Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 76% (Critics) / 47% (Audience)
Directed By: Ti West
Written By: Ti West
Starring: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis and George Riddle
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Synopsis: On the last weekend before the Yankee Pedlar Inn closes its doors forever, two of the inn’s employees (and amateur ghost hunters!) are determined to prove that the legend of the haunted hotel is definitely real to disastrous results.

The Good:
The moment when this movie makes a sharp pivot into genuine ghost horror is not only a welcome occasion but also very well done. The suspense level jumps up a million percent and the tension becomes very palpable. This 20 or so minutes of legit horror movie almost makes it worth sitting through all that came before. Kelly McGillis as a has-been actress turned medium and veteran character actor George Riddle as an old man looking to relive his honeymoon provide a few scenes of interest in the lead up to the the movie’s big turn.

The Bad:
I said almost. For over an hour this movie is absolutely stagnant. Nothing of note happens, the two main characters behave like total spastic slackers and the movie moves at a dead snail’s pace. Its like watching CLERKS if it was set in a dumpy hotel but was devoid of nearly all humor and the presence of Jay and Silent Bob.
Also the ghostly apparitions in this movie didn’t actually do anything but appear to people. They were totally passive participants for the most part.

The Ugly:
A dead, naked old man covered in blood may be one of the scariest images in the history of horror films.

Final Verdict: Nothing much happens in this movie for over an hour but when director Ti West does remember that he is making a scary movie he creates an almost pitch perfect bit of ghostly horror cinema. Too bad it is not enough to overcome just how mundane this film is as a whole. C-