Billionaire Charles Abernathy (Bob Gunton) on the eve of his 75th birthday invites all his children including media moguls C. J. (David Walton) and twin sister Madeline (Rachel Nichols), social media influencer Kami (Peyton List), and the head of Abernathy's charitable arm Drew (Austin Stowell) who brings along his wife Hannah (Briana Middleton). Charles tells his children that as a result of a business deal his life is in danger and having sent the staff and security home entrusts his children and Hannah with his protection. In order to ensure their cooperation, Charles has amended his will to state that should anything happen to him during the night the inheritance will be forfeit and given to the Abernathy Foundation. As the group is divided on whether Charles is sincere or mad in his concerns, they find themselves faced with escalating terror over the course of the night.
The Inheritance is a 2024 horror film directed by Alejandro Brugues. The film is written by screenwriters Chris LaMont and Joe Russo who initially wrote the film under the title " The Last Will and Testament of Charles Abernathy" which was featured on the 2018 Blood List of best unproduced horror screenplays. Initially acquired by Netflix as an original for their streaming service, the film found itself swept up in the then recent trend of media companies scrapping completed films for tax write-offs and corporate restructuring shenanigans (See Warner Bros. And Batgirl, Scoob 2, and Coyote vs. Acme) and despite being ready for release it was announced Netflix no longer had any intention or releasing it, but unlike WB they did allow the producers to shop distribution elsewhere. Now coming out on a day and date release for VOD and a limited theatrical run, not only am I pleased the film is finally available but it's also pretty fun as well.
It's pretty clear that due to the delays the film has amassed behind the scenes, it will inevitably be compared to other genre fare that have tackled the subject of wealthy toxic family dynasties (a point the creators themselves have acknowledged). If you're familiar with the likes of Ready or Not, Knives Out, or the miniseries Fall of the House of Usher you'll note some similarities in the setup, but fortunately the movie finds a unique enough way to keep itself from feeling like it's retreading ground. Rather than the satire heavy approach of knives out or the gore and grandiosity of Ready or Not or Fall of the House of Usher, The Inheritance goes in for a more quick and to the point B-movie approach taking influence from the likes of William Castles films. At a brisk 84 minutes (including credits), The Inheritance is an exercise in efficiency as it sets up the characters quickly and gets to the actual meat of the horror but it never feels rushed and still feels like it takes adequate time in building up and paying off the scares. Despite most of the Abernathys having abrasive tendencies, the writers do a lot to humanize them and prevent them from becoming grating and you do find yourself invested in whether they'll live or not. The production also crafts some memorable scare sequences (particularly one involving an antiquities room and another involving a painting) both of which are expertly setup with taut direction by Brugues.
The Inheritance is a fun little B-movie take on toxic wealthy families that has the playfulness of an old William Castle film with some solid modern day craft, it's just a shame the movie wound up in release limbo due to the callous reason of fudging some numbers on a corporate balance sheet. Definitely take the time to seek this one out.
