Ti West's newest film the InnKeepers, had high expectations after i loved the creepy factor of his previous effort " house of the devil" . I was not prepared for the stylistic shift , but can appreciate a film maker who wants to have a boarder range and not just be a one trick pony. At times i think The Innkeepers , is no more horror than say Shaun of the dead, but it's not a comedy either , falling into more of a Napoleon Dynamite slacker ethos , sure there is a haunted hotel , there is a serial Killer in last year's day dream nation but that didn't make that film horror either , not that it tried to be.
The characters are real , fleshed out and well acted , so that keeps the movie moving a few scenes tease you as you can see something happening from a mile away . I liked this movie in the same way i liked Ghost World or high fidelity, so despite the spooky poster art i wouldn't classify this as a horror movie per se , dark comedic drama ? Sure he pulls out a scare of sorts i suppose at the end but where house of the devil worked is that the tension was kept taunt through out the whole movie, here it feels more like yeah , here's this boo.
Here the haunted house didn't really carry the sense of menace, it needs to loom as the monster or be convincing , 1408 in it's first hour before it turned into a scary Jumanji didn't give you the imposing structure like Amityville, or the isolation factor like the shining , even movies like paranormal activity and poltergeist which occur in the burbs created enough myth to keep you on edge , after all isn't that the purpose of a ghost story. Normally i am the most scared by a good haunting , even a haunting in Connecticut, here the atmosphere of menace , just wasn't there perhaps purposefully so to add to the slacker realism.
Hope Ti goes back to horror on his next , films , if you want to watch something with a slight spook to it perhaps with a friend who isn't into horror , this would work, it's well acted and made , and not a bad movie , perhaps mis marketed
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Devil Inside
I have heard a barrage of bad reviews despite the box office this one opened, and there are a few factors here which could explain what you are going to read , number one i have a soft spot for anything involving demonic possession and number two, the found footage trend doesn't irk me.
The front end of the movie is a mock documentary,i think it captures the feel of that very feel, interspersed with new footage. Set in the always creepy Vatican city the film works well uncluttered by a lot of special effects , i like the fact the possessed aren't cgi'ed or slathered in make up ,though the whole contortion bone cracking thing can officially be over be labelled over done if it is used in another movie ,In hindsight the character development is a little on the thin side but the flow of the film brushes it under the carpet. I couldn't tell if i just know my horror movies or if the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed, as i saw most of the second half o of the movie coming , that that it took away from my enjoyment, in fact i was glad they went where i hoped it would go , the scene with the priest and the baby is one of the best moments on film i have seen since human centipede two.
I am not complaining but the influx of found possession films makes me wonder are these being made by the studios for economic reasons or is this a reflection of societies fears concerning the collapse of the western religious institution . More than likely as with most answers it falls some where in the middle , the role of the priest shows them as more flawed and how can they not for there has hardly been a month in the past decade where the church was not dealing with a sex scandal of some sort, in the Exorcist the priest came across a a demon slaying van helsing and here the weakness is much more in the fore front, similar to that of the rite , though this movie stands head and shoulders over the Rite and hangs shoulder to shoulder with the last exorcism.
Sure is not going to be for those who want the floor splitting about and demons akin to a heavy metal album cover running amok, if you liked any of the past few years crop of exorcism movies then i would be surprised if you were disappointed with this one , which i am sure will prove to be superior to any para normal activity sequels to come.
The front end of the movie is a mock documentary,i think it captures the feel of that very feel, interspersed with new footage. Set in the always creepy Vatican city the film works well uncluttered by a lot of special effects , i like the fact the possessed aren't cgi'ed or slathered in make up ,though the whole contortion bone cracking thing can officially be over be labelled over done if it is used in another movie ,In hindsight the character development is a little on the thin side but the flow of the film brushes it under the carpet. I couldn't tell if i just know my horror movies or if the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed, as i saw most of the second half o of the movie coming , that that it took away from my enjoyment, in fact i was glad they went where i hoped it would go , the scene with the priest and the baby is one of the best moments on film i have seen since human centipede two.
I am not complaining but the influx of found possession films makes me wonder are these being made by the studios for economic reasons or is this a reflection of societies fears concerning the collapse of the western religious institution . More than likely as with most answers it falls some where in the middle , the role of the priest shows them as more flawed and how can they not for there has hardly been a month in the past decade where the church was not dealing with a sex scandal of some sort, in the Exorcist the priest came across a a demon slaying van helsing and here the weakness is much more in the fore front, similar to that of the rite , though this movie stands head and shoulders over the Rite and hangs shoulder to shoulder with the last exorcism.
Sure is not going to be for those who want the floor splitting about and demons akin to a heavy metal album cover running amok, if you liked any of the past few years crop of exorcism movies then i would be surprised if you were disappointed with this one , which i am sure will prove to be superior to any para normal activity sequels to come.
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