The Heiress

One of the worst indies I've seen in a while. Shot on a tiny budget so it's just two people talking for most of the running time. Some religious stuff to pad out the slim length. It's about two sisters, one of whom sees ghosts, but the other thinks she's going mad. Absolutely no reason to tune in on this one.

Lots of potential and good acting but the storyline wandered for the last 25 mins and ultimately wasn't that scary. The tension between the medical and church is a good idea but never really developed.

There are some decent ideas here, but they're not developed enough. The acting is mixed, direction isn't great, nor is the cinematography. Of course the low budget puts limitations on the production, so I'm sure all concerned could do better, but more fully-developed ideas and a better script needn't have cost any more. The gorgeous and talented Candis Nergaard is a bit wasted here. It has its moments but ultimately isn't really satisfying.

Had high hopes for this but was extremely disappointed. Good cast but poor story and very little real action.save your time and money for something better.

With a brilliant central performance, The Heiress slowly builds its tension, taking its story in unexpected directions. Director Chris Bell is just as confident flipping genre tropes as he is utilising traditional scare tactics to keep the viewer firmly behind a pillow. The "person behind a closing door" scares are there, but they don't feel worn in the same way they do in other films as they are earnt through the ever thicker atmosphere the film churns up. The Heiress also faces up to the traditional Church vs Science fight shared by many other suburban horror films, but tackles it with a fresh approach that feels more grounded in reality. This juxtaposition is echoed throughout the film, a fight between the mundane and supernatural, be it parental bickering or vivid dreams. But the bottom line with a horror film is "does it scare?" Here The Heiress really delivers. It is one thing to make a decrepit mansion or a dark forest scary, but here the terror is in brightly lit fields and a detached new build.