The Innkeepers is a 2011 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Ti West (The House of the Devil), starring Kelly McGillis, Pat Healy and Sara Paxton.
Plot:
Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are two young employees at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a once-grand hotel that is about to close down. Claire and Luke are the only employees working during its final weekend of operation.
Claire, who suffers from severe asthma, has recently dropped out of college, and Luke runs a website chronicling supposed hauntings. Both employees are ghost hunting enthusiasts and are fascinated by the hotel’s history, which includes the legend of Madeline O’Malley, a bride who hung herself in the 1800s when her husband abandoned her on their honeymoon, and whose body was hidden in the basement by the hotel owners.
Reviews:
“Many die-hard horror fans will undoubtedly be turned off by West’s careful pacing at the outset, but rest assured: the second half of the movie is filled with a sense of dread that rarely lets up.” Dave Becker, 2,500 Movies Challenge
“The movie never entirely flatlines, and there are some funny touches, but it annoyingly fails to do anything with the kooky situation it elaborately establishes, and there are no real shocks or laughs.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“If this enterprise were treated in a high-voltage way, this would be another low-rent horror film. West is more patient. He evokes the feeling of a long night in a boring job, during which Claire and Luke speculate about ghosts as a way of amusing themselves […] Ghost movies like this, depending on imagination and craft, are much more entertaining than movies that scare you by throwing a cat at the camera.” Roger Ebert
“The story is there, it’s just not developed very far beyond there being a possible haunting at this inn. What West focuses more on are the set-ups for the scares. It’s true that some of them are the standard “surprise” moments that we come to expect in most horror films these days, but some of them are done quite well…” Jeff Beck, We Got This Covered
Cast and characters:
- Sara Paxton … Claire
- Pat Healy … Luke
- Alison Bartlett … Angry Mom
- Jake Ryan … Young Boy (as Jake Schlueter)
- Kelly McGillis … Leanne Rease-Jones
- Lena Dunham … Barista
- Brenda Cooney … Madeline O’Malley
- George Riddle … Old Man
- John Speredakos … Officer Mitchell
- Sean Reid … Medic
- Kurt Venghaus … Medic
- Thomas Mahoney … Medic
- Michael Martin … Medic
- Michael P. Castelli … Medic
Filming locations:
The Yankee Pedlar Inn – 93 Main St, Torrington, Connecticut
Technical details:
- 101 minutes
- Audio: Dolby Digital
- Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
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