The Innkeepers

Synopsis: The Yankee Pedlar, an old inn in Connecticut, New England, has long had a reputation for being haunted by the ghost of a jilted woman who hanged herself. But the now-faded establishment is on its closing weekend and the only two staff left working there, Claire (Sarah Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) see it as their last opportunity to find proof, once and for all, of the hotel’s ghost.

When writer-director Ti West shot his 2009 film, House Of The Devil, he stayed at the actual Yankee Pedlar, and, after several “haunted house” experiences, figured that the hotel definitely had a ghost. So his inspiration for this entertaining film was born.

The cleverness of West’s approach is in the difference between his film and the standard formulaic ghost tale. He starts us off in a gentle, unthreatening and almost humorous manner. When we meet Claire and Luke they are typical slackers – a laid-back couple who spend a lot of time in idle bantering, and are remiss in attending to the few guests who check in. One particular guest is Leanne Rease (Kelly McGillis) an ex-TV star once idolised by Claire. Leanne is now a healer/medium and things start to get a bit creepy when Leanne warns Claire not to go into the basement.

Meanwhile, Luke, who has a website devoted to hauntings, especially in this hotel, spends most nights with an Electronic Voice Phenomenon sound recorder (a device used by real ghost hunters). Despite Luke recording nothing significant, he likes to scare Claire with pretend sightings. As the film progresses we discover more of the story of the jilted woman and Claire starts to hear someone crying, and, hey ho, a piano playing by itself.
The old hotel is like a character. Its long corridors recall The Shining and its rooms are particularly ominous with only two floors in the whole place still functional. There is a run-down tawdriness, and, of course, the obligatory basement, which is part of a lower level system of more corridors.

West ups the ante in the scary stakes gradually and almost imperceptibly. The overlay of light-heartedness evaporates and turns into genuine spookiniess, returning to the form of the more classical horror story, one which eschews blood and gore (mostly) for suspense and a most unexpected and unpredicted twist in the tale. With strong performances by the two leads, a fabulously authentic setting and a scary story leavened with a pinch of humour, The Innkeepers makes for good watching for those seeking an old-fashioned thrill.

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