Review - Room and Bored ("The Innkeepers")

The Old Dark House… The Uninvited… The Haunting… The Legend of Hell House… The Shining… The Others… - Eight generations of “Haunted House” movies full of creaking doors, mysterious shadows, wide-eyed residents, and things that go bump in the night. Writer/Director Ti West’s latest film, “The Innkeepers,” aspires to join the company of the aforementioned films. Sorry, Ti. The “No Vacancy” sign is lit.

“The Innkeepers” tells the story of Claire and Luke, the last remaining staff of a soon-to-be closed hotel that is, of course, supposedly haunted. Conveniently, they are also “paranormal investigators” of sort. Tending to just a few guests, they have plenty of time to talk… and talk… and talk. Some things are heard. Some things are seen. There’s a basement that… they… must… NOT go down to… You get the picture.

“The Innkeepers” does have a few of the elements necessary for an effective haunted house thriller. To start, the film is set in a vintage New England hotel – Connecticut’s Yankee Pedlar Inn. Wonderfully atmospheric, it’s a shame that the Grand Dame of Torrington, Connecticut, has nothing supporting it in the way of script or lead performances. West’s script has absolutely nothing new to add to the genre, save the “hipster” lead characters whose boredom with their jobs and life in general is transferred to the audience watching this film.

A welcome appearance is made by Kelly McGillis whose professionalism lends some gravitas to the proceedings. I would have found a film about her character far more interesting.

The film is well shot, but it’s use of a steadicam and long tracking shots just transports you back to better films (“The Shining” in particular.)

I give credit to West for at least attempting to return to a classic genre and steer clear of the “Hostel”/”Saw” approach to horror. I just wish his execution had been better.

“The Innkeepers” opens Friday, February 3rd at Landmark’s Lumiere Theatre in San Francisco and theatres across the country.