![. the innkeepers . the innkeepers](https://img.moviesrankings.com/t/p/w1280/kyIYAZvx9OPmEniNLPIkGlmkM3D.jpg)
They are bored and the hotel has only four guests: an unpleasant and angry mother with her young son the TV actress Leanne "Lee" Rease-Jones (Kelly McGillis) that claims to be psychic and an old man that spent his honeymoon in the hotel and wants to say good-bye the room where his wife and him had spent their wedding night.
![. the innkeepers . the innkeepers](https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/review/primary_image/reviews/the-innkeepers-2012/hero_EB20120201REVIEWS120209995AR.jpg)
The former fancy and elegant Yankee Pedlar Inn will be closed in a couple of days to become a parking area and the employees Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are taking care of the hotel while the owner is traveling on vacation in Barbados. Certainly closer to a ****/***** for me than to a **/*****, way closer. A must-see for genre lovers, definitely one of the best films of 2011 and I really think the only ones who shoudl not see this one are those who don't care about horror at all.
![. the innkeepers . the innkeepers](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/G3BPPP/the-innkeepers-wife-and-daughter-taking-care-of-don-after-being-beaten-G3BPPP.jpg)
There is a lot more under the surface here than I recognized I am sure and this also makes it a film worth seeing once more. And in retrospective, the asthma inhaler references made sense too and I really did not see the ending coming. Snother mention to the scene where the two are calling upon the deceased lady and we see her shadow appear. The location was perfect too for the scenario, the hotel with us not having any idea what scary things may be going on behind the doors, but also the descent at the very end and going down into the dark is one thing that always leaves an impact on me. For example the guy next to me was almost aflling asleep on several occasions, then again maybe he was just tired, and left the film early. I am not surprised this is a film that resonated better with critics apparently than with general audiences because it is a bit specific at times and certainly not for everybody. Every new character added something memorable, the actress maybe not that much as I hoped she would, but the old man going up there to the bathtub was definitely something special and worth the wait. Maybe the introduction early on was slightly a bit too long for my taste, but it's really just nitpicking for anything I did not appreciate about the film and because everything else worked so well. I am a much bigger fan of invisible scares than of brutal depictions of excessive violence, so the base was right already for me here. As for the approach to horror, it was exactly what I hoped it would be. His scenes with Paxton are pretty strong and the two have nice chemistry too. The other one I'd like to mention is Pat Healy, whose character looks a bit like a normal guy / nothing character, but he added many interesting layers there probably also thanks to West's script and direction.
![. the innkeepers . the innkeepers](https://i2.wp.com/www.onrembobine.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/The-Innkeepers-Affiche-Copier.jpg)
All the actors are doing a fine job really. But Kaluuya's awards success recently showed us how things are maybe changing too in that direction. Lead actress Sara Paxton is a revelation really (not only physically and i am saying this as somebody who's not into blondes at all) and I am a bit sad she did not manage a huge breakthrough (yet?) as she really shines in here and is the prime example of how it is more than possible to deliver an amazing performance in a genre film that may not be as perfect for actors in making an impact as it's all about the story and shock value. Horror is a genre I am not always too big on, but this little gem worked well for me on almost every level.
#. THE INNKEEPERS MOVIE#
I was lucky enough to watch this 100-minute movie again about a week ago on the big screen and I am really glad I took the chance.
#. THE INNKEEPERS FULL#
I think this was already his fifth career effort at that point in terms of full feature films alone and as he was only 30 around that time, it is pretty impressive and prolific I'd say. "The Innkeepers" is an American horror/mystery drama from 2011, so already over 5 years old, and this one was written and directed by Ti West.