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However, those movies dole out their horror regularly, so audiences are slingshot from one tone to the other.
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Obviously comedy and horror have been bedfellows for years and the pull and release of both forms can make for a fun and unpredictable ride like say, An American Werewolf In London or Shaun Of The Dead. West’s carefully built tension is constantly undercut by the laughs, either tonally or literally when the characters mock their haunted encounters. The scenes work in isolation thanks to some hilarious and sweetly naturalistic work from Paxton and Healy, but harm the structure of the film overall. The filmmaker decided to try his hand at comedy this time out and the bulk of the running time is dedicated to Claire and Luke chit-chatting about hauntings rather than experiencing them and poking fun at their few remaining guests. Unfortunately West chose to experiment with his tried n’ true directorial methods this time out in a manner that didn’t improve them. The same is true of practically all of West’s work and his willingness to trust in audiences to invest in a story rather than shove endless set pieces down their throat is what makes him such an exciting and unique figure in the genre at the moment. The film’s few moments of ghostly shenanigans definitely have a stronger impact as a result of the build up then they would in a more ADD-approved horror narrative and should seer their way into the brains of viewers who are creeped out by mysterious shadows in the night. The director is well aware of his techniques and the scene feels like a wink to the audience assuring them that if they hang in through the long sequences of characters seemingly doing nothing, the big boos will come when they least expect it and hit even harder. The filmmaker even seems to joke about the technique early on in The Innkeepers when Luke shows Claire one of those jump scare viral videos where a static shot of an empty room is rudely interrupted by a loud noise and an ugly face. West specializes in carefully teasing his audience for most of the running time before delivering his major shocks all at once in the climax. Much like Ti West’s previous horror efforts The House Of The Devil, The Roost, and Trigger Man, this film is all about build up and suspense.
![the innkeepers how old are tget the innkeepers how old are tget](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/05/29/greathomesanddestinations/20140529-LOCATION-slide-VPY8/20140529-LOCATION-slide-VPY8-superJumbo.jpg)
When Claire gets the psychic to work her magic on the hotel and discovers it’s a far more haunted spot than anticipated…well, the supernatural shit hits the fan as they day (ok, only I say that, but it still applies). They believe the hotel is haunted and hope to capture some footage or audio recordings of the pesky poltergeist before the place is shut down. Of course, Claire and Luke have ulterior motives. Her and longtime work buddy Luke (a charmingly dorky Pat Healy) agree to sleepover during the last weekend to tend to the hotel’s final guests, a spurned wife ( Alison Bartlett) taking a break from her husband, an elderly gentleman ( George Riddle) staying in his former honeymoon suite, and a former actress ( Kelly McGillis) turned psychic. She works at a crumbling local hotel that’s going out of business and the film takes place during The Yankee Pedlar’s last weekend of operation. The irrepressibly adorable Sara Paxton stars as Claire, a wondering 20something without purpose straight out of the mumblecore handbook.