Why I would have survived The Innkeepers:
1.) I would not work at a place known to be haunted.
2.) If for some reason I did work at a place known to be haunted, if I was told not to go down to the basement, I would not go down to the basement.
3.) If I was ever told to get out of the hotel, I would get the fuck out of the hotel! I would not have checked on the old man on the third floor or waited for Lee to get her things.
Who else would have survived???
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Innkeepers Review
Hey folks!
It has finally happened! I am finally posting my first review! I'm sorry about the delay in getting this out, and I promise not to go so long between reviews again! So let's get right to it....
The Innkeepers is about the final weekend of the haunted Yankee Pedlar Inn. The two employees (innkeepers), Claire and Luke, are "paranormal investigators" (and I use that terms loosely) who hope to finally get proof of the hotel's haunted history before it closes down for good. The hotel is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Madeline O'Malley, who hung herself after being stood up on her wedding day years before, or so the story goes. An old actress turned psychic, Leanne Reace-Jones ("Lee"), comes to stay at the hotel and tries to help Claire.
Even though I find the plot lacking in places for this film, it is one of the few movies that will scare me every time, no matter how many times I've seen it. I know what's going to happen, but I still get the urge to cover my eyes at certain points. Overall, this is definitely a movie to watch if you want to be scared/creeped out.
~SPOILERS AHEAD~ So if you haven't seen the movie yet, GO WATCH IT, and then come back and let me know what you thought!
First off, the opening music is amazing. It portrays the perfect creepy feeling that gets you ready to be scared. Within the first few minutes, there is a great, yet ridiculous scare (the video Luke had Claire watch on his laptop). Each time I've watched the film, this scene has made me jump. Sure, I feel extremely stupid afterwards, but it gets me ready for what's about to happen later. The movie starts with simple scares: the video, Luke startling Claire, the bird, but they get more and more intense as the movie progresses: Madeline in the bed, the old man, the entire basement scene.
One of the best scenes of the film is when drunk Claire and Luke go down to the basement for the first time. Sitting on the floor trying to contact Madeline, they start to hear whispers. When Claire's eyes get huge and she's explaining to Luke that she sees Madeline, you can see the terror in Luke's face. What you don't see is always scarier than what you do. Unfortunately, this is also the scene where you realize what a giant pansy Luke really is. He's obviously in love with Claire, but when shit goes down, the first thing he does is cut and run. I also don't understand why Luke shows basically no emotion after Claire dies. Ultimately, I hated Luke.
I think this movie could have been so much better if there was more details into the hotel's history and/or Lee's visions. The scene where Lee explains that there are three spirits in the hotel and what they want is "life" is amazing, but there is no follow through. She tells Claire that there was a tragedy in the basement, but never explains what exactly happened or what she knows. She says that there are three spirits (prior to the old man's death), but you only ever seen Madeline and the old man. What happened to the other two? Did she really know what was going to happen to Claire?
I do understand that it is possible Lee was seeing the future and the three spirits are Madeline, the old man, and Claire, the tragedy in the basement is Claire's death, and "they tried to warn her" was Lee warning Claire not to go into the basement. If this is the case, why wouldn't she do more to save Claire. As I explained earlier, Lee states that what the spirits want is "life". However, the two spirits after Claire (Madeline and the old man) both committed suicide. Is anyone else baffled by this? How can they want life when they already took the life that they had. I guess I just don't totally buy that these were "future" visions Lee was having. I'm anxious to hear what everyone else thinks of this.
Speaking of the old man, he immediately increased the creepy factor of the entire movie tenfold as soon as he gets to the hotel. I felt like there should be a connection between the old man and Madeline since they both "supposedly" died in the same room (you see Madeline hanging by a noose after Claire finds the old man in the bathtub), but there is not enough of a backstory to make that connection. So even though I think the old man is a great addition to the movie, he really serves no purpose.
Ultimately, I liked this movie. I thought the fast paced close-ups, the music, and the acting (except for Luke after Claire dies) were exceptional. I found that each time I watched the movie, I never focused on the holes in the plot until it was over. It's a great movie if you just want to be scared/creeped out. In the end, it's just a really good haunt house (technically hotel) movie.
