Review: INHERITANCE (2017), an atmospheric and disturbing psychological thriller
Like any other critic, I like being pleasantly surprised, especially by well-made, atmospheric and frequently unnerving psychological thrillers. It is, after all, a sub-genre that’s relatively easy to try to make, but hard to master; that is why every year we get more and more subpar and laughably cheesy horror movies in theatres, productions that, despite having good intentions or trying to imitate the best in the business, normally end up going through the motions. Scaring the hell out of an audience is no easy feat, especially when you lack traditionally frightening elements such as spirits, demons, monsters, or blood and gore.
This is why I had a pretty good time watching “Inheritance”, an indie thriller that manages to do quite a bit with pure atmosphere and suspense. Yes, its slow pace might turn off some viewers —and from what I’ve seen online, it already has—, but it’s got a plot that’s intriguing enough for most fans of the genre to remain interested until the very end. In fact, if you’re a fan of slightly supernatural mysteries and pictures that don’t give all the answers, you’ll definitely enjoy “Inheritance”. If you’re a little more impatient, and are used to more explosive, obvious and gory horror offerings, you’ll be better off somewhere else.
Our protagonist is Ryan Bowman (Chase Joliet), a young man with a job at a construction site. He has a pretty normal life; he works hard from 9 to 5, and lives with his pregnant fiancé, Isi Rosales (Sara Montez). One day, though, he receives news that he’s inherited a house from his biological father, a man he thought long dead, so they travel to the property with high hopes. Either they stay and live there, in the outskirts of Los Angeles, or they sell the house in order to pay their debts and have a more hopefully future. Once they arrive, though, they discover a dark secret regarding Ryan’s dad, and little by little, they start descending into madness.
Comparisons to films such as “The Shining” are expected, but not entirely warranted. Although the basic premise of both pictures are somewhat similar, they differ quite a bit in tone and intention. For starters, Ryan starts more as a totally normal guy —as opposed to the already-unbalanced Jack Torrance, played by a manic Jack Nicholson— and even when he starts going, well, crazy, Joliet doesn’t really play him as an over-the-top killer. This makes sense considering the overall tone of the movie; “Inheritance” is a slow-burner, a film that revels in the slow build-up of an intense story, and that prefers to leave many details in the subtext, without over-explaining many of the changes that the characters suffer, or even the intricacies of the plot.
Understandably, this could end up frustrating those viewers who requiere their movies to tell them everything about plot and characterisation, but for those who prefer their mysteries to be, well, mysterious, “Inheritance” can be quite a ride. It definitely helps that the protagonists are reasonably well-developed, and portrayed in a very credible manner. Joliet plays Ryan as the silent type, as a man who, at least initially, is not very interested in the past, and prefers to bury it —maybe even literally— while thinking about the future with his fiancé. Sara Montez, for her part, gives Isi quite a bit of charm, and sells the eventual deterioration of her relationship with Ryan. The supporting cast doesn’t have much to do; they serve the plot well, but the focus of the story is clearly on Ryan and Isi.
On a technical level, “Inheritance” is quite impressive, especially considering it’s an indie movie we’re talking about. Drew Daniels’ cinematography is stunning, managing to develop tons of atmosphere while using pretty much a single location, a modern, cold and enigmatic house with a dark past. But even some of the more bizarre occurrences, such as the apparitions or the flashbacks detailing some of the events that took place on or near the house years ago, look quite beautiful. The beaches, the overcast skies… “Inheritance” isn’t the most complex picture I’ve ever seen, but it’s clear Daniels —with the help of director Tyler Savage, of course— managed to do quite a lot with limited resources. The score, while quite minimalistic, contributes to the overall disturbing feel of the movie.
Even though the script isn’t particularly interested in giving the audience explanations regarding the events our protagonists must endure, it leaves enough clues here and there for one to remain, at least, interested in finding out what could be happening and why. Consider, for example, Ryan’s encounter with a creepy neighbour, who tells him stories about a land cursed by abused Native Americans. I guess some of the mysteries regarding his dad’s house could be explained by the curse —the ending too, while we’re at it—, but it’s never fully explored, and the film is the better for it.
If you like your thrillers and/or horror movies full of unnecessary jump scares, gore, over-the-top villains and obvious supernatural elements, you will not enjoy “Inheritance”. This is a picture that takes its time to develop its story, that prefers to infer plot points instead of explaining them out-loud, and that tries to disturb its audiences through the development of a thick and palpable atmosphere. Yes, it’s deliberately slow, and yes, it’s got an open ending that might leave some viewers a little unsatisfied, but “Inheritance” does enough with a simple premise, a small cast and a minimalistic script for it to warrant a recommendation.
