The Innkeepers

"Some guests never checked out."

Director: Ti West Year: 2011 Runtime: 101 min IMDb: ⭐ 5.5
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Synopsis

During the final days at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, two employees determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past begin to experience disturbing events as old guests check in for a stay.

In the final operating week of the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a once-grand hotel, Claire and Luke are the only employees working. Claire, an asthmatic college dropout, and Luke, owner of a website chronicling the hotel's supposed hauntings, are both ghost hunting enthusiasts fascinated by the hotel's "haunted" history. They were especially interested in Madeline O'Malley, a bride who hanged herself when abandoned at the altar, and whose body was hidden in the basement by the hotel owners. Luke checks in an older woman, whom Claire recognizes as Leanne Rease-Jones, a former actress. While delivering towels to her room, Claire is starstruck and has an awkward encounter with Leanne, who is initially cold toward her. The following night, while taking out the garbage, Claire notices Leanne watching from her room window and waves, but Leanne moves away from the window without acknowledging her. Claire hears noises coming from the hotel's garage, where there is a door leading to the basement. She padlocks the door and returns inside. She uses Luke's ghost-hunting equipment to record EVPs in various places around the hotel. While recording, she hears faint voices and music, and sees the grand piano in the lobby play by itself. Claire awakens to Madeline's apparition in her room. She later runs into Leanne in the hallway. Leanne reveals she is in town for a psychics' convention, having left her acting career to become a medium. She warns Claire not to go into the basement. Later that day, an elderly man arrives and asks for a honeymoon suite on the third floor, and Claire obliges him. Luke and Claire investigate the basement. They encounter disembodied voices and other paranormal activity, which scares Luke into leaving the hotel. Panicked, Claire asks Leanne for help. Leanne makes contact with a spirit and tells Claire they need to leave the hotel immediately. Claire rushes upstairs to retrieve the elderly man, only to find a suicide note and discovers his body in the bathtub, his wrists slashed, with Madeline's apparition hanging from a rope. Claire runs downstairs and finds that Luke has returned to the hotel. As Luke goes upstairs to find Leanne, Claire hears noises coming from the basement and approaches the stairwell. Startled by an apparition of the elderly man, she falls down, injuring her head. Disoriented, Claire walks into the basement room where Madeline's body was kept. She tries in vain to open the door leading to the garage, forgetting she had locked it. Confronted by Madeline's apparition, Claire dies of an asthma attack. The next morning, Luke tells police he heard Claire's screams coming from the cellar but could not open the door to save her. Luke and Leanne leave with the police. Leanne comforts Luke, saying that Claire couldn't have been saved. The film ends with a view of Claire's room where her barely visible apparition looks out the window. As she turns towards the viewer, the door slams shut.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

🎄 Holiday Cheer Breakdown

Holiday Cheer Level: 2

Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

there are bugs
spoiler Spiderwebs are discussed
an animal is abandoned
spoiler Technically. A bird gets trapped in the basement for an unknown amount of time. It is safely released.
someone gets gaslighted
Yes
the abused becomes the abuser
Yes
someone is stalked
Yes
there's addiction
spoiler Alcoholic character (drank mini vodka bottles and had a significant number in their room)
alcohol abuse
Yes
there's pedophilia
spoiler No, but the mom incorrectly believes someone is being weirdly sexual around her kid and she swiftly leaves. The incident was an accident as a different adult was fleeing a dangerous situation and did not realize they just had undies on from the waist down.
someone is drugged
spoiler Drunk, but not drugged
someone is restrained
spoiler Trapped, but not tied
there's excessive gore
spoiler It's not really gorey more bloody but there are cuts. Would not call it excessive and this is coming from someone who doesn't do gore.
there's body horror
spoiler In a scene you can see a dead body in a bathtub with slit wrists and blood all over, not too graphic tho
there are hangings
spoiler There is a brief shot of a woman in a wedding dress hanging in room 353
there's shaving/cutting
Yes
someone struggles to breathe
spoiler The girl has asthma
someone falls down stairs
spoiler Yes, it's quite intense. Be careful when you see the beer can bounce down the stairs because a person will soon follow.
Someone becomes unconscious
Yes
a major character dies
Yes
someone dies
Yes
there are razors
Yes
someone is possessed
Yes
there are shower scenes
Yes
there's ghosts
Yes
there are jump scares
Yes
someone vomits
spoiler safe
someone dies by suicide
Yes
Someone attempts suicide
Yes
someone self harms
Yes
someone suffers from PTSD
Yes
reality is unstable or unhinged
Yes
there's a claustrophobic scene
Yes
someone has an anxiety attack
Yes
someone has a mental illness
Yes
someone has a meltdown
Yes
there's screaming
spoiler At times the screaming gets quite intense.
there is obscene language/gestures
spoiler References to internet porn includes website names being shown
there are sudden loud noises
Yes
someone is watched without knowing
Yes
there's ableist language or behavior
spoiler Lee is made fun of
there is sexual content
Yes
there are nude scenes
spoiler Nothing is shown, but two female characters take showers
someone is sexually objectified
Yes
existentialism is debated
Yes
the ending is sad
Yes
a car honks or tires screech
Yes
there's blood/gore
spoiler There's a scene where a sheet is removed and a woman with a bloody mouth is shown, she's shown again hanging in a room near the climax and at the end. Character hits her head and it's bloody the rest of the film. The worst of the blood is discovering a dead man who slit his wrists in a bathtub.

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