Review:
"The Innkeepers"
Release Date: Feb. 3, 2012
Rating: R Running Time: 102 minutes Ti West didn’t cross paths with any ghosts during his stay at the supposedly haunted Yankee Pedlar Inn while shooting 2009’s House of the Devil, but the Connecticut hotel’s eerie atmosphere did inspire him to write his new film, The Innkeepers. Arriving almost a year after its SXSW premiere, West’s typically quiet, slow-building horror yarn focuses on an encounter between two Yankee Pedlar employees (Sara Paxton and Pat Healy) and the ghost that haunts the hotel that is about to close its doors for good. For all but the last 30 minutes, The Innkeepers isn’t really less concerned with things that go bump in the night. Sure, there are a few unsettling moments, but West is more intrigued by the amusing interactions between our two amateur ghost hunters. Up-and-coming scream queen Paxton’s as cute as a button and exudes a geekiness that should drive any fan boy crazy with lust; Healy possesses a biting wit that befits the circumstances. They’re such a terrific comic pairing that it’s impossible not to get caught in their banter or their efforts to communicate with the dead. Then there’s Kelly McGillis, who lends great dramatic heff to The Innkeepers as an actress turned psychic. West dispenses with the laughs as The Innkeepers inches toward the inevitable confrontation with the ghost. Unfortunately, West paints himself into the corner, so it’s near impossible to buy into the events that lead up to the downbeat ending. Still, there’s no denying that West delivers on the chills, but it’s his wicked sense of humor that makes The Innkeepers worth the stay. Robert Sims Aired: Feb. 2, 2012 Web site: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/theinnkeepers/ |
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