The Innkeepers

Hardcore horror heads may scorn its snail pace and shaggy-dog sweetness, but for discerning viewers, 'The Innkeepers' is a slow-burning charmer.

We can't dissociate ourselves from the evil because, as in much of the best horror, what's scaring us isn't external; it's everything we fear seeing when we look in the mirror.

Fans of the horror genre can expect to get all nostalgic about the 1970s feel to the action, which most certainly includes people going down the basement, all alone, in the dark, and that sort of thing.

West freshens up the horror genre with a distinctive, careful camera style and an ability to write with empathy and humor.

The Innkeepers makes such youthful passivity seem nearly as treacherous as opening the cellar door.

This film has some of the usual scary cues and tense moments, but the setting, the old Yankee Pedlar inn, emerges as a more interesting character than any of the people.

The indie king of the slow-burn horror flick is back, and this time Ti West is bringing along an unexpected dose of wit, warmth, and weirdly effective character-based comedy.

What finally sells The Innkeepers is the fact that the payoff really pays off.

A suspenseful and well-crafted old-fashioned ghost story.

Sometimes all it takes to make a decent little horror film is some good atmosphere and realistic characters.

Just enough depth of character and place that it's smarter than your average paranormal flick.

The acting is pretty good, and the characters are interesting, but the screenplay lacks the imagination it takes to elevate this story above the ordinary, predictable level of a common ghost story. It doesn't help this was also done on the cheap.