The Shining (1980) vs. The Innkeepers (2011) - Sometimes, less is … less!

Review by Jack Kost

My use of the Oscar Wilde quote will become apparent.

It was recently suggested to me that the 2011 movie The Innkeepers is better than Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining,

released in the United States on May 23, 1980.

Like Jack Nicholson, in The Shining, my reaction to that suggestion is ...

(keep watching - it's animated!)

I have a great idea!

Take Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1980 movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel: The Shining …

... shorten it by about an hour … give it a feeble script … characters we know little about and couldn’t care less for … make it devoid of atmosphere, tension and suspense … throw in a bunch of superfluous other characters who pad it out, but add little or nothing to the proceedings … have it plod along painfully slowly – leading to nothing of any real consequence … and you have … The Innkeepers!

With stories of this genre, the environment is the compelling element: a haunted house, hotel, or cabin in the woods, a ship adrift at sea – or out in the vastness of space … the setting gives the story its eerie build up.

I credit The Innkeepers’ attention to that detail with its long corridors and winding staircase, but it’s the only real credit I can give it.

I have a problem with stories that just seem way too familiar, and watching The Innkeepers left me with the feeling that it was simply another pointless rehash of The Shining.

I’ve read other reviews, and I know The Innkeepers has its fans.

I’m not one of them.

When does the line between homage fade to insipid imitation?

Instead of simply retreading old ground, why not show some originality?

Put more effort into writing a fuller story; develop the characters by giving them a history – giving us a reason to care about them.

As to the question of The Innkeepers being, putting it mildly, at least similar to The Shining …

What else am I supposed to think when the high-angle exterior shot of The Yankee Pedlar Inn, from The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of the Overlook Hotel, in The Shining:

Claire (Sara Paxton), resting on a bed watching TV, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of the scene with Halloran (Scatman Crothers), in The Shining:

Claire, falling asleep while working, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in The Shining:

Low angle corridor shots, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of those, in The Shining:

The cavernous dining/ballroom, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of that, in The Shining:

The lounge area, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of that, in The Shining:

The bathtub suicide, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of that, in The Shining:

The malevolent force making itself apparent, in The Innkeepers …

… reminds me of those great scenes, in The Shining:

I didn’t see anything new or interesting with The Innkeepers; it left me feeling that I’d seen it all done way better in The Shining.

Oscar Wilde wrote:

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

As imitation often seems to be the order of the day, and if I could have had final say over The Innkeepers, prior to its release, I would have happily imitated Jack Nicholson in The Shining:

I would have swept the whole pile off of the table ...

... then I would have taken an ax to it!