While other horror filmmakers have been busy churning out found footage and unrated cuts, Ti West has been crafting horror films. His "House of the Devil" was exceptionally well-made, complete with riffs on '70s demonic possession films and long, wordless sequences. "The Innkeepers," West's sixth feature film, loses some of the fine filmmaking of "House of the Devil," but the result remains largely the same — a horror movie that actually frightens.
Images
"Innkeepers" seems outwardly familiar, as West intends. Sara Paxton stars as Claire, a caretaker at the Yankee Pedlar Inn. She dislikes her job, but the inn is closing soon. In her spare time, Claire is also obsessed with catching the inn's supernatural activity on tape, but she has never been able to see a ghost. Luckily for her, the ghosts begin to make their presence known during the inn's final days.
"The Innkeepers" manages to do away with just about every horror cliché that exists. The movie's heroine Claire may be blond, but rarely does she conform to stereotypes by making poor decisions. The film's setting initially appears trite as well. "The Shining" has explored the physical and psychological terrain of a haunted hotel before, but that movie's hotel was large and spooky. The Yankee Pedlar is quaint and seemingly harmless. These off-putting variations in horror tropes add to the film's surprising scare value.
West's restraint in "The Innkeepers" also amps up the frights. The horror in "The Innkeepers" burns slowly — the initially lethargic pace increases, gradually upping the tension. The first hour of the film involves few thrills, consisting mostly of banter between Claire and another caretaker. Though enjoyable for its comedy, this period may lower your expectations of the remainder of the film.
"Innkeepers" relies on a few cheap scares, but in the last half hour it reveals itself to be much more. When all the ghosts from the first hour collide in the final ten minutes, the film becomes unbearably intense with a series of potent and unrelenting scares.
"The Innkeepers" proves again that West's films deserve to be held up as models of modern horror, especially in a genre that is dominated by half-naked sorority girls and bland jump scares. His movies work well because of his reliance on older horror movie techniques, as evidenced by his throwback to '80s horror films. West knows that filmmakers should continue to look back so they can learn and borrow from the old masters. True to this philosophy, "The Innkeepers" is at once a successful tribute to long-forgotten horror films and a remarkably effective one in its own right.
