The Innkeepers

The former fancy and elegant Yankee Pedlar Inn will be closed in a couple of days to become a parking area and the employees Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are taking care of the hotel while the owner is traveling on vacation in Barbados. They are bored and the hotel has only four guests: an unpleasant and angry mother with her young son; the TV actress Leanne "Lee" Rease-Jones (Kelly McGillis) that claims to be psychic; and an old man that spent his honeymoon in the hotel and wants to say good-bye the room where his wife and him had spent their wedding night.

The amateur ghost-hunters Claire and Luke decide to find evidences that the ghost of Madeline O'Malley, a bride that committed suicide when her fiancé left her in their wedding day, haunts the hotel and they summon her spirit. However, they are not prepared for what comes next....

"The Innkeepers" is a slow-paced horror movie with a promising story; unfortunately something is missing to be a good film. The characters development is long and poor, and the first two-thirds of the plot goes nowhere. Further, there is no clear explanation why Claire is threatened by the ghost of Madeline O'Malley. One good point is to see again fifty- five year-old Kelly McGillis, who has aged with dignity without trying to be forever young. I still recall her in "Witness" and "Top Gun" and it was a great surprise to see that gray-haired lady that she has become. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Hotel da Morte" ("Hotel of the Death")

I began watching this with a a sense of hesitation due to a couple of reviews which were very negative. In a way I can understand why some people might not like this. There are no great action scenes for starters, blood and gore is kept to the bare minimum and a lot of time is spent on building on the characters. If you are going to watch this, you really are just best watching it knowing the bare minimum of the film's storyline... i.e set in a hotel. I would go as far as to say the storyline is obscure and really does not impact on the film at all. For me, the acting was great. After the first half an hour of getting comfortable with the two main characters I found myself getting nervous for them until by the end of the film my heart was beating ten to the dozen, which is the aim of a good horror I feel. I waited for my wife to go to bed before putting this on. I watched it by myself around about midnight with the lighting on low and I have to say that had I got a pillow to hand, I would have been sitting behind it.

After seeing brilliant "House of Devil" I decided to check out other movies of Ti West, who seems to be a very talented and promising film director. Even lots of negative reviews on IMDb did not dissuade me to watch this film. "Innkeeprers" turned out to be a very well made horror film which will be truly appreciated by more mature horror movie fans looking forward for suspense rather than lots of gore and high bodycount. Tension builds up slowly, gradually reaching the climax. Actors are doing a great job and director is a true master of the genre attempting to produce a small masterpiece in a minimalistic premise, only a few actors and almost no special effects. Watch this movie at night, alone, with lights off and I promise you that you are going to be scared.

This movie had a lot of potential with an interesting hook and great location but failed to deliver all around.

A horror movie relies on tension and atmosphere to build fear. This movie takes a very long and tedious time establishing characterization instead of mood. Unfortunately, the two main characters and in fact all the characters in the very small cast are so two-dimensional and stereotypical that all that time was thoroughly wasted. To add insult to injury, there is even a cheap jump scene at the beginning that breaks what little mood is established by the opening credits and pans of the set. When the movie finally reaches its climax, it still is not scary or horrific. It just falls flat. The ending was unsatisfying as well with no real resolution or twist.

It's just good enough to keep you watching and waiting for something to happen, but it never does.

For the over 25 crowd who miss great ghost stories like The Changeling, Poltergiest,The Others, or eerie films like Suspiria and The Fog(Carpenter's original not the horrid remake)- heck I'll even throw Insidious in there, then check out The Innkeepers. It is a bit of a slow burner at times but is consistently spooky, scary, and even during the down time has you involved and getting to know the characters dwelling in this Gothic tale.

Really good work in my opinion. If you are into Saw or Horror Remakes you can let this one go, but if you like being spooked on a stormy night with your other half sitting along side you gnawing on your shoulder then this is quite a fun ride! The director of this Ti West made House Of The Devil last year which I thought was entertaining if not a bit boring throughout. It showed the potential and he nailed it with The Innkeepers. A ghost story about an old hotel with a few secrets and a small yet interesting cast of specters and human characters, namely the female lead(Actress Sara Paxton) who while working the last weekend before the hotel is closed for good decides along with the other employee(Actor Pat Healy) to have a few scares ghost hunting the place. Kelly Mcgillis, yes that one- Maverick's gal from Top Gun has a great supporting role in this as a once former actress turned medium.

Anyway, it is just a good flick and will have you thinking about the ending for some time after it finishes. Check it out so hopefully more films like this are green lit. The Inkeepers surprised me quite a bit..