I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks about The Innkeepers!!
It has finally happened! I am finally posting my first review! I'm sorry about the delay in getting this out, and I promise not to go so long between reviews again! So let's get right to it....
The Innkeepers is about the final weekend of the haunted Yankee Pedlar Inn. The two employees (innkeepers), Claire and Luke, are "paranormal investigators" (and I use that terms loosely) who hope to finally get proof of the hotel's haunted history before it closes down for good. The hotel is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Madeline O'Malley, who hung herself after being stood up on her wedding day years before, or so the story goes. An old actress turned psychic, Leanne Reace-Jones ("Lee"), comes to stay at the hotel and tries to help Claire.
Even though I find the plot lacking in places for this film, it is one of the few movies that will scare me every time, no matter how many times I've seen it. I know what's going to happen, but I still get the urge to cover my eyes at certain points. Overall, this is definitely a movie to watch if you want to be scared/creeped out.
~SPOILERS AHEAD~ So if you haven't seen the movie yet, GO WATCH IT, and then come back and let me know what you thought!
First off, the opening music is amazing. It portrays the perfect creepy feeling that gets you ready to be scared. Within the first few minutes, there is a great, yet ridiculous scare (the video Luke had Claire watch on his laptop). Each time I've watched the film, this scene has made me jump. Sure, I feel extremely stupid afterwards, but it gets me ready for what's about to happen later. The movie starts with simple scares: the video, Luke startling Claire, the bird, but they get more and more intense as the movie progresses: Madeline in the bed, the old man, the entire basement scene.
One of the best scenes of the film is when drunk Claire and Luke go down to the basement for the first time. Sitting on the floor trying to contact Madeline, they start to hear whispers. When Claire's eyes get huge and she's explaining to Luke that she sees Madeline, you can see the terror in Luke's face. What you don't see is always scarier than what you do. Unfortunately, this is also the scene where you realize what a giant pansy Luke really is. He's obviously in love with Claire, but when shit goes down, the first thing he does is cut and run. I also don't understand why Luke shows basically no emotion after Claire dies. Ultimately, I hated Luke.
I think this movie could have been so much better if there was more details into the hotel's history and/or Lee's visions. The scene where Lee explains that there are three spirits in the hotel and what they want is "life" is amazing, but there is no follow through. She tells Claire that there was a tragedy in the basement, but never explains what exactly happened or what she knows. She says that there are three spirits (prior to the old man's death), but you only ever seen Madeline and the old man. What happened to the other two? Did she really know what was going to happen to Claire?
I do understand that it is possible Lee was seeing the future and the three spirits are Madeline, the old man, and Claire, the tragedy in the basement is Claire's death, and "they tried to warn her" was Lee warning Claire not to go into the basement. If this is the case, why wouldn't she do more to save Claire. As I explained earlier, Lee states that what the spirits want is "life". However, the two spirits after Claire (Madeline and the old man) both committed suicide. Is anyone else baffled by this? How can they want life when they already took the life that they had. I guess I just don't totally buy that these were "future" visions Lee was having. I'm anxious to hear what everyone else thinks of this.
Speaking of the old man, he immediately increased the creepy factor of the entire movie tenfold as soon as he gets to the hotel. I felt like there should be a connection between the old man and Madeline since they both "supposedly" died in the same room (you see Madeline hanging by a noose after Claire finds the old man in the bathtub), but there is not enough of a backstory to make that connection. So even though I think the old man is a great addition to the movie, he really serves no purpose.
Ultimately, I liked this movie. I thought the fast paced close-ups, the music, and the acting (except for Luke after Claire dies) were exceptional. I found that each time I watched the movie, I never focused on the holes in the plot until it was over. It's a great movie if you just want to be scared/creeped out. In the end, it's just a really good haunt house (technically hotel) movie.
I look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks about The Innkeepers!!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
How it's going to go from here on out
Hey there!
