For those of you who haven't seen Writer/Director Ti West's previous efforts, The House of the Devil and The Roost, I would highly recommend them. I can't hold his new film, The Innkeepers, to as high a level of praise, though I can say that it does offer its fair share of thrills and chills.
The only problem I can find with the film is that it is incredibly slow. Sure, The House of the Devil and The Roost take their time, but this one seems arduous at points. While the pacing does help to establish West's signature "What is going to happen?" atmosphere, other films have established the same amount of intensity with a relatively fast-pace. Take Paranormal Activity, a film which, in my opinion, is scarier than this one.
But this isn't meant to be a scary film. It's meant to be a spooky film. And it can be positively eerie. Two particular scenes, one in the middle and one towards the end, stood out for me. While almost every effective horror film manages to get my heart-rate up, this one somehow managed to give me goosebumps, something I don't get very often if ever when watching a film. It's a unique kind of fear.
Ti West has an obvious understanding for horror films and their audience. I hope he keeps up the good work and starts to realize that a snail-pace isn't always necessary. But it's refreshing to see a filmmaker who favors atmosphere over gratuitous blood and torture. His masterpiece will come soon enough.
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