Inheritance

A tight little thriller that plays more on the intellect than the gut, although there were definitely a couple of scenes that had me quite tense. Nelson and Taylor give fine performances, and the camera work and pacing keep your interest throughout. The avoidance of clichéd "jump scenes", and the fact that most of this suspense/thriller flick is shot in daylight provides a pleasant contrast to the now mundane teen slasher/startlers, and adds increased drama to the scenes that are set at night or in darkened surroundings. The ending is also quite satisfying, allowing you to think for yourself and decide which of several possible explanations for the events in the movie is the solution. Thumbs up!

Kristensen weaves an intriguing and visually polished tale through Inheritance. An extremely well done thriller with touches of Kubrick, Hitchcock, and Kristensen's own unique style. The film's tension is very well done, as it builds with a sure pace that keeps the viewer engaged. The characters, especially Taylor's eager-to-please Abbey, draw the audience in as the story progresses and the tension builds. It's very unique and very fun; certainly a great change of pace from the norm. Excellent performances by Taylor (the voice of Halo's Cortana) and Nelson. Inheritance is a breath of fresh air in a market glutted with cookie-cutter suspense thrillers; a very well done, very enjoyable film. Kristensen and Taylor are talents to watch.

It has truly been a while since a movie has stuck with me this long. INHERITANCE peels away at the layers of fear and rubs your nerve endings raw until all you are left with is the fear itself. This movie haunts you long after the standard "scary" film would have vanished from your psyche. It can be likened to an addict with two persona's. One persona is lively and full of worth, yet the second persona is lingering somewhere between a death wish, and the kind of hangover that makes you wake up in a cold sweat wondering what in the hell you might have done the night before. If you loved "The Shining", do yourself a favor and fall in love with Inheritance.

The copy I screened was packaged nicely. I admit that 3/4 of the way through it I almost shut it off. But bad movies get made all the time. This isn't the unusual thing about this DVD. Upon reading the reviews here at IMDb, I'm convinced that most of the reviewers had to be in the filmmaker's camp. There is no other way to explain someone actually saying "this is a great film." The story, directing and acting are all mediocre at best. But how they got the lead is really a mystery. Her full frontal sex scene is somehow more embarrassing when you start thinking how they talked her into it. Did she think this was going to be a critical success, a breakthrough role for her? I don't know. After a little research I discovered that the producer and director are the team that created the wonderful short film "Whiteface." How they made a picture like this is a good question indeed. Now, I did visit the website. This is where things get even more bizarre. They started a petition to try to get the film distributed into theaters. They somehow reasoned (according to the website) that the lead's previous voice work for the xbox game "Halo" would somehow be a box office draw.

INHERITANCE channels classic 70s horror films like THE SHINING but is imbued with contemporary touches that firmly ground it in the here and now. Unlike the recent spate of teen slasher flicks, INHERITANCE draws you in with mystery and suspense and a plot that keeps you guessing right up until the end. Gorgeous cinematography and production design help to set and maintain an atmosphere that is both eerie and realistic. Nice understated performances by the leads help INHERITANCE transcend the expected conventions of the genre. Overall, a fresh, interesting take on the classic ghost story.