Sunday, October 14, 2012

The Innkeepers


(2011)***


College drop-outs Claire and Seth are amateur paranormal investigators who are spending one last night in a supposedly “haunted” hotel manning the front desk and taking care of the few remaining guests.  The two spend most of their time either trying to scare one another, eating, or playing with their paranormal equipment.  Following several creepy incidents, the two become convinced that the rumors of ghosts are true and they make it their mission to capture otherworldly phenomenon before the hotel is turned into a parking lot.

Ti West’s latest lacks the suspense and powerful punch of 2009’s wonderful “House of the Devil”.  Nevertheless it is still enjoyable, largely due to the two excellent leads as well as the sublime atmosphere and camerawork.  The Innkeepers retains the look of House of the Devil including long, low tracking shots and extended stretches of silence, which are punctuated by occasional ‘scares’ (e.g. a moment near a piano made me jump off the couch).  In the end, however, little happens in The Innkeepers; the climax is all too brief/disappointing and several questions remain unanswered. 

4 comments:

DKC said...

Huh. Well now I don't know what to do. I'll guess I'll have to watch it myself to make a judgement!

Octopunk said...

So afterwards, do the ghosts haunt the parking lot?

AC said...

sounds like you and whirlygirl agree on the cons. i appreciate your criticisms but they didn't detract as much for me. and mr. ac jumped more than once, which is a thon first.

yes, dcd, watch and weigh in!

Catfreeek said...

Go for it dcd it was worth it just for the character build in this one, I really liked it too.

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...