Asylum Hotel

This atmospheric standalone from Blackwell (The Paris Showroom) offers supernatural mystery fans a hearty helping of murder, ghosts, and doomed love at a long-abandoned hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Southern California’s gothic Hotel Seabrink was built by the fabulously wealthy T. Jefferson Goffin during Hollywood’s golden age as a destination for such screen legends as Clark Gable and Judy Garland. Now, it’s a rundown landmark on the brink of renovation. Photographer and architect Aubrey Spencer takes a trip to immortalize the building before it’s updated and is surprised to run into well-known YouTuber Dimitri Petroff, who’s there to do research for his upcoming Netflix series about abandoned buildings. There’s instant chemistry between the two—until Dimitri turns up dead the next morning. Aubrey then notices a ghostly presence in one of her photographs and calls in her friend, Nikki, to help determine if something paranormal is at play. Soon, the pair learns that Dimitri’s death parallels a still unsolved murder at the hotel involving Goffin. After a captivating setup, Blackwell weighs things down with a few too many subplots, but she pulls it all together in the end. It’s an agreeably spooky ride. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)