I just wanted to give everyone an overview of how my reviews will be laid out. Basically, each review will be split into two sections. The first section will have a synopsis of the movie along with my overall rating of the film. The second section is where I will get into details of the movie (spoilers) and a more in-depth reaction to specifics throughout the film. So if you haven't seen the movie I'm reviewing, maybe you were on the fence about watching it, you'll probably only want to read the first section to begin with. Knowing me, there will be some random posts about this and that from time to time, maybe even a few favorite/least favorite lists, etc.
Agree with my assessment of a movie?? Think I'm completely crazy?? Let me know either way with comments!! I look forward to hearing from you!
The first movie I will be reviewing is The Innkeepers, directed by Ti West. The reason I chose this movie as my very first review is because it was a film that I watched very early in my horror education and it scared the crap out of me! I don't think I was able to really enjoy watching the movie because I was so scared the entire time (and I literally mean, THE ENTIRE TIME). Hopefully the next viewing or two will be better than the first!
So be on the lookout for my very first movie review coming soon!!
Stay tuned!
HB
I just wanted to give everyone an overview of how my reviews will be laid out. Basically, each review will be split into two sections. The first section will have a synopsis of the movie along with my overall rating of the film. The second section is where I will get into details of the movie (spoilers) and a more in-depth reaction to specifics throughout the film. So if you haven't seen the movie I'm reviewing, maybe you were on the fence about watching it, you'll probably only want to read the first section to begin with. Knowing me, there will be some random posts about this and that from time to time, maybe even a few favorite/least favorite lists, etc.
Agree with my assessment of a movie?? Think I'm completely crazy?? Let me know either way with comments!! I look forward to hearing from you!
The first movie I will be reviewing is The Innkeepers, directed by Ti West. The reason I chose this movie as my very first review is because it was a film that I watched very early in my horror education and it scared the crap out of me! I don't think I was able to really enjoy watching the movie because I was so scared the entire time (and I literally mean, THE ENTIRE TIME). Hopefully the next viewing or two will be better than the first!
So be on the lookout for my very first movie review coming soon!!
Stay tuned!
HB
And so it begins....
Hey folks!
I figured the best way to kick off this blog is to explain why I decided to start one in the first place. It all started a little over a year ago when I moved into an apartment by myself in Kentucky. I had been living down there for over five years, but this was the first apartment I had by myself in the state. Luckily, my new place was across the street from two of the best friends anyone could ask for, Brad and Elizabeth. So began my (mostly horror) film education.
Growing up, I never liked horror movies. I'll be the first person to admit that I was wimp. I was just plain scared. I couldn't get it out of my head that anything and everything I saw in movies could happen in real life. Not letting me give up on horror movies before even getting to really experience them, Brad and Elizabeth would invite me over for "moviethons". After watching a scary movie or two, we would then watch at least one comedy and often a few funny YouTube clips. After a few months of this, the comedy viewing became farther and farther apart. I watched some truly amazing movies and has so much fun during that year.
Knowing that I was moving out of state, Brad didn't want my movie education to end. Before I left Kentucky for Illinois, he ended up giving me so many movies (mostly horror). What better way to let Brad, Elizabeth, and everyone else know my reaction to these movies than to review them on this blog!
Enjoy!
HB
I figured the best way to kick off this blog is to explain why I decided to start one in the first place. It all started a little over a year ago when I moved into an apartment by myself in Kentucky. I had been living down there for over five years, but this was the first apartment I had by myself in the state. Luckily, my new place was across the street from two of the best friends anyone could ask for, Brad and Elizabeth. So began my (mostly horror) film education.
Growing up, I never liked horror movies. I'll be the first person to admit that I was wimp. I was just plain scared. I couldn't get it out of my head that anything and everything I saw in movies could happen in real life. Not letting me give up on horror movies before even getting to really experience them, Brad and Elizabeth would invite me over for "moviethons". After watching a scary movie or two, we would then watch at least one comedy and often a few funny YouTube clips. After a few months of this, the comedy viewing became farther and farther apart. I watched some truly amazing movies and has so much fun during that year.
Knowing that I was moving out of state, Brad didn't want my movie education to end. Before I left Kentucky for Illinois, he ended up giving me so many movies (mostly horror). What better way to let Brad, Elizabeth, and everyone else know my reaction to these movies than to review them on this blog!
Enjoy!
HB
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