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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 probably most interesting as an example of an early giallo. It was released a couple of years before the genre was codified by the release of Dario Argento's debut film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. As a result it's a good deal more restrained than the gialli of the 70's. It's not alone in this, as other late 60's gialli were pretty much the same. However, it does incorporate the serial killer on the loose mystery narrative that would go on to become a key aspect of the genre.

The story is about a family of greedy siblings who want to inherit the money left by their recently killed father. All his money is left to his adopted son Janot, who is mentally retarded. Pretty much immediately, a string of murders begin.

This is an example of the rural giallo. In the main the genre was an urban based genre and the rural ones are few and far between. The setting is in fact the French countryside. The location is decent enough. The cast has no big names but does have a few faces genre enthusiasts will recognise, such as Femi Benussi who starred in several Italian horror and thriller films such as Hatchet for the Honeymoon. Also of note is Ernesto Colli who plays Janot, he is an agreeably odd looking guy and also starred in the later giallo Torso. The best feature of the movie has to be the soundtrack though. The music is composed by Stefano Torossi. It's varied and of a good standard throughout. The film itself is solid enough although it's overall a little plodding. The murders are committed more or less off-screen and the suspense is a little limited. Interesting enough as a 60's giallo though.

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.

'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.