Rating of
2.5/4
Review: The Innkeepers
MikePA - wrote on 08/19/12
The Innkeepers is a good horror movie. Not the great one it could have been, but a good, solid little horror flick. The film is well made by director Ti West, slowly telling the story with atmosphere instead of hitting you over the head with continuous jump-scares like many horror films nowadays. The fantastic cinematography pulls you into this atmosphere of emptiness that surrounds the characters as they hunt for the ghost in the Hotel basement.
The performances are undeniably first-rate, with Sara Paxton and Pat Healy playing the two lead characters and Kelly McGillis providing a great supporting role. The talented Sara Paxton brings an odd charm to her character, Claire, that makes for an easily likable character that you can hang on to throughout the film. What's disappointing is that the film, honestly, isn't as scary as I would have hoped. The first hour of the film consists of two or three joke scares that are kind of fun, but there isn't much suspense, and the bits of tension that Ti West tries to pull off kind of falls flat. However, there are moments in the film's climax that is effective, which is always good.
The Innkeepers wasn't the terrifying ghost story I was hoping for, but it constantly kept me interested in the characters and the story that it delivered, and for its 105 minute duration, it's never boring. Worth a rental.
2.5/4
