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With: Bob Gunton, Peyton List, Briana Middleton, Rachel Nichols, Austin Stowell, David Walton, Resse Alexander, Chris Wood
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Written by: Joe Russo, Chris LaMont
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Directed by: Alejandro Brugués
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Running Time: 85
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Date: 07/12/2024
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Cheesy Money
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Alejandro Brugués spending-the-night-in-a-creepy-mansion horror-thriller. The Inheritance falls resoundingly flat due to its one-note characters, forced plot twists, and absurd behaviors of the most ridiculously cliched nature.
Billionaire Charles Abernathy (Bob Gunton) invites his three grown children to his sprawling estate for his 75th birthday. Flighty social-media influencer Kami (Peyton List) is there, and the serious, stern twins Madeline (Rachel Nichols) and C.J. (David Walton), who run the family's day-to-day business, are there too. Youngest brother Drew (Austin Stowell) — who runs the charity side of things — arrives with his wife Hannah (Briana Middleton), even though he was instructed not to.
Security man Miles (Reese Alexander) informs them that all the servants have been given the night off. The house is sealed up tight, and everyone is locked in. Charles informs his children that he is being targeted, and that there will be an attempt on his life that night. If he dies, his children lose their inheritance. Can the family survive the night?
Playing very much like two other recent movies, Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders and Humane, The Inheritance doesn't add much to the mix.
It's wobbly from the very beginning, with Drew bringing his wife Hannah against his father's wishes; it's a setup. She's there for a plot reason, and not for a character reason. (Not to mention that, aside from the security guy Miles, she's the only character of color in the movie.) Then we get the exposition scene with Kami introducing all the characters in the guise of a social media post.
Then, when the characters realize that they are locked in and that their father's life may be in danger, they split up to explore the spooky mansion, rather than staying near their father, who is left all alone in his study. Perhaps the most ridiculous thing in the movie, however, is the airless vault. Characters heedlessly walk into it without considering that the door will slam shut behind them. Then as their oxygen runs out, there's a helpful oxygen meter mounted to the wall that tells them what percentage is left!
It continues on from there, leaving The Inheritance as something that very few will want to claim.
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