The Inheritance (2024 film)
| The Inheritance | |
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 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Alejandro Brugués |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Paul Schiff |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vincent De Paula |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Mondo Boys |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Vertical |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Inheritance is a 2024 American horror film written and directed by Alejandro Brugués. It stars Bob Gunton, Peyton List, Briana Middleton, Rachel Nichols, Austin Stowell and David Walton.
Plot
[edit]Billionaire Charles Abernathy invites his estranged adult children back home for a special occasion, his birthday. His children consist of the twins, C.J. and Madeline, Kami, and Drew, and his wife, Hannah. The security of the Abernathy estate, Miles, leads them to meet their father, who reveals that he is going to be killed at midnight and has security detail leave him alone with his children. He wants his children to protect him until midnight, and if they succeed, he will have an inheritance of his wealth distributed to them equally. In preparation for his attempt at his life, he has enhanced the estate with advanced security systems, bulletproof glasses, and sealed doors. Charles requests Hannah to leave because this task only requires his children, but Hannah refuses.
Later that night, while the children and Hannah stay, Kami wanders off into the cellar but is frightened when she hears a strange growling noise and leaves the cellar. While Kami was going to swim in the estate's indoor pool, she was attacked before being killed by an unseen attacker. Meanwhile, Madeline and C.J. plot to take over Charles' estate and his wealth without the other children until Drew and Hannah come to inform them that Kami is missing. They discover Kami's body and report her death to Charles. Despite his sympathy, Charles refuses to open the doors. He reveals to the children that the killer is a demon he made a deal with years ago, and now the demon is coming to claim his life as a debt. With Kami's death, Charles modifies the will and now Hannah will receive Kami's equal wealth since she chose to stay.
Tensions rise amongst the children when the twins accuse Drew and Hannah of taking out the children so they can receive the wealth for themselves, but are defused when they find Kami's body missing from the indoor pool. Hannah decides that she wants to leave the estate and tries to break the glass to no avail. Drew suggests using an elevator in the antique room as their way out since it was used to bring in artifacts instead of the main entrance. They enter the antique room and Hannah tries to squeeze through the elevator gates, but for some reason cannot get through due to an invisible force preventing her from leaving. Hannah and Drew saw the demon in the room and fled, heading upstairs.
After escaping, the twins locked Drew and Hannah in a vault, planning to kill them once they take over the estate. However, the demon drags Madeline into a separate room where it takes on the form of Kami. C.J. bursts in and shoots at the demon, but instead, he shoots Madeline, killing her. C.J. frees Drew and Hannah and plans to confront his father when the demon is stalking them, turning off all the power in the house. Drew and Hannah flee to a bedroom where they discover a hidden door leading them to an occult summoning ritual of the demon. Meanwhile, the demon kills C.J.
Drew and Hannah come into Charles' room to confront the patriarch. Charles reveals that the Abernathy family was becoming impoverished after multiple financial failures and schemes, so he summoned the demon of greed, Mammon. Charles made a deal with the demon to have riches in exchange for his soul on his 75th birthday; however not wanting to lose all he has gained from the deal, Charles proposes to Mammon a new bargain: instead of his soul, he offers his bloodline as sacrifice to the demon. Charles shoots Drew, killing him, and attempts to kill Hannah to prevent her from exposing the bargain. Hannah runs back and picks up a rifle. As Charles searches for Hannah, he is shot by her, wounding him just as midnight passes.
Hannah reveals that the reason why she and Drew come to the estate is because she wants to tell him that she is pregnant with Drew's baby, which means that the deal with Mammon remains in contract. Because the deal was for Charles being protected until midnight had passed, Mammon appears and claims Charles's soul. By the next morning, the doors unlocked themselves, and Hannah leaves the estate.
Cast
[edit]- Bob Gunton as Charles Abernathy, the billionaire patriarch of the Abernathy family
- Peyton List as Kami, Charles' youngest daughter and a social media influencer
- Briana Middleton as Hannah, Drew's wife who helps run the charitable arm of the Abernathy empire
- Rachel Nichols as Madeline, Charles' eldest daughter and twin sister of C.J. who runs the entertainment arm of the Abernathy empire
- Austin Stowell as Drew, Charles' youngest son and Hannah's husband who runs the charitable arm of the Abernathy empire
- David Walton as C.J., Charles' eldest son and twin brother of Madeline who runs the news and information holdings in the Abernathy empire
- Reese Alexander as Miles Hartmen, Charles' longtime friend and attorney
Production
[edit]In April 2021, it was announced Netflix had set Alejandro Brugués to direct the film under its original title, The Last Will and Testament of Charles Abernathy, from a script by Chris LaMont and Joe Russo which had previously appeared on the 2018 Blood List of best unproduced horror screenplays.[1] In May of that year, Rachel Nichols, Bob Gunton, Austin Stowell, Briana Middleton, David Walton, Reese Alexander, and Peyton List had signed on for the film's cast.[2]
Release
[edit]Initially intended for release on Netflix's streaming service, the company announced in January 2023 it would no longer be distributing The Inheritance allowing the producers to shop the film elsewhere for alternate distributors.[3] In June 2024, it was announced Vertical had acquired distribution rights for the film and would release the film in a limited theatrical run and on video-on-demand (VOD) on July 12, 2024.[4]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5/10.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (April 21, 2021). "Netflix Taps Alejandro Brugués To Direct 'The Last Will And Testament Of Charles Abernathy'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 11, 2021). "'The Last Will and Testament of Charles Abernathy': Rachel Nichols, Bob Gunton, Austin Stowell, Peyton List & More Set To Lead Netflix Horror Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 27, 2023). "Netflix Offloads Two Completed Films, Filmmakers Shop Projects Elsewhere". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ London, Rob (June 19, 2024). "Peyton List Wishes She Was Left Out of the Will in New 'The Inheritance' Trailer". Colider. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "The Inheritance". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
