30 THEATRICAL TERRORS: The Innkeepers (Day 13)

Ti West’s 2011 film, THE INNKEEPERS,

is an interesting and powerfully haunting tale.

And I’m not quite sure how it’s as good as it is.

Although, thinking about it, it must be the script and performances because, at the end of the day, that’s really all that counts.

It’s a pretty basic story of two young employees at a regal old hotel on the verge of closing it’s doors for the last time. These two are ghost hunting enthusiasts who have documented a few of the hotel’s supposed hauntings. The most famous of which is the legend of Madeline O’Malley, a bride who hanged herself in the 1800s when her fiance jilted her at the altar and whose body was hidden in the basment by the owners of the hotel.

Claire, played pitch perfectly by Sara Paxton, is a sincere true believer; while Luke, played quite well by Pat Healy, we discover, is a non-believer. From there, we meet a few guests, do some ghost hunting and delve into the meat of the movie and learn that this old monster of a hotel ain’t giving up it’s ghost quite yet.

I can’t stress enough how easy it is to fall in love with Sara Paxton’s Claire in this movie—that’s how good she is.

Ti West has made another fine film here,

perhaps a great one?

It’s quiet.

It’s subtle.

It’s dark.

It's smart.

Here, take a peek: