This one features Sara Paxton again, one of the actors who starred in Enter: Nowhere alongside Scott Eastwood. She has an 80s, wholesome look about her (she reminds me of the girl from The Nanny and Beethoven) that goes with the quaint decor of The Yankee Pedlar Inn where this movie is set.  In fact, the film was actually shot in the real life Yankee Pedlar Inn.

The creepy opening music, and black and white photos of the old guesthouse reeled me in right away.  Claire (Paxton) and nerdy Luke (Pat Healy) are manning the desk of this quiet, New England inn on its last weekend before it’s shut down for good.  Luke is busy setting up a website dealing with hauntings. He and Claire want to prove the existence of the ghost of Madeline O’ Malley who is said to haunt the place.  Keeping them company is Kelly McGillis, a guest at the inn.  She’s a former actress/turned psychic healer and is barely recognisable in this film.  McGillis has changed a lot since her Top Gun and Witness days.

The inn looks every inch like an old fashioned, haunted hotel. If I ever get to New England, I’ll be looking it up. The setting can’t be faulted but the slow pacing can.  I waited for ages for something to happen and when it did, it wasn’t very exciting.  This isn’t really a horror or a ghost story. It’s an old school drama with a few scares and some humour.  Even the music score is playful rather than scary.   For the most part, this is a pretty aimless film with very little action, mirroring the characters who are stuck in life and don’t know what to do with themselves when they finish this job.  We feel their boredom with the monotony of the hotel job and life in general.  If you worked the front desk of a near empty inn with only one co-worker for company and you pretty much had the run of the place, wouldn’t you start talking about ghosts and going looking for one just to relieve the boredom? I know I would.

While the third act did pack some scares, overall not much happens, but saying that, this is a nice film with lots of charm and I adored the setting. ***

 
So, seen any good haunted house/hotel movies lately?

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