So, Peyton List stars in "The Inheritance," a film that tries so hard to be a horror masterpiece but ends up like a cheap haunted house at a rundown carnival. The premise is promising: a wealthy patriarch, Charles Abernathy, gathers his family in a spooky mansion, tells them they might be killed overnight, and then locks them in. It’s like “Knives Out” meets “Clue,” but unfortunately, it’s more like “Clueless.”
First, let’s talk about the characters. Imagine the Abernathy family as cardboard cutouts with zero personality. There's Drew, the good-hearted son, and Hannah, the loyal but non-blood relative. Everyone else is either a jealous sibling or a paranoid conspirator. Watching them is like attending a family reunion where you only know two people, and they’re not interesting.
The script, penned by Chris LaMont and Joe Russo, is about as deep as a puddle. We get ominous warnings, creepy sounds, and a pool table that resets itself. Oh, spooky. It’s like someone took a list of horror clichés and checked them off one by one. Characters split up, wander in the dark, and get picked off with all the excitement of watching paint dry. When Kami gets pulled into a pool and meets her watery demise, it’s visually interesting, but it’s like finding a diamond in a pile of dirt.
Director Alejandro Brugués, known for "Juan of the Dead," tries to inject some flair with clever camera work, but even he can’t save this sinking ship. There’s a sequence where Kami’s ghost crawls out of a painting that’s supposed to be chilling but instead feels like a knock-off of "The Devil’s Backbone." And let’s not forget the storage room with haunted artifacts that move on their own – yawn.
The film clocks in at a mercifully short 84 minutes. Yes, it’s short, but it feels like an eternity. You could probably clean your entire house and come back to find these characters still wandering aimlessly. The plot twists are as predictable as the Monday following Sunday. And the climax? Let’s just say it’s like popping a balloon you knew was already deflated.
Thematically, "The Inheritance" tries to critique the wealthy, but it’s as subtle as a sledgehammer. Rich people are bad. Got it. Now can we have some character development, please? But no, we get ghostly apparitions and melodramatic confrontations that wouldn’t look out of place in a daytime soap.
Peyton List does her best with what she’s given, but even her talent can’t breathe life into this script. The film’s attempt to blend horror with social commentary falls flat, leaving us with a mishmash of half-baked ideas and recycled scares. If you're looking for a horror film to make you think or even just feel something, keep looking. "The Inheritance" is a forgettable, paint-by-numbers ghost story that squanders its potential.
In conclusion, "The Inheritance" is like a cheap Halloween mask – looks interesting at first, but up close, it’s just shoddy craftsmanship. If you have 84 minutes to spare, maybe watch a good horror movie instead. This one’s not worth the inheritance.
Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Anjali Sharma
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Publisher at Midgard Times