Two employees, a spunky young female (Sara Paxton) and a nerdy bellboy (Pat Healy), of a creaky old New England hotel have long suspected their workplace to be haunted, and even see themselves as supernatural sleuths of sorts. As the hotel enters its final days of operation, which coincide with the residence of a cooky psychic (Kelly McGillis, unrecognizable), paranormal happenings finally start taking place, which may be more then the amateur ghost hunters initially bargained for. Of all the films I've seen, I'm not sure I've seen one that does so many things right, which gel so poorly and feel as clunky as this one. Ti West's film features drawn out suspense, limited blood and gore (an asset in scary movies), adept direction, and quirky, likable leads which, almost bafflingly, adds up to very little. The haunted house story is exceedingly scant, and even with the commendable things West attempts here, he can never bring it above the level of mediocrity.
