The Innkeepers (5/10): A haunted story that never haunts

“If you expect nothing from people, then you go through life being pleasantly surprised.”

Perhaps the fact that I went into this film with high expectations is the reason why I ended up feeling disappointed. I should’ve taken the hotel employee’s advice and not expected much from it and perhaps then I could’ve been pleasantly surprised. Although I hadn’t seen a film from Ti West, I had heard great things about him (and I did enjoy You’re Next, a film he had a supporting role in). It had also been well received by critics when it was first released and I can see why West’s visual style was appealing. There are some great shots and he takes his time to slowly build the atmosphere, but after having seen The Conjuring we learned that it’s possible to do those things while also being frightening. My greatest complaint is that this haunted hotel tale isn’t scary at all and it never unsettled me. There were perhaps two slightly disturbing scenes, but there wasn’t more than that so I found it hard to identify with the main protagonist’s fear. I had no problem with the slow pace because I actually enjoy it when they take time to build the characters, but the fact that the film never goes anywhere interesting was a downer. In the end it was just another ordinary and predictable ghost tale that simply told its story in a rather unconventional slow pace. 

The film begins with an establishing shot of the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a hotel that has been operating for more than a century. Business hasn’t been going too well as more and more claims of the hotel’s haunted past has affected its attendance. Only two employees remain for the final weekend that the hotel will stay open, and before it shuts its doors forever Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are determined to find evidence of the haunting. We learn from their interaction with each other that a guest named Madeline O’Malley committed suicide in the hotel years ago and in order to avoid the bad press the owners decided to hide the body in the basement. They are convinced that it is her ghost that is scaring off the guests. Currently only two people are staying in the hotel: a mother with her son and a former actress named Leanne (Kelly McGillis ) who is in town for a conference. It isn’t long before Claire finds evidence that the hotel is haunted indeed. 

The Innkeepers never works as a horror film because the hauntings never deliver scares, but many have appreciated it more for the relationship between the two co-workers. They feel like authentic and real characters and the movie does take its time to build that relationship. Paxton an Healy deliver solid performances, although Paxton gives somewhat of a campy performance at times. There are some inconsistencies with the characters and the things they say and do. For instance, Claire is warned by Leanne not to go to the basement and then a few scenes later both of them go into the basement to explore it. Leanne makes contact with these spirits in the hotel and refers to them as “they,” but the only evidence of the hotel being haunted at the moment is Madeline’s ghost and the film never explores what Leanne was referring to. Lena Dunham also has a supporting role here but her character is underused and that entire scene between her and Paxton could’ve been deleted from the film. There were several scenes like that one that never really went anywhere and didn’t seem to do anything to build the story. 

My Review: Drinking Buddies (6/10)

"That's the problem with heartbreak, to you it's like an atomic bomb and to the world it's just really cliche, because in the end we all have the same experience."

Drinking Buddies is mumblecore director Joe Swanberg's latest film which benefits from an impressive cast and an interesting premise that examines young adult relationships in a fresh way. Many people have called it the When Harry Met Sally of this generation considering it brings up the question whether or not men and women can become best friends without falling in love. This film never raises the question through dialogue, but we see it through the actors actions and emotional responses. One of the things I liked about this film is that things go unsaid like in real life relationships and it's up to the audience to judge the characters without ever being forced or pushed to feel a certain way about them. It is one of those rare romantic comedies we can relate to. The main problem I had with this film however has to do with the fact that the first 30 minutes of the movie felt like the characters were being forced towards a predictable direction and setting everything up, but then all of a sudden it shifts and becomes something completely unexpected. I wasn't a huge fan of that misdirection, but thankfully the last hour is really entertaining and sincere, making Drinking Buddies a film worth watching. 

Kate (Olivia Wilde) works at a local Chicago brewery and despite being the only female she gets along really well with her male co-workers, especially with Luke (Jake Johnson) with whom she goofs around often. Kate is currently in a relationship with a music producer named Chris (Ron Livingston), while Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Jill (Anna Kendrick). The two couples decide to spend a weekend together in the woods where we see (or at least think we do) which couples actually belong with each other and which don't. Spending their free time drinking a lot doesn't make their decisions any easier either.

