Plot: What’s it about?
A family reunion can often involve some drama, but what about buried secrets and murder? As five cousins head off to a reunion, they have no idea what lurks in wait. The reunion is to be held at a plush family cabin, so even though its the dead of winter, they’ll be pampered inside. Or so they think. Their uncle (Keith David) welcomes them, but also reminds them to keep family close to their hearts and be faithful to the traditions. Unknown to the cousins, this reunion is to serve as a rite of passage, with death assured for those who don’t pass. As the weekend rolls on, each of the cousins vanishes and long buried family secrets begin to surface, but can anyone survive this madness?
I do love a fun, blood soaked slasher movie. That is what The Inheritance is marketed as, with a blood caked axe, decapitated head, and UNRATED label all part of the artwork. But the truth is this movie has almost no blood, has no atmosphere, and the only fright is when you realize you’ve been conned. This is a dull, poorly executed thriller masked as a horror movie, but even as a thriller it falls flat like a pancake. The premise is decent, but Robert O’Hara’s writing and direction are so awful, any potential is flushed within the first act. You can’t rest the blame for this mess on the low budget either, as you don’t need tons of cash to build atmosphere and tension. The cast is mediocre to terrible across the board, with Keith David looking ashamed to even be present. His performances in the Halo series are even superior to his work on this tripe. The Inheritance is just awful, a total mess that deserves to be left on the shelf to rot.
Video: How does it look?
The Inheritance is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. This transfer shows moments of brilliance, but those are infrequent and most of the time, this looks mediocre at best. A lot of scenes look flat out soft, with DVD level detail that fails to impress. You’ll even see some artifacts, which is always bad news. As I said, some scenes look good and they do, with great depth and detail. But sadly those scenes are rare, leaving us with a sub par visual effort.
Audio: How does it sound?
A DTS HD 5.1 option is present and supplies the film’s only source of tension. The surrounds aren’t remarkable here, but the sound design does provide some atmosphere. And given how the filmmakers were otherwise unable to create that atmosphere, its a good thing we have some here. The dialogue is crisp and clear as well, while the music sounds fine. Not a top tier audio effort, but it does enrich the experience.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
