke as someone not interested in getting out of his holding pattern, the kind of person you find managing a record store at a college campus just because he doesn’t want to leave.  Paxton is a bit younger and still believes that she can get out, but she’s not too concerned with figuring out where she wants to go.  For now, the pair are happy to pal around the hotel together, existing moment to moment while staving off boredom.  They’re not too unlike the resident ghost in that regard, and they’re invented entertainment proves to be more than endearing enough to sustain the early parts of this film.

            And their relationship has to carry you through, because West doesn’t give you many scares until late in the game.  While he sustains unease throughout by peppering in information about the ghost and setting up for later events, he clearly rejects the notion that audiences demand loud bangs or big jumps to keep them interested.  West instead relies on steadily building cues to keep our attention:  a locked basement, an odd old man, and some well-placed camera holds.  The lack of immediate payoff may frustrate some viewers, but those more in tune with old-school potboilers like Rosemary’s Baby will find a lot to like here. 

            For all that West gets right in the early going, the climax of the film is unavoidably a letdown.  There’s a nice ramp up of tension going into the big finale, and all the bread crumbs and character development seems to be leading to a satisfying ending.  Then it sputters, falling back on an ending that feels too much like a ploy to satisfy more mainstream viewers.  But the ending isn’t as big as it wants to be, and it goes too far out of its way in the effort to effectively wrap up all the small pieces.  It’s the kind of ending that satisfies no one, and it’s one that you tolerate simply because of your affection for the rest of the piece.

            The lack of effective scares may put The Innkeepers in an odd section of your movie library.  If those early parts work for you, it’ll prove to be a difficult film to watch only once.  Months after your first viewing, you’ll find yourself wanting to hang out with those two goofballs again, and you’ll re-watch the film just to get in a bit more quality time.  The fact that the pair are hunting ghosts will seem secondary in your lasting memory, but once the tension starts to build, you’ll remember that West’s low-key creepiness is just as addicting as your two fictional friends.

Other Notes:

Ø  There is one truly creepy shot from the finale that has stayed in my head for years.

Ø  I like this film’s humorous aversion to the horror movie sex cliché.

Ø  This is one of those films that I re-watch every six months or so.