The film was also edited pretty well by Joe Swanberg who also was credited for writing the screenplay despite the fact that all the dialogue in this film was completely improvised and the actors were only given a vague outline of the plot. The chemistry between Jake Johnson and Olivia Wilde was great and they both deliver some of their best performances here. Wilde really surprised me here considering I didn't think she had this in her, she was outstanding. Anna Kendricks is a great actress but I wasn't impressed very much with her role here, perhaps because I've seen her in stronger roles before. Despite its flaws this was an entertaining film that felt at times like a good hang-out movie. Swanberg was great at capturing some of the small moments really well and building the sexual tension between the two friends. In the end the audience can decide whether these characters were really perfect for each other or not, but the incident near the end where Luke cuts his hand with a nail allowed me to make up my mind pretty easily.

My Review: You're Next (9/10)

"Don't bother locking the doors. Animals don't use doors."

I can't think of a better way of spending the last day of October than having experienced this film for the first time. I am not a big horror fan, but after watching The Conjuring and now this movie I think I'm back on board with this genre. They are two very different movies, The Conjuring really creeped me out, while You're Next was extremely entertaining with lots of dark humor and interesting genre twists. I agree with the people that are comparing this movie to Scream because it is very self aware and it makes fun of horror cliches while at the same time delivering them. I would say You're Next does for home invasion horror films what Kick Ass did for super hero films. I am actually a little embarrassed that I loved this movie so much considering it features some pretty bad performances and hardly any scares at all. The opening of the film was rather predictable and it took a long time to really get going, but once the twists kicked in, the movie had me at the edge of my seat with Sharni Vinson delivering one of the most memorable female characters I've seen in a horror film since Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Alien. She was worth the ticket price alone. You're Next is gory and violent, and it is not a movie for everyone, but this mumblegore film was so much better than I had expected. It completely blew me away despite all its flaws and lack of actual scary scenes. This will probably be the first time in more than a decade that I will have two horror movies in my best films of the year list. You're Next did everything that The Purge did wrong right. It has overtaken The Strangers as my favorite home invasion film.

The less you know about the plot going into this movie the better so I will be brief here. Paul (Rob Moran) and Aubrey (Barbara Crampton) are getting ready to celebrate their 35th aniversary by having a family reunion at their country home in the middle of the woods. The first to arrive is their son Crispian (AJ Bowen) along with his girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson). Crispian is a teacher and Erin was a former student of his. The next day Crispian`s brother Drake (Joe Swanberg) and his wife Kelly (Margaret Laney) arrive. Crispian and Drake seem to have some sort of unressolved issues going on between them. Before the important dinner celebration the rest of the family members arrive: Paul`s youngest son Felix (Nicholas Tucci) with his gothic girlfriend Zee (Wendy Glen), and Paul`s only daughter Aimee (Amy Seimetz) with her documentary filmmaker boyfriend Tariq (Ti West). The table has been set for a nice little family reunion when all of a sudden these men wearing animal masks begin to attack and suddenly everyone`s life is in danger. 

I think that the critics and some of the trailers give away too much information about this movie considering it is much more enjoyable if you go into it without knowing much about it. This is a small indie horror film with some unknown actors, but the story is really engaging and Sharni Vinson takes over the entire second half of the film with a powerful performance. She is really great in this. This is one movie I wouldn`t mind watching again considering it actually might be rewarding to go back and seeing some of the things I missed out on the first time (now that I know the twists that are coming beforehand). I haven`t had as much fun in a theater this year as much as I did with this film. I`m not a fan of gore, but this film used it wisely and had several funny moments that completely engaged me. It balances the humor with the horror pretty well. You`re Next is a very witty film with some dark humor that isn`t for everyone, but it deserves you at least give it a shot. You might just love this film as much as I did and look over its many flaws.