- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray )
- Run Time: 101 Mins.
- Studio: Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group
- Blu-ray Release Date: May 15, 2012
- List Price: $34.98
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Purchase The Innkeepers on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Writer/director Ti West’s The Innkeepers has won critical on the film circuit and amongst reviewers, it seems, mainly for his keen sense of cinematic technique. West shows a deft ability to channel the techniques of the classics of the genre with his long drawn out shots, natural-looking lighting and emphasis on character that is very reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Psycho or Kubrick’s The Shining. His casting of Sara Paxton and Pat Healy and subtle comedic sense concerning the interaction of their characters also reminds one of Kevin Smith’s Clerks. The issue at hand with The Innkeeepers, however, is that I find nothing particularly original or even remotely frightening in this so-called “horror” film.
The story follows two slacker clerks (Sara Paxton and Pat Healy) who are the last employees left at a failing hotel, The Yankee Pedlar Inn, that will soon e closing its doors. With little time on their hands, the two decide to become amateur ghost hunters of sorts and investigate the legend of a ghost haunting the inn they’ve been working in. Strange and unexplainable events ensue.
West tries his best to conjure up atmosphere and scare, but, frankly, it doesn’t work for me. It found it difficult to keep interest in this drawn out and very non-frightening exercise. The strongest element of Innkeepers is the interplay between Paxton (“Claire”) and Healy (“Luke”). The chummy relationship and bumbling ghost hunting they share is both amusing and believable.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Shot in Super 35mm, The Innkeepers on this BD-25 disc in its AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encodement looks to be a solid, artifact-free transfer. Darker scenes are nicely nuanced if just a tad bit grainier. The well lit scenes offer the stronger imagery here, serving up a good amount of detail and contrast with natural flesh tones.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
A DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is the sole option offered up on this disc. It has clean dialogue and a reasonable amount of dynamic range. Low frequency extension is somewhat timid, for lack of a better term, and the mix was a bit disappointing insofar as it could have been more atmospheric and discrete given the sort of film this is. The mix here just failed to really create a mood though it didn’t have any egregious issues.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Obviously here the two audio commentaries are the best bet for anyone who wants to explore the world of The Innkeepers further, especially the commentary featuring stars Sara Paxton and Pat Healy.
- The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes (1.78:1; 00:07:28)
- Commentary with writer/director/editor Ti West, producers Peter Phok & Larry Fessenden, and 2nd unit director/sound designer Graham Reznick
- Commentary with writer/director/editor Ti West and stars Sara Paxton & Pat Healy
- Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
Full of solid technique and great imagery, The Innkeepers fails to deliver anything original to the genre. In fact, The Innkeepers hardly offers up any real scares. It may be worth watching, but only as a rental. Still, there are far better haunted house films out there.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B006Z7Z3R2[/amazon-product]
Purchase The Innkeepers on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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