The Innkeepers [Limited Edition] 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Introduction

Among the many words one might use to characterize Ti West’s filmography, “rushed” is seldom one of them. The director of the contemporary classic The House of the Devil is an expert of the slow burn, a purveyor of slowly building fear. This makes his 2011 work, The Innkeepers, a particularly aggravating one since it seems less like a deliberately constructed crescendo of fear and more like a movie that merely loses momentum.

Ti West’s Haunting Premise and Setting

Set in the cavernous, creaking corridors of the soon-to-close Yankee Pedlar Inn, the film centers on its two only workers, Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy), as they try to record the purportedly paranormal activity of the hotel over its last weekend. The arrangements are pure West, brimming with atmosphere and a distinct feeling of place. The old hotel is a great character on its own; Paxton and Healy’s simple, natural chemistry gives the narrative a strong, realistic basis. Adding yet another level of possibility is the presence of a former actress turned psychic played with fascinating seriousness by Kelly McGillis.

A Slow Burn That Fizzles Out

Still, this potential is never quite realized. Here, the film’s calculated speed—which was used to such great impact in The House of the Devil—feels more like a meandering stroll than a building of tension. The characters’ mundane routines are given long stretches; nevertheless, unlike West’s past film, the reward for this patient setting is disappointing. Few and far between, the shocks depend on well-worn horror clichés that lack the physical punch or West’s other creations have brilliant originality.

The Innkeepers: Not as Scary as Other Ti West Films

For audiences arriving to The Innkeepers after being enthralled by the relentless third act of The House of the Devil or the horrific, trippy finale of the film of X, it will probably seem like a major drop. Though the performances are solid, the atmosphere is there, and the technical craft is good, the engine of fear never quite catches fire. Though trying to be gloomy and terrible, the climax appears anticlimactic and rather predictable, therefore falling short of the chilling payoff that the great build-up seems to offer.

Final Verdict on The Innkeepers

At last, The Innkeepers is a beautiful but underwhelming offering in Ti West’s body of work. It’s a deliberately character-driven film that fails to convey the horror; hence it appears more like a rather scary drama than a legitimately terrifying haunted house movie. It shows how a powerful environment needs a strong and ultimately pleasing story to give it significance. Only for collectors and devotees of ultra-subtle horror.

The Video

The Innkeepers was originally shot on 35mm in the Super 35 format. This new Second Sight Films 4K restoration approved by director Ti West is presented in a 2.35:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement. The production choices do not allow for much added brightness or pop in the highlights, but there is a lot of organic, natural grain present in the image and excellent detail. The desaturated palette is presented well and shadow detail is nuanced without any crushing.

The Audio

The Innkeepers comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is atmospheric and dynamic, capturing the subtleties of the sounds of the inn from whisper-quiet to louder knocks and thuds. The mix can sometimes be a bit too quiet, but it works for the setting, and it presents the eerie orchestral score from composer Jeff Grace flawlessly.

The Supplements

Limited Edition Contents:

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge
• 120-page book with new essays by Becky Darke, Barry Forshaw, Prince Jackson, Craig Ian
• Mann, Rebecca Sayce and Heather Wixson
• Six collectors’ art cards

Bonus Features:

• Audio commentary with writer/director/Editor Ti West, producers Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok, and Sound Designer Graham Reznick
• Audio commentary with writer/director/editor Ti West and actors Sara Paxton and Pat Healy
• A Lasting Memory: A new interview with Ti West (1080p; 00:15:05)
• Let’s Make This Good:  A new interview with actor Pat Healy (1080p; 00:30:17)
• Our Dysfunctional World: A new interview with producer Larry Fessenden (1080p; 00:31:26)
• Living in the Process: A new interview with director of photography Eliot Rockett (1080p; 00:09:35)
• Cast a Wide Net: A new interview with composer Jeff Grace (1080p; 00:08:17)
• A Validating Moment: A new interview with line producer Jacob Jaffke (1080p; 00:14:21)
• The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes (1080p; 00:07:26)
• Trailer (1080p; 00:02:08)

The Final Assessment

Overall, The Innkeepers has all the earmarks of a great haunted house movie, but it doesn’t quite deliver on the scares. The result is a beautifully filmed movie that feels like it never heats up. Thankfully, however, for Ti West fans and completists, Second Sight has given the film a wonderful restoration in a feature-rich package that is worth owning.

The Innkeepers [Limited Edition] is out on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray August 25, 2025 from Second Sight Films

Details

• BBFC cert: 15
• Studios & Distributors: Dark Sky Films | Glass Eye Pix | Second Sight Films
• Director: Ti West
• Written By: Ti West
• Run Time: 101 mins
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 25 August 2025