When around a month passes, and there's still struggling to put out a review, I try to cut losses by giving a quick one in only a couple of sentences so at least something related to the film gets posted. It's time for a mildly disappointing 30 Second Review!
With likable characters, most notably a subtly excellent performance from Sara Paxton, director Ti West ratchets up the suspense by waiting until the final few scenes to transform what could've easily been a mildly bleak "hipsters without ambition" buddy comedy, into flat out ultra-intense horror. Though it's surprisingly slow paced, we enjoy spending time with pivotal innkeepers Claire and Luke enough that their adventures in aimless boredom become fairly entertaining, and make it all the more suspenseful when the brutal horror finally kicks in. However, there's a general plotlessness here that's impossible not to detect. Potential plots, themes, and even characters are discussed, which would each potentially serve to further the story, but they're all macguffins. What we're essentially left with in the end are two likable hipsters having enjoyable conversations, and then eventually, being mentally (and physically) scarred by fairly unexplained events almost completely out of their control. Yes it's scary, funny, and a generally entertaining experience, but what's the point?
Grade: B
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