The Inheritance

"The Inheritance" had a rather interesting-looking poster, and that was what initially lured me to this movie. So based on the poster, I decided to give the movie a go.

Now, the movie's history is somewhat interesting, and it is what keeps the movie afloat, because the scares in the movie are virtually non-existent. The movie is labeled as thriller, but it hardly managed that at all. There are moments where the movie builds up some suspense, but that is as far as it gets, unfortunately.

The cast in the movie was actually quite good, both for the younger family members and the elders. The movie was carried by Keith David, though it wasn't his most impressive performance.

"The Inheritance" could have been more than it turned out to be, but sadly it failed to impress or shine. And it will be a horror movie that came and went without leaving a lasting impression.

If you like movies of dark nature, then there are far better choices available. "The Inheritance" is a tame experience, at best.

Some really attractive and recognizable actors in an acceptable horror flick. There's some mildly entertaining poking fun at each other throughout. Not the worst thing I ever watched.

I don't know why i even wasting my time watching this movie! Seriously, the acting was bad, the actors, the setting, all of it was bad! (If there other bad word to describe it, it would be it!)

The acting was the worst. It's a movie with a great poster but worst in everything else!! (Believe me when i said it was bad!! You don't want to waste your time watching this).

The scenes are gibberish! At a time you was here, and suddenly you just there (somewhere else) without even logic explanation. You don't even know how the characters got there.So, as for you guys who doesn't watch this movie yet, DON'T!!!

I downloaded & watched this because it had Keith David in it & it looked like it was an African-American horror film. Yes. Both correct, but both tragically bad attempts.

Keith...wtf And you co-produced this? Man, what were you thinking. Snorefest. Poor character development, pathetic continuity, molasses styled pacing. It takes over 20mins before someone even bothers to pick up a script.

And seriously, could they not even afford a second camera. Watch carefully, no don't even carefully watch, just look at the screen & see glaringly the lack of 'cinematography'. The one camera & badly placed one at that, screams at the viewer for attention. Boring...

Okay, granted that the snow bound Minnesota setting was not a clichéd location for the cast & they tried to give some historical slant to the proceedings. But major fail on all accounts. It had no real bearing on the ..er plot.

And did they have to stereotype them, despite them being uppity black folk, by having them smoke weed. C'mon. Was that to give them cred for the potential audience despite them all being rich greedy w@nkers.

And the white couple. what was the point of them & especially their only lines of dialogue at the beginning that just happened to imply racist attitudes. Amazingly transparent writing.

and white folk act pretty damn stupid in horror films, but the staggeringly inept action in the woods was shameful.

Def By Temptation stands as the best in this genre.

A family has a reunion in the snow where they plan to ask their rich uncle for money. However, the uncle has other plans.

What attracted me to this film was Keith David being in the cast, whom I have loved ever since "They Live". His role is a bit smaller than the rest, but he still had enough screen time that it went beyond a cameo and was quite enjoyable. (He also served as an executive producer.)

What might stand out for people is the almost all-black cast. Producer Effie Brown says the film was designed to be "universal", in that although the family is black it is not a "black movie" and can appeal to everyone -- the theme of a group of people stranded somewhere facing death is a common horror motif. And Brown is right -- although the background to the story ties in to slavery, there is nothing about this film that would alienate the audience due to race. Interestingly, this had been a concern of the marketing department, and hence the figure on the cover was made racially ambiguous.

For those who really find watching a film with black people uncomfortable, the inclusion of the white couple, with their cracks about black people, snow and barbecue, should help smooth things over for you. But if that is what you need to survive the film, I am not sure what it says about you.

The story itself is decent, though at times it drags on. The cinematography is good, though some of it came across as MTV-style with its quick cuts and time-elapsed scenes. I am referring in particular to the montage in front of the cabin where we see the snowmobile coming and going, but apparently never leaving the front yard. What I found to be the best part was the clever idea of making "The Flesh Is The Strength" deteriorate into another phrase. (Though why Shakabazz prefers English is a mystery.)

This is not the horror film of the year, but it is not a failure, either. The creators tried to do a little something different, and in that they succeeded. The goal was also to make it capable of becoming a franchise... whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, but the potential is there.