Frightfest: The Innkeepers (2011)

The Yankee Peddler Inn is closing, a one time majestic hotel has been so unpopular in recent years, and its rooms lay empty almost every single night. Claire (Sarah Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are the hotels last staff, and managing the final weekend between them. Obsessed with the fact that they believe the hotel to be haunted the duo decide to spend the weekend loading images and sound onto a website that proves the hotel is haunted, and not just something they personally believe. This weekend, they are about to be proven right, or are they?

From the director of House Of The Devil, Ti West comes another unusual and quirky horror tale. For West and his crew however, there was a little more to the story than just a plain old script. Some years earlier while making House Of The Devil, they stayed at The Yankee Peddler, yes it is a real hotel! The crew spent the entire time talking about things that had occurred at the hotel, telephones ringing, doors shutting, lights turning on or off by themselves. The occurrences were so frequent, that West started note taking and opted to make the movie, providing he could get the Peddler’s owners permission to film it there.

The story itself is cleverly told, as the movie begins you have a really quirky comedy that ever so occasionally has a dark moments. You sit there thinking that this is all that is going to happen with the movie, all you are going to see, and once you have fallen into that false sense of security that all you’re watching is a comedy, the horror starts. Because you have let down you’re defences when the horror hits, it hits hard, but had it not been for all the humour, you would not have quite the reaction to the film.

This is a very traditional type of horror, an old fashioned haunting tale, filled with mystery, and “did that just happen” moments, that run through its entirety, right the way up to the films final moments.

The movie specifically follows Claire (Paxton), a character according to West based on the quirky, sometimes awkward nature of the actress playing her. You get to love the character, which is the movies ultimate strength. You really feel for her, as her co-worker leaves her to manage the hotel at night while he goes for some sleep, you picture yourself being in her situation, staying awake all-night in an empty hotel would be a chilling experience for anyone. Luke’s character is allegedly based on an actual Yankee Pedlar employee, which must add a great level of interest for anyone who has actually stayed at the hotel.

The surprise of the movie is the arrival of character Leanne played by Kelly McGillis, the one time hottest woman in Hollywood has aged over the passage of time as is to be expected, but here the makers have deliberately made her to look as rough as they possibly can to illustrate the characters decline. It’s strange to see her in the film, as she is now, but a most unique and interesting casting indeed.

Innkeepers divided the audience quite considerably, older more mature viewers really seemed to enjoy it, the type of person that was watching horror back in the 80’s sees the charm (even though the movie is set more recently it has that 80’s feel about it). While those not around in the 80’s (or for most of them) simply did not seem to get it. If your expecting a splatter-fest, this is not that kind of movie, it’s a very subtle drawn out experience, that I believe in some ways will be appreciated more in decades to come than it is now.