Despite all this, Luke is skeptical about much of the lore surrounding the ghost, and when Claire begins to hear curious noises and the sounds of a piano playing itself, he's certain there's some practical explanation for what's going on. Luke says he's seen the ghost and has created a website devoted to the story he's also brought a portable recording rig to the hotel in hopes of capturing the sounds of the phantom on tape. Claire and Luke's reasons for working at the Yankee Pedlar go beyond a paycheck both have an interest in the paranormal, and it's believed the hotel is haunted by the ghost of a woman who was murdered there many years ago. As it happens, there isn't much to do at the Yankee Pedlar anyway, as the hotel has a mere three guests: a woman waiting for an apology from her husband who has her ten-year-old son in tow, and Leanne Rease-Jones ( Kelly McGillis), a once-famous actress who is in town for a speaking engagement.

Due to poor business the owners have decided to close down the hotel, and for its last week the staff has been reduced to two people, Claire ( Sara Paxton) and Luke ( Pat Healy), who sleep in the empty rooms when they're not manning the desk. The picture is set in the Yankee Pedlar, a hotel in Connecticut that has seen better days. The Innkeepers is at heart an old-fashioned ghost story with a few modern-day twists that bring it into the 21st century, and so much of the movie works so well that it's unfortunate the same low-key approach that makes it such a pleasure undermines it in the final act. While there's certainly something to be said for the pleasures of a full-on splatter flick, subtlety is a quality that unfortunately is not much valued in horror films these days, but Ti West's new picture The Innkeepers is truly refreshing in its willingness to take the slow and spooky route to suspense.

The innkeepers 2011