Homicide par vocation

Deadly Inheritance is a Giallo based on the classic idea of people being killed for money. The film is one of the largely forgotten Giallo's, and while I personally wouldn't say that it's one in urgent need of rediscovery; it's a well plotted and effective Giallo that features a good story, some interesting characters, nice gore and a few twists and turns along the way. The film takes place in the countryside and while the urban Giallo's tend to be the more interesting ones; the location used here actually works quite well in that it puts the central family somewhat in isolation. The film begins with the death of an old man. It is later revealed that he was the owner of a small fortune, and that fortune has been left to the family; however, nobody gets any money until the dimwit son turns 21. Naturally, the rest of the family are not exactly pleased about this development and it's not long before certain members are scheming and the dimwit son turns up dead. The police begin to investigate, and the bodies soon start to pile up.

The film is very short running at only eighty minutes and director Vittorio Sindoni makes good use of his time and ensures that there's always something going on, which is a definite benefit to the film as it doesn't really have time to get boring. My biggest criticism of the film is that it doesn't manage to be as distinctive as many of the best of the genre; although the Giallo was only really just warming up in 1968 so I'm prepared to cut it some slack on that front. The film does not feature any big stars of the genre, but ensemble cast performs well and everyone is just about believable despite the fact that they're clearly not the most talented group of actors ever to grave the silver screen. There are plenty of red herrings and the film always has enough to keep you guessing, and this kept up right until the end when we are served up a brilliant and totally unexpected conclusion to the mystery. The final twenty minutes or so are by far and away the best of the film. Overall, while I wouldn't say that this is a great Giallo; it is at least a good one and is recommended to Giallo fans.

Rating Breakdown: Story - 1.25 :: Direction 1.25 :: Pacing - 1.00 :: Performances - 1.00 :: Entertainment - 1.25 :::: TOTAL - 5.75/10.00.

Picture this: a lazy, rainy Sunday, a hot drink in one hand, a duvet in the other. That's the ideal setting for Deadly Inheritance (1968), a Giallo thriller that ambles rather than sprints, offering more tepid tea than spicy espresso.

Director Vittorio Sindoni takes a serviceable but uninspired approach, delivering a murder mystery with some pretty visuals but none of the noir-ish tension or pulse-raising pacing the genre can deliver. The plot-a family offing each other over an inheritance-unfolds predictably, though a late twist manages not to feel entirely telegraphed. Unfortunately, the characters are so two-dimensional they make cardboard seem complex. It's hard to care about who lives or dies when nobody's worth rooting for.

Tom Drake's Police Inspector offers a rare bright spot, but even he feels like he's performing at half-speed in a production that never quite shifts out of first gear. The pace is slow, the thrills muted, and the story basic enough that your average housecat could probably deduce the killer.

Yet, there's something oddly comforting about the film's unpretentious simplicity. Deadly Inheritance might not be a great Giallo, but for a rainy afternoon under a blanket, it's just intriguing enough to keep you awake-barely.

Good film that starts off like some sort of 'reading of the will' film, then heads straight into Giallo territory by the wasting of the cast, then seems to wrap up business early before throwing every twist in the book at you while also giving you a loving kiss of rich cinematography, Italian babes and crappy dubbing.

Some rich railroad worker guy gets killed when someone switches the tracks and causes him to be run over by a train. His horrible kids gather together for the reading of the will and are horrified to find that no one will get anything until the handicapped, peeping Tom adopted son comes of age in three years.

Obviously that's not going to happen so when that son falls under a train, the cops are brought in and everyone's a suspect. Throw in loads of deaths (but just a little gore, this being 1968, but there's also a little bit of boob, this being the summer of love and all), and an avalanche of twists, some sixties fashions and some groovy music and everyone's happy.

Apart from the railway theme running through the film, I also liked how various characters seemed to interact with the soundtrack (like the first murder victim turning the music 'off' via his earpiece) - I'd never heard of this one and it was a nice surprise. I also burst out laughing at some of the really crappy dancing done in the night club.

this italian thriller, set in some french village, starts quickly with a man being overridden by a train; his three sisters all have some reason to want his death; the plot develops very unexpectedly, with a new turn about every five minutes; although many killings take place, the whole atmosphere is quite joyous due to the good rock-big band score by Torossi; just nice entertainment

I recently watched the Italian thriller 🇮🇹 Deadly Inheritance (1968) on Tubi. The film follows the death of a wealthy railroad employee whose heirs, eager for their fortune, gather only to have one by one start disappearing as they await their inheritance.

Directed by Vittorio Sindoni (Don't Hurt Me, My Love) in his directorial debut, the movie stars Tom Drake (Meet Me in St. Louis), Femi Benussi (Batton Story), Ivo Garrani (Waterloo), and Ernesto Colli (Illustrious Corpses).

Although it leans more toward a crime drama and murder mystery than pure horror, Deadly Inheritance is very well written, featuring smart twists and turns. The peeping-tom scenes are fun, and the background music does an excellent job of creating atmosphere. The settings, costumes, and dialogue all work together to maintain your interest, and the final reveal makes the journey worthwhile.

In conclusion, Deadly Inheritance is a unique and fun whodunit that's definitely worth a watch. I'd score it a 6/10 and recommend seeing it at least once.