The Innkeepers Was a Breath of Fresh Air in the Horror Genre

Every once and awhile you watch a horror film that stands out as being more akin to the classics.  There are so many low budget “indie” horror flicks that after awhile you start to loose hope that classic horror is no longer a reality.  Films like It Follows and The Babadook remind us that there are still those who have an appreciation for the cinematic side of horror; directors that understand less is often more when it comes to fright films.  This is the way I felt when watching The Innkeepers a 2011 horror film by Ti West, an up and coming horror director.  The film stars two relatively unknown actors as Claire and Luke, the last two employees of a once palatial hotel which is now set to close.  Luke runs an amateur ghost hunting website which chronicles the varied paranormal experiences many quests have had at the hotel which is supposedly haunted by a variety of apparitions including the suicidal Madeline O’Malley whose ghostly figure is said to appear in the old stately building.  Recruiting Claire to assist him with his ghost hunting, Luke comes to realize that the paranormal happenings inside the Yankee Pedlar Inn are more real than he ever truly believed.  The arrival of several eccentric guests and a series of rapid fire paranormal experiences catapult Luke and Claire into the middle of terror and certain doom as the inn’s final weekend winds down.  While I felt the film was a little slow on the upstart, lighthearted jokes and the occasional startling moment keep you entertained as you await the scary parts later on.  In addition, the waiting adds to the sense of unease and emptiness which reflects the nearly vacant status of the hotel.  The films filter creates an eerie glow to each scene which when coupled with an incredible original soundtrack gives the movie and almost Hitchcock like vibe which contributes to the overall “classic” feeling of the entire film.  Receiving mostly positive reviews, The Innkeepers was a breath of fresh air in an overly saturated genre.  PLUS the hotel is still open in real life, so you can visit and get your paranormal investigator on by seeing if you can find your own evidence of life after death.

The Babadook - Unsettling, Demented.....Scary

I have been anxiously waiting to see the Australian indie horror film The Babadook for months.  The film received widespread critical acclaim after it premiered at Sundance last year.  Since then it has flown under the radar and recently I finally had the opportunity to sit down and watch it.  For the first time in years, I felt incredibly unsettled while watching the film.  The dark, ominous house in which most of the film takes place contributes to a heavy sense of dread which is ever present throughout the movie.  The depression and subsequent psychological issues felt by the two main characters is a constant force which weighs heavily on the viewer and contributes to the overall sense of doom which permeates each and every scene.  The films protagonists, Amelia and her son Sam have been trying to maintain a normal life after the death of Amelia’s husband on the way to the hospital the night Sam was born.  Since then, Amelia has never been the same.  Deeply depressed and wallowing in regret and resentment, Amelia’s demeanor has no doubt rubbed off on Sam his entire life.  Sam has trouble sleeping and has psychological issues, undoubtedly from living with a mother who subconsciously blames him for the death of her husband.  After Sam asks Amelia to read him a strange pop-up book from his bookshelf entitled “Mister Babadook” things begin to take a turn for the worse.  Slowly, Amelia and Sam fall prey to a dark entity that is constantly following the two, day and night.  Despite Amelia’s attempts to destroy the book, the evil tomes message remains true… “You can’t get rid of the Babadook”.  The concept of the pop-up book I found to be wonderfully demented.  Such an innocent child’s toy is used to represent unimaginable horrors as the book changes to reflect the Babadook’s increasing influence over Amelia.  While instances of “shock” are few and far between, the films strength is in its ability to convey a sense of dread.  The viewer is sucked into the sleep deprived paranoia that begins to fuel Amelia’s descent into madness.  Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide who and or what the Babadook is.  Left open to interpretation, the meaning behind to monster’s sudden appearance is something which adds to the unsettling feeling throughout the course of the film.  While this often doesn’t work (at least in my opinion) here it is absolutely necessary.  This isn’t a demon.  It isn’t a ghost or a poltergeist.  It’s not a physical being.  It’s all of those things and none of them at the same time.  It manifests in situations where it can thrive and thus becomes a direct product of the hatred and resentment which exudes from Amelia herself.  In a way, she is the Babadook.  Or at least that was this viewer’s humble interpretation.  You’ll have to sit through the uneasy fright fest yourself to form your own opinion. 

As Above So Below Has Surprisingly Original Story

I’ve been on a total horror movie kick lately but as is the case with your average 90 minute fright flick, they are typically easily forgettable.  That being said, I was actually excited to see John Erick Dowdle’s As Above So Below strictly on the basis that its concept was unique.  The movie focuses on amateur alchemist Scarlett Marlowe as she continues the work of her deceased father scouring the globe for clues to the location of the mythical Philosophers Stone.  After obtaining a key whilst searching in Iran, she is led to the catacombs beneath Paris.  Along with a cameraman named Benji and her former lover George, the three ask around and find a guide who will take them beneath the city into the maze of tunnels that make up Paris’ underground.  I didn’t know what to expect when watching in that I wasn’t sure what exactly the “horror” element would be.  I wasn’t sure if the danger would be the tunnels themselves or some sort of supernatural/creature type threat.  In the end, it was kind of a combination which was both good and bad.  I enjoyed it because it kept you guessing.  You weren’t ever quite sure why you were freaked out, you just knew that you were inching closer to the edge of your seat (something any decent horror movie should induce).  The converse is that it can be confusing at times as you struggle to find out what exactly it is you should be afraid of.  After becoming trapped underground, the team is eventually confronted with the choice to either wait for rescue or go through a tunnel which their guide Papillon says is the gate to hell.  Which do you think they choose?  I enjoyed the story of the search for the alchemist’s stone and thought it was a unique way to approach the idea of doing a horror movie centered on the Paris catacombs.  The location is so iconic that the obvious route to go is either A: a group of students get lost and die of B: a group of students get lost and uncover an ancient group of subterranean creatures hungry for human flesh.  As such it was nice to see the film go a different route.  The acting, while subpar is fresh in that the actors are relatively unknown adding to the “found footage” style immensely.  Found footage films almost never work with mainstream actors because duh, you know who you’re watching!  In the end, of the 15+ horror films I’ve watching in the last month, As Above So Below stands out for its original storytelling and surprising ending but I won’t go in to that, you’ll have to watch for yourself.