the fresh films reviews

S I N C E   1 9 9 7










 

The Innkeepers (2011)

Director:
Ti West
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Horror
NORWEGIAN TITLE
The Innkeepers
RUNNING TIME
101 minutes
Producer:
Derek Curl
Larry Fessenden
Peter Phok
Ti West
Screenwriter:
Ti West


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Claire Sara Paxton
Luke Pat Healy
Leanne Rease-Jones Kelly McGillis
Gayle, Angry Mom Alison Bartlett
Boy Jake Ryan
Barista Lena Dunham
Old Man George Riddle

 

Review

The young and talented Sara Paxton and the brilliant Pat Healy play the title characters, who during the final week of their summer jobs as innkeepers at the venerable Yankee Pedlar Inn decide to explore the building looking for the alleged spirit of a young woman who died there some time during the last century. The plot is familiar territory, but the agreeable pace and the quirky and refreshingly natural-acting lead characters give the film weight and integrity. And contrary to many current filmmakers, writer/director Ti West also understands that what you don't show sometimes can be just as scary as what you do show, something that is brilliantly exemplified in the film's most effective scene when Claire and Luke enjoy a creepy moment in the basement together. The film's finale still is a disappointment though. Because when West no longer can lean exclusively on his flair as a director, but actually needs the script to stand out, The Innkeepers unfortunately ends up as formulaic horror - and therefore neither very scary or interesting for seasoned viewers.

Copyright © 1.11.2013 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

[BACK TO INDEX]

[HAVE YOUR SAY]