The Innkeepers – Second Sight Films Blu-ray Review

Just when you think ghost stories had been laid to rest, Ti West quietly sneaks up behind you with a dusty bellhop’s cart full of dread, slides a cold hand over your shoulder and whispers “Don’t go into the basement”.

This isn’t your typical haunted hotel film. It’s awkward. It’s funny. And at its best, it’s genuinely spooky. Think Clerks meets The Changeling.

And now, Second Sight Films have given it the full candlelit séance treatment: gorgeous restoration, stacked extras, and their signature packaging that turns cult oddities into altar pieces.

Set in the real-life Yankee Pedlar Inn (which is about as welcoming as a Victorian hearse), The Innkeepers follows two bored staff members – perfectly played by Sara Paxton and Pat Healy – as they countdown the final weekend before the place shutters for good.

Luke’s set up a terrible haunted house website, they’ve got a crappy EVP setup, too much time on their hands and a growing suspicion that something other than the couple of human guests has checked in.

West drops us straight in to the graveyard shift with these two well-meaning slackers chasing ghosts through empty hallways and coffee-stained carpets. And then… it turns.

There’s a moment when the tone pivots and from that point on, it’s all the kind of horror that doesn’t scream. It whispers.

Sara Paxton is the soul of the film. She’s jittery, endearing and utterly convincing as someone sleepwalking into something unknowable. Her scenes alone in the basement will do things to your heart rate. Pat Healy plays the kind of guy who starts a fake ghost-hunting website for something to do and then immediately regrets it. Their chemistry is the real haunting here – not romance, just shared loneliness wrapped in sarcasm.

The Second Sight Blu-ray is lush. Okay, it’s not a flashy film, it was shot on film back in 2011 so it’s practically a classic, but the detail on this new scan is great. Every peeling wallpaper pattern, every inch of Paxton’s increasingly haunted face come through sharp and grimy in the best way. It’s lo-fi atmosphere elevated.

The darkness has depth. The shadows don’t flatten or crush out, which makes the late-night ghost hunting scenes land with even more weight. You’ll find yourself squinting at the screen… but not because of bad mastering because you’re looking for her in the frame.

 Audio? Hauntingly Good.

DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 works. This is a film that relies on space. The creak of stairs. The whump of a couch jump It’s not loud, but it’s precise. When the score does kick in, it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Of course there’s special features – This is where Second Sight always excels. You get:

▪ New Second Sight Films 4K restoration approved by director Ti West 

▪ Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features

on both discs

▪ UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision – looks and sounds stunning.

▪ Audio commentary with writer/director/Editor Ti West, producers Larry Fessenden and

Peter Phok, and Sound Designer Graham Reznick – Interesting audio commentary with production crew. Really interesting discussion on the Inn, the sound design, the set design, getting the cast etc. These are the commentary’s that give the most, crew talking about the film. I feel the volume on this is slightly low so you may have to crank the sound up. 

▪ Audio commentary with Ti West and actors Sara Paxton and Pat Healy – This is a great commentary with a different feel to the other. It also has better volume and clarity. Really interesting retrospective view on the production of the film. Speaking about choices in filming  Really fun and they bounce off each other nicely. 

▪ A Lasting Memory: a new interview with Ti West – 15 minute interview with Ti West, simply shot with a red curtain background. Nice audio and picture quality and an interesting look into the making of the film. discusses how shooting in an actual location that gave him the idea for the film in the first place and on film brings a different aspect to the production. Very interesting.

▪ Let’s Make This Good: a new interview with Pat Healy – Second Sight have really messed with my thing of them making each interview shorter than the last with this one!  30 minutes with actor Pat Healy. Really interesting, upbeat chat.30 minutes goes pretty quick. 

▪ Our Dysfunctional World: a new interview with Larry Fessenden – Definitely messing with me now Second Sight!  31 minutes with Larry. Shot in a simple location with a nice bit of clutter in the background. Clips along with plenty of insight into the movie. It’s great to have these insights into the movie from different production angles. This is the stuff extras were made for. 

▪ Living in the Process: a new interview with cinematographer Eliot Rockett – O.K. this one fits my theory. 9 minutes with  DOP. Another interesting look at the production from a completely different angle again. 

▪ Cast a Wide Net: a new interview with composer Jeff Grace – 8 minutes with the composer, these interviews are all great and all add something fresh from the others. Interesting, insightful and keep you watching. 

▪ A Validating Moment: a new interview with line producer Jacob Jaffke – 14 minute interview, another different view point and a good watch. Discusses House of The Devil and The Yankee Peddller a little more. Another great interview.

▪ The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes – 7 minutes of bts stuff. Old school shaky cam look behind the scenes. 

▪ Trailer – This is an advert for the film. Not a look at a caravan*.  Annoying!

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 H

The Innkeepers is a film about small fears strange noises, isolation, failure and how they fester. It’s not here to entertain you with gore or ghosts in the mirror. It wants you to sit in the silence and dread what might come next. The ending will split opinion but that makes it the ideal one to watch with your mates.

This Second Sight release gives us a stunning presentation, respectful extras and a beautiful physical package that feels like a séance-in-a-box. For fans of slow-burn horror, it’s a must-own. For everyone else? Turn off the lights and give it a shot.

Just… don’t go into the basement.

The Innkeepers – Limited Edition Blu-ray from Second Sight Films releases August 25th, 2025.

Pre-order now. Leave the lights on later.

*One day Second Sight will add a video of inside the crew trailers – MTV CRIBS style –  just for me and this terrible running joke 😀