Retro Review: "The Innkeepers"

Thanks again to Netflix, I was able to enjoy yet another movie I've been reading about for several years: director Ti West's 2011 haunted hotel movie, The Innkeepers. I recently saw West's debut House of the Devil and found it a bit tedious, but the he has upped his game here, creating compelling characters we actually care about (it may have helped that the young lead reminded me of a very talented young actress I've had the pleasure of directing twice - Yes, Sarah, I mean you!). 

It is the last weekend for the soon-to-be-closed Yankee Pedlar Inn leaving Claire (Sarah Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) in charge. Luke is a wannabe paranormal investigator who swears he's encountered the hotel's ghost, a woman who supposedly committed suicide after being left at the alter. The only guests are a single woman with her young son and a former TV star turned psychic (Kelly McGillis). As Claire investigates the story of Madeline O'Malley and McGillis warns about going to the basement, the tension rises toward a truly scary ending. Taking cues from The Shining and even The Sentinel, West manages to create a modern ghost story with a kick, using a single location with a likeable and talented cast (which includes an hilarious turn from "Girls" creator, Lena Dunham). I can imagine Dear D squirming in his seat through this one. It certainly got my blood pumping, especially in the third act! *** (Three Out of Four Stars).

Fans of smart, tension-building horror should be quite pleased by The Innkeepers. Rated "R" by the MPAA for bloody images and language.

More, anon.
Prospero

Thursday's Turkey on Friday

Last weekend's snowstorm got me all mixed up, so I hope you'll forgive me for doing the usual Turkey Month Thursday Turkey on Friday, this week. And since I had already mentioned it in the post about The Innkeepers the other night, I thought I'd start with Ti West's direct-to-video Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever.

Eli Roth's 2002 directorial debut, Cabin Fever, was a funny and horrific homage to the genre about a group of college friends who rent a secluded cabin in the woods, only to be infected with a fast moving form of necrotizing faciitis (flesh eating bacteria). Gross,gory and often hilarious, Cabin Fever was a sleeper hit and gave Roth a career (though lately he's been acting, more than directing).

West's 2009 sequel... well, let's just say it lacks the finesse of the original. Rider Strong briefly returns as Paul (the original's only survivor), to find that he is also  infected. He wanders onto a highway and is promptly hit by a school bus whereupon he explodes like an overripe watermelon. Giuseppe Andrews also returns as party-hardy Deputy Winston, who tells the bus driver that he hit a moose. 

The story then moves on to a high school, where everyone is having angst about attending prom. Needless to say, the infected bottled water from the creek gets into the school and everyone is infected. Agents from a CDC-like organization try and quarantine the school as all sorts of mayhem breaks loose. There are exploding bodies; bloody vomit; amputations; ax attacks and even a nail-gun killing. The CDC-like group eventually gasses everyone in the school, but not before one girl escapes and goes to her job as a pole dancer, exposing her sore-covered breasts to the patrons who are apparently too drunk to notice.

What a mess. The 'humor' in the movie is barely passable as sophomoric, using unfunny sex jokes, homophobic entendres and just plain unfunny gross-outs. As for the cast of mostly* unknowns, I've seen more talented actors in back-water productions of The Fantastiks. The barely coherent screenplay byJoshua Malkin appears to have cobbled together from random ideas scribbled on diner napkins, while West seems to be simply going through the motions for a paycheck. To be perfectly honest, there is absolutely nothing worth recommending about Cabin Fever 2. I'm so glad I caught for free on FearNet.

*I hope "30 Rock" co-star Judah Friedlander doesn't count this movie among his "career highlights."

More, anon.
Prospero

The Innkeepers

Director Ti West made a splash with 2009's The House of the Devil, a about a baby sitter who takes the wrong job and which I have yet to see. Unfortunately, I did see Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, West's Direct-to-Video sequel to Eli Roth's hilarious horror debut. Poor acting, bad special effects, lame sex jokes and a ridiculous plot made CB2 a movie definitely worth skipping. But House of the Devil was a critical darling of sorts, and all the buzz about his latest effort have me very curious.

The Innkeepers takes place during the last weekend of business of the Yankee Peddlar Inn, a supposedly haunted New England hotel. The hotel's last two employees, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy), are determined to prove that the woman who reportedly haunts the hotel actually existed, and that the place is actually haunted. Kelly McGillis (Top Gun) makes a rare film appearance as a medium who claims she can help the amateur ghost hunters communicate with the spirits in the hotel.

Just about everything I've read about The Innkeepers has been positive. Those who've seen it say that it is a character-driven and atmospheric ghost tale with a measured pace and effective scares. Paxton appeared in 2009's remake of Last House on the Left and Healy has an extensive list of credits, including Magnolia;  Ghost World and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

The trailer is spooky enough. I only hope the movie lives up to the hype. The Innkeepers is scheduled for a February 2nd, 2012 release.

More, anon.
Prospero