Scary Movie Review Month: Day 1

So, I'm kinda back and I'll be posting here on and off.
But since it's Scary Movie Review Month, expect an every other day post throughout October.

I’m starting Scary Movie Review Month with a movie I’ve been looking forward to for a while now:
The Innkeepers: a story about two employees of the Yankee Pedlar Inn trying to reveal the inn's resident ghost during the final weekend of its operation.

The gritty, washed out feel was something that really drew me to his movie as well as the feeling that it was original and quirky take on the usual haunted house story.

I really appreciated the opening credits: simple, white credits against a backdrop of vintage photos of the actual Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut, the inn of The Innkeepers.

The movie is broken up into four parts and the review becomes stream of consciousness at this point.


Chapter One:

I really enjoyed the obvious jump scare at the beginning; those that have already watched this movie know what I’m talking about. It’s something I’ve fallen for before.

Lena Dunham from Tiny Furniture does a great job at being annoying.

The female protagonist, Claire, is so goofy, I love her already.


Chapter Two:

We get some exposition/back story from Claire as she tells the ghost story to a kid staying at the hotel, in true ghost story form… flashlight and all. And here’s the kid's passive-aggressive mom.
You know what? If you’re tired of being the bad guy, then you should just stop being one.

The garbage scene was hilarious! Probably because it’s a situation I’ve found myself in.


Chapter Three:

The innkeepers are drinking Schlitz… how classy.
Ah yes, the best plans are always made when drunk on cheap beer. The best confessions are given in this condition as well.

You know how I’m always yelling about how people keep splitting up/not sticking together?
There’s a reason for that.
I’m just saying…


Epilogue or when I once again ask, “why doesn’t anyone just kick ghosts in the face?”

My final thoughts?
It wasn’t horrid, but not great. I enjoyed it as a story and for the subtle creepiness.

However, that last scene with the faint ghost? Was a bit too subtle. You can barely see it.

Overall, I would recommend this movie to someone that likes the subtle route and doesn't need a lot of payout.



Since I was already on a roll, I watched Apartment 143, a story about a team of parapsychologists trying to figure out why strange and hostile things keep terrorising a family.
This movie was done completely stream of conscious.

It’s got that gritty/docu feel.
The loud noises/disturbances start pretty early in this. There’s no anticipation, lead up or subtlety, just straightforward hostility.
Basically, it’s a polar opposite of what I just watched.
So, this is an extreme haunting… on the verge of trying too hard.

I do like these creepy bits. But not the random spots of slow motion. Or the… bad acting? Script? I can’t tell.

I don’t have much to say about this movie that isn’t… that doesn’t sound like me complaining about certain parts. I’m kinda disappointed.
I was expecting something a bit… more. There's plenty of pay off, but not enough structure to hold it together.

I’m sorry, but schizophrenia doesn’t explain levitation.
I’m just saying.