Night At The Eagle Inn

Night At The Eagle Inn, the Twilight Zone-inspired horror film from director Erik Bloomquist, seems to be the perfect distillation of everything Mainframe Pictures has been building towards in their life as a company. Playing around with horror tropes in unconventional ways? Check. A story that centers on reconnecting with family? Double check. Strong performances from an incredible cast? Check, check, check, and check. So much style it might just make the audience dizzy with delight? All the checks!

Bloomquist co-wrote the movie with his brother, Carson, which centers on orphaned twins Sarah (Amelia Dudley) and Spencer (Taylor Turner) Moss, who seek to understand their past. They’ve acquired several medical reports, newspaper clippings, and other assorted material about their parents’ death. Their trek leads them to the town in which they were born. It is here that Sarah and Spencer find and stay at Eagle Inn for the night.

“…the brother and sister begin seeing strange things on their television, despite it not being plugged in.”

The Night Manager (Greg Schweers) informs the siblings that, despite them being the only car in the parking lot, there is only one room left, but it is a suite with “all the amenities.” After a brief tour of the hotel and its surroundings and being introduced to the handyman, Dean (Beau Minniear), Sarah and Spencer are finally shown their room. After settling in a bit, they begin to record their findings to piece together the tragic fate of their father and mother. But it isn’t long before the Manager calls them all the time to see if they are comfortable. Then the brother and sister begin seeing strange things on their television, despite it not being plugged in. Are they suffering a shared delusion? Is the hotel haunted, or is there something even more sinister afoot?

Night At The Eagle Inn is Erik Bloomquist’s fourth feature-length production, and his style is evident from the jump. The strong use of color during the prologue immediately adds a sense of danger and unease, despite viewers not initially knowing what is happening. There is a lot of great editing throughout, with a sequence where Sarah views an unsettling video, wringing as many scares out as possible.