“Everything in this world is connected. Whether we understand that or not depends on our sense of perception. Our willingness to communicate.”
Have you heard the story of Madeline O’Malley? She’s the spirit rumored to haunt the mostly empty rooms of the Yankee Pedlar Inn. This would-be bride supposedly died by suicide after she was unceremoniously left at the alter and now appears in the dead of night. But she’s far from the only spectre to lurk in the shadows of an old hotel. These transitional lodgings are filled with the ghosts of passersby who leave an emotional stain after their stay. Ti West explores this eerie phenomenon in The Innkeepers, the unsettling story of a doomed ghosthunter who becomes the subject of her own investigation.
Claire (Sara Paxton) is contemplating the void in her life as she works her final shifts at the Inn’s front desk. To pass the time, she and coworker Luke (Pat Healy) have plans to do some amateur ghosthunting to find proof of Madeline O’Malley’s existence. But one of the hotel’s only guests is a former actress turned spiritualist with the ability to see beyond the veil. A late night divination session reveals a harrowing prophecy in the basement and Leanne warns Claire to stay away. But now that Madeline has made contact, she seems strangely drawn to the naive innkeeper and other spirits lurking in the shadows.
In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s The Lady Killers podcast, co-hosts Jenn Adams and Sammie Kuykendall join special guest Ashley Casseday to talk all things spooky in Ti West’s most underrated film. Why does Claire feel drawn to Madeline’s ghost? Do Luke’s actions put her in danger? What does Leeanne (Kelly McGillis) see in the basement and who is the Inn’s third entity? They’ll answer these questions and more while talking about divination, ouija boards, energy, and death in this surprisingly scary and unsettling film.
Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.