The Innkeepers (2011) Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Review
The Innkeepers (2011) Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Review
Two employees at a rundown inn are desperate to prove the building is haunted before it gets closed down. Unfortunately for them, they may just get what they wished for.
Second Sight Films is ready to take your booking for its latest horror classic to get the Limited-Edition treatment – THE INNKEEPERS. The critically acclaimed, award-winning early work from horror auteur Ti West, one of the most prominent horror filmmakers of his generation, gets a major makeover in a newly restored 4K version, approved by the director himself, this Summer.
Described by View London as ‘unmissable and one of the best films of the year – 5 stars’ and ‘an old-fashioned ghost story, made the more piquant by Paxton’s sympathetic, funny, vulnerable lead performance’ by Screen Daily, THE INNKEEPERS Limited Dual Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray arrives 25 August 2025, alongside Standard versions.
The Limited-Edition Box Set is presented in a stunning rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge with a fascinating 120-page book with new essays. All versions come complete with a slew of special features including brand new interviews with the director, cast, cinematographer and much more.
I first saw THE INNKEEPERS back upon its initial retail release and as a big fan of director Ti West’s previous film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL my expectations were sky high! I was disappointed. There was little in the way of noticeable incident, and it proved too talkative for my taste at the time. Revisiting the film for its forthcoming 4k retail release I found myself at the different end of the critical spectrum. Seeing it again as an older man I found myself wowed by the very same things that I was critical about before.
I now understood and appreciated the lack of incident and near constant dialogue scenes. In fact, it was the same leisurely pace and set up that Ti West employed with THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, which I again recently revisited for review purposes, but had neglected to notice in a previous viewing. There’s a combination of light comedy and horror, with most of the horror weighing in towards the film’s climax, and much in the way of highlighting how dull working at the hotel is for both Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy).
In emphasising how boring Claire and Luke’s work lives are Ti West draws us into a more believable scenario than most haunted house flicks by emphasising their need for excitement on the job and in trying to entertain themselves by investigating their location they end up scaring themselves half-to-death. Both Paxton and Healy are engaging and their characters well-rounded and fully formed. They feel ‘real’ and in turn this believability helps ground the horror and make the idea of the supernatural more plausible and therefore more effective when the scares start coming.
Special Features
New Second Sight Films 4K restoration approved by Director Ti West
Audio commentary with Writer/Director/Editor Ti West, Producers Larry Fessenden and Peter Phok, and Sound Designer Graham Reznick
Audio commentary with Ti West and Actors Sara Paxton and Pat Healy
A Lasting Memory: a new interview with Ti West
Let’s Make This Good a new interview with Pat Healy
Our Dysfunctional World: a new interview with Larry Fessenden
Living in the Process: a new interview with Director of Photography Eliot Rockett
Cast a Wide Net: a new interview with Composer Jeff Grace
A Validating Moment: a new interview with Line Producer Jacob Jaffke
The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes
