The Innkeepers 4K 2011

Even the most modest work of a novice director, shot for a couple of hundred dollars, can reveal something previously unseen, which means that even in the relative trash heap of film production, there is a chance to find something valuable, albeit microscopic in size. However, don't get your hopes up too high — you're much more likely to discover a new trifle that will surprise you with its insignificance.

I didn't even want to write anything particularly bad about The Innkeepers, but damn it, director/screenwriter/producer/editor (!) Ti West managed to surprise me, and I had no choice but to do my civic duty and save your nerve cells!

Let's move on to some entertaining math. His film lasts 100 minutes, of which only the last 20 contain ALL the key events. In principle, you can safely watch The Innkeepers starting with those 20 minutes, but in fairness, I should note that to fully understand all the ideas, you need to watch another 5 minutes or less of the first 80. Total: 20+5=25 minutes, and we have a weak short film. 80-5=75 minutes — what does this decent number mean for a film? Exactly nothing. These are nothing more than empty minutes for the creation of a feature film, which do not contain a single scene or conversation that is relevant to the development of the plot. Either I have seen too few films, or Ti West has completely lost his mind. Something tells me that the second option is correct. But there are recent examples of short films that were turned into feature films that are definitely worth seeing at least once, such as District 9 and The Hobo with a Shotgun.

I really didn't want to write anything bad about this feature film after such a blatant waste of time, but even if we forget about that, The Innkeepers still doesn't look acceptable: it's a painfully banal story about a ghost in an old hotel, which two of its employees set out to hunt down. Stretching it out to 1 hour and 40 minutes, West was unable to clearly explain why the “ghost hunters” were so persistently seeking contact with the ghost. Instead, he showed how they were bored and engaged in empty conversations. At the end, you'll find standard horror tropes and an equally standard ending. “Great,” isn't it?

Among the actors, I recognized Sarah Paxton, who has appeared in several decent films/series, but here her appearance and acting skills were as unremarkable as the film itself. There were other actors who also seemed to have made a name for themselves, but none of them stood out.

The only scary thing is that this inexpressive and immeasurably drawn-out thing will be released in theaters!!! Oh, how unhappy those who are “lucky” enough to get to see it will be, but given the staggering box office success of West's clumsy works, there will be few such “victims,” so you can sleep peacefully.