Omicidio per vocazione

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

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.

'Deadly Inheritance' is a fun little 60's Giallo flick with tight pacing, a satisfying mystery, and solid performances. The movie also has a decent plot with enough twists and turns to help make it an above average viewing experience. However, I wasn't really a fan of the rather comedic tone the movie takes and being an early example of the genre, this is a rather bloodless and plodding affair without hardly any suspense.

The plot = An rich railroad worker Oscar (Arnaldo De Angelis) is accidently killed by being run down by a train and when it comes to the reading of the will his 3 daughters are shocked to find out that he left everything to his adopted son Janot (Ernesto Colli). This leads to the family members getting killed off one by one as every member of the family has a clear motive for murder, but who is the mysterious killer.

The movie is well shot with some striking locations but lacks the stylish flair that fans of the genre have become accustomed to and while the mystery element is decent with some genuine surprises, the horror element is severely lacking. The characters here are well casted with some good performances from the likes of Tom Drake, Femi Benussi, Virgilio Gazzolo and Ernesto Colli each deliver standout performances in their roles.

Overall 'Deadly Inheritance' is enjoyable enough but needed that something extra special to stand out amongst the crowd of the far better Italian horror/thriller flicks.

I'm calling out to all of you, good people working at DVD-distributing companies like NoShame Films, Subversive Cinema or even Anchor Bay Entertainment! During the past couple of years, and especially with the revival of low-budget seventies exploitation cinema, a lot of stupendous Italian Gialli thrillers already received fancy DVD-releases. Even several lesser great and downright mediocre Gialli already got transferred to disc, but still there are numerous hidden treasures that remain stuck in video-oblivion to this date. "Deadly Inheritance" is an ideal example of this. Perhaps there aren't any famous names listed in the cast and crew, but nevertheless this is a wondrously convoluted and marvelously flamboyant showcase of Italian Giallo greatness with mouth-watering gore, sensational sleaze and phenomenal music. The plot may be derivative and the constant red herrings may be too grotesque for their own good, but I guarantee this is the stuff all you Giallo-fanatics are searching for. Straight from the first couple of minutes you'll already know you're in for a nice treat, as the opening involves a fast ride on rails – filmed from the trains' POV – and guided by THE most exciting music I ever heard. The ride abruptly ends when an elderly man messily ends up underneath the train and the titular (Deadly) inheritance refers to the arrangement of his testament between the family members. The deceased had three beautiful daughters and one mentally handicapped adopted son, but the will irreversibly states that nobody receives one penny before the boy reaches the age of 21. Naturally, none of the women (nor their husbands/lovers) intend to wait two more years or even consider sharing the family wealth and it doesn't take too long before the kid ends up underneath a train as well. It looked like suicide, but Inspector Greville suspects murder and quickly gets confirmed when more relatives turn up dead in less camouflaged circumstances. The rest of the plot unfolds itself as an engaging and unpredictable (because of its absurdity) Giallo with many inventive death sequences and perverted underlying sub plots. "Deadly Inheritance" is a must-see for genre lovers, so I sincerely hope it'll be widely available on short notice and, if it's not too much to ask, the wildly exciting soundtrack ought to be released separately as well. There's a more than fair amount of suspense and mystery, the killings are deliciously gross and the three leading ladies are luscious eye-candy. Femi Benussi is probably the most famous name in the cast, since she starred– and showcased her ravishing body – in "The Bloody Pit of Horror", "Bloodsucker Leads the Dance" and Mario Bava's "Hatchet for the Honeymoon". The rest of the cast, as well as director Vittorio Sindoni, is fairly unknown, but they all do good jobs and contribute in making "Deadly Inheritance" what is in my book the most undeservedly and shamefully overlooked Giallo ever.

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.