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.

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.

This movie starts out boring...and then just gets progressively...worse...boring characters...boring plot...I believe the whole budget of this movie went to buying cover art for the blue ray and DVD. Don't watch it...don't waste your time..you want a good horror movie...go rent...Matrys or Piranaha 3d...anything...is better than this ...movie...I'm surprised Uwe bull didn't direct it..I can't believe I wasted time watching this movie...Even the camera angles/lighting...all feels..cheap..cheap ...cheap...The folks in this movie...should definitely not quit their day jobs and actually read the script before they decided to just work it for a paycheck.

Racism is internalized by the people who are victimized by it. How else can you explain a movie where a group of enslaved Africans turn to an African "witchdoctor" to free them in exchange for sacrificing their children. Right - I won't say what happens in the movie, but the depiction of African religious beliefs -you know the religious belief of Africans when they were free in Africa before they were enslaved and made into "Christians" -are horrible and misleading. If people who consider themselves "white," made this movie - the NAACP, the NBA, and all of Compton would be up in protest. Yes the slave mentality exists so much that people today would rather stick to the religion given to them by their slave masters than take time to really learn about what their ancestors actually believed when they were FREE in Africa. The saddest thing is that there are some good actors and notable actors in the movie - one guess they hadn't read the script until showing up or were so desperate for a check due to Hollywood's paucity of acting jobs for black people they decided to do it anyway. It's very sad indeed of the stereotypes and pure ignorance that black people have been indoctrinated with regarding their natural belief systems. I guess our hair and skin were not the only things whitewashed or we were made to hate over the past 400 years. The search for positive and accurate black images continue -shoot, right now I'd just settle for something accurate based on Hollywood's continual racist b.s. This time done in black face.

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.