By Yo Adrian
(Courtesy of Allhorror.com)
Director Ti West definitely has a gift for slow-burn builds, character development, and little details that can’t help but make the viewer feel immersed in the worlds he creates. However, we personally like his style best when it’s applied to the genre he does best — horror. Something about his vision is perfect for films like his House of the Devil where seemingly normal people and situations interconnect seamlessly with the unreal, the unsettling, and the truly frightening.
The Innkeepers brings a similar approach to the table. It stars effervescent Sara Paxton (The Last House on the Left), Pat Healy (Carnage Park), and 80’s icon Kelly McGillis (We Are What We Are). Ti West not only directs here, but also writes and edits, so – love it or hate it – you’re definitely treated to West’s trademark style in spades here.
This is the tale of an aging hotel called the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a destination that was once iconic, but is now struggling and on the verge of closure. The final weekend of the Inn’s business run finds only two employees on duty, asthma sufferer Claire (Paxton) and web-savvy Luke (Healy). Both are also amateur ghost hunters and share a fascination with the Yankee Pedlar Inn’s reputation as a highly haunted location. As might be expected, the Inn’s final weekend of operation doesn’t go as smoothly as one might expect, especially once Claire and Luke make up their minds to dig a little deeper into the credibility of the spooky legends surrounding their place of business.
Like The House of the Devil before it, The Innkeepers covers some pretty well-traveled territory from a storytelling standpoint. Any seasoned horror fan has no doubt seen their share of haunted hotel movies a la The Shining or 1408. However, it’s West’s leisurely filmmaking pace, as well as the familiarity of the characters and scenes that set this film apart. For instance, the scenes that find Clare and Luke hanging out and shooting the breeze while on shift feel instantly relatable and familiar to anyone who’s passed the time at a slow-paced job by doing similarly. This familiarity is juxtaposed nicely with quirky characters like an unsettling old man (played by George Riddle) and eccentric ex-actress turned medium, Leanne (McGillis).
Even the Inn itself feels like a million different hotels viewers may have stayed at during their lifetimes. (The Yankee Pedlar is, in fact, a real Connecticut inn.) However, West uses that to his advantage by doing what he does best – using clever camerawork and mood-building to build atmosphere and suspense. Despite its ordinariness, the Yankee Pedlar feels like a place where anything can happen potentially… but will it? And how much of what does happen is truly occurring and how much is only in the mind of frightened protagonist Claire?
The characters and performances are additional bright spots in The Innkeepers. For instance, Sara Paxton’s performance as the vulnerable and fragile Claire really does help sell the possibility that perhaps not all of the events of the film are truly happening. Creative POV shots are further used to build suspense by implying unspeakable sights just outside of the camera’s range of vision.
But is The Innkeepers worth your time as a horror fan? That probably depends on how you feel about Ti West’s approach to horror films overall. If you find it tedious, overly slow, or maddening, then The Innkeepers might not be your cup of tea. However, if you really dig a slower build-up that features a subtler blend of the relatable versus the horrific, you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already.
