Secrets at the Inn

Natalie Flores is the embodiment of the modern, self-confident "Lifetime" woman. She is a successful chef in New York City, a skilled work supervisor, and a genuinely decent human being. But Natalie's resolve is tested with the news of the unexpected death of her twin sister Celia. Natalie travels to the quaint town of Falls Church, Vermont, where she is confronted by her belligerent niece Sabrina, who may be suffering from a case of "dissociative amnesia." Natalie must also confront the thorny problem of liquidating the old inn that Celia was refurbishing. And, according to Sabrina, the inn may be haunted with spirits from the past. The film was a slow burner with an especially curious choice on the part of Natalie to sleep with "Handy Andy" Bertrand, who has kept a number of secrets from her, prior to hopping into bed. It was a stretch to believe that Natalie would be attracted in the slightest way to Handy Andy, especially at this time of her bereavement following the death of Celia. Another problematic figure is Elijah, the boyfriend of Sabrina, who always appears to be hanging around the inn and would seem to be keeping Sabrina on a tight leash. While there were some effective spooky scenes, such as an eerie session on the Ouija board with Sabrina and Elijah, the strength of the film was the strong-willed character of Natalie. She was savvy enough to recognize that there was more to the old inn than rats in the walls. Her tenacity led her to bring out the truth about her sister and the secrets that were not contained within the inn, but were locked away for years in her own heart.

No new ground here...the movie is just OK. The twist sort of becomes obvious after a while. Usually movies about old houses/hotels/inns don't require much to be spooky, but for me, Sabrina (the daughter) was so over the top in her "teen" angst that it was hard to not roll my eyes. She also barely looked three years younger than Natalie, her aunt, and when you think about it Celia her mother. As for the twist....ok, fine...kind of was an option given the type of sisters, but I hate how the surviving party to the lies is somehow the hero. It's taken me a couple of tries (or three) to finish the whole thing. I've fallen asleep on it at least once. It's not really a ghost story and the mystery is just so-so. As for my title, SPOILER SPOILER I thought it was kind of odd that as soon as Sabrina found out who her real mother was, she immediately referred to her non-mother by her name. You would think the shock of it all would still be in effect, but nope...she immediately processes that Celia was not her mother. And still by that point, Natalie hadn't explained anything to her, so why would she believe or accept it? It's just a line that could have been written differently in my opinion. 5/10 for being a basic Lifetime filler movie.

No new ground here...the movie is just OK. The twist sort of becomes obvious after a while. Usually movies about old houses/hotels/inns don't require much to be spooky, but for me, Sabrina (the daughter) was so over the top in her "teen" angst that it was hard to not roll my eyes. She also barely looked three years younger than Natalie, her aunt, and when you think about it Celia her mother. As for the twist....ok, fine...kind of was an option given the type of sisters, but I hate how the surviving party to the lies is somehow the hero. It's taken me a couple of tries (or three) to finish the whole thing. I've fallen asleep on it at least once. It's not really a ghost story and the mystery is just so-so. As for my title, SPOILER SPOILER I thought it was kind of odd that as soon as Sabrina found out who her real mother was, she immediately referred to her non-mother by her name. You would think the shock of it all would still be in effect, but nope...she immediately processes that Celia was not her mother. And still by that point, Natalie hadn't explained anything to her, so why would she believe or accept it? It's just a line that could have been written differently in my opinion. 5/10 for being a basic Lifetime filler movie.

Natalie Flores is the embodiment of the modern, self-confident "Lifetime" woman. She is a successful chef in New York City, a skilled work supervisor, and a genuinely decent human being. But Natalie's resolve is tested with the news of the unexpected death of her twin sister Celia. Natalie travels to the quaint town of Falls Church, Vermont, where she is confronted by her belligerent niece Sabrina, who may be suffering from a case of "dissociative amnesia." Natalie must also confront the thorny problem of liquidating the old inn that Celia was refurbishing. And, according to Sabrina, the inn may be haunted with spirits from the past. The film was a slow burner with an especially curious choice on the part of Natalie to sleep with "Handy Andy" Bertrand, who has kept a number of secrets from her, prior to hopping into bed. It was a stretch to believe that Natalie would be attracted in the slightest way to Handy Andy, especially at this time of her bereavement following the death of Celia. Another problematic figure is Elijah, the boyfriend of Sabrina, who always appears to be hanging around the inn and would seem to be keeping Sabrina on a tight leash. While there were some effective spooky scenes, such as an eerie session on the Ouija board with Sabrina and Elijah, the strength of the film was the strong-willed character of Natalie. She was savvy enough to recognize that there was more to the old inn than rats in the walls. Her tenacity led her to bring out the truth about her sister and the secrets that were not contained within the inn, but were locked away for years in her own heart.