Movie Recommendation: The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers (2011)

     I love horror movies. A passion that is unfortunately not shared by my wife. Which sucks a little because part of the fun of watching a scary flick is experiencing it with other people. But alas, it looks like I’m going to have to live with being scared by myself or wait for my son to hit 13 or so.

     For me, the thrill of watching a good horror film comes from becoming physically involved in the story.  I might get a thrill from watching Indiana Jones or The Avengers, but they’re not going to spike my blood pressure, raise my heart rate, or keep me from falling asleep. A truly scary film will stay with you for quite a long time.

And for me, the short list of films that fall into that category is indeed pretty short. Halloween (the original John Carpenter version), The Ring, and The Shining are the only ones that pop to mind at the moment. And that list is in no particular order, BTW.

     So, a few nights ago, I found myself up late, sitting in the Nerd Cave, flipping through Netflix, trying to find something worth watching.  And if you’ve navigated the Netflix app on a PS3 or Smart TV, you know that can be a challenge. But that is a rant for another day.  I was about to give up when I came upon The Innkeepers, a 2011 release, written, directed, and edited by Ti West. (watch the trailer) (Though I suggest you don’t watch the trailer as it gives away too much, IMHO)

    You don’t need me to give you the synopsis. You can do much better on Google.  My purpose here is to give you a heads up that this movie almost scared the pee out of me. And that’s pretty rare if you’re a jaded, “been there, seen that” nerd like me. That being said, let me warn you that the movie starts off a little bit slow but that’s only because West is building up to the climax of the movie. And in my opinion, that’s the way to do it. For me, the slow cooker is preferable to the film that drops you right into the middle of something, leaving you going “what?”  You might be tempted to write off The Innkeeper’s earlier scares as weak and hit the stop button, but don’t.  Believe me, if you like to be “OH S–T!” scared, stick around til the end.

     On a related note, let me take you back to my viewing of The Innkeepers. I had just finished watching the film.  I was back on Netflix deciding if I was ready for bed or was going to go for a double feature.  My wife, who had been in bed for hours, comes creeping into the Nerd Cave out of the adjacent bathroom. She’s trying to be quiet because she “thought I was sleeping,”  Since I wasn’t, AND I was focused on Netflix, what I got was a female form slowly gliding into the room out of the corner of my eye. Still a bit amped up from the climax of The Innkeepers, I literally almost lost bladder control right on my pristine grey sofa sleeper.  I mean, this was startled like I came close to unapologetically yelling “WTF!?“at her for several minutes. Luckily, I was able to maintain composure but she’s still hearing about it.

     So, as this Halloween season progresses, turn out the lights, lock the doors, and give The Innkeepers a chance to scare the pee out of you.

 

Copyright 2012 It Came From The Nerd Cave