Demonic Succession

 

Mansion movies are fun. They're loaded with fancy antiques that double as sharp objects, eerie paintings that immediately build ambience, and a sense that anyone inside is at least somewhat deserving of a dark fate for having reaped so much wealth in their lifetime. 

Quick Plot: Absurdly rich business magnate Charles Abernathy formally invites his four children home on his 75th birthday, not to celebrate but for protection. Someone, or perhaps some...thing, is coming from him, and Charles decides the best defense is some hungry heirs.

We've got steely corporate twins Madeline and CJ (between this and Ready or Not 2, it's apparently a big year for steely corporate brother/sister twins), social media influencer Kami, and bland Drew with is nice wife Hannah. It doesn't take long to prove that Charles isn't paranoid but absolutely correct in fearing some kind of malicious element hot on his family's heels.

None of the siblings are overly close, leading to plenty of defensive suspicion that helps no one. Some kind of demonic entity picks up on their tension and starts pulling at each family scar. 

It's a busy night that ends with a pretty nifty revelation that I wouldn't dream of spoiling. Directed by Satanic Hispanics' Alejandro Brugués, The Inheritance has a certain lightweight efficiency about it that almost feels like it was made for one of these streaming service's condensed horror collections (Hulu's Into the Dark, for example). 

It wasn't. It's just...light. The subject matter is dark and demonic, but there's something about The Inheritance that just doesn't have the weight that you might expect from a full-length movie. It's GOOD, just...fleeting?

For an 85 minute streamer, The Inheritance is more than adequate. It's breezy, occasionally funny, and packs in some pretty neat imagery as it nears its satisfying conclusion.

High Points

It's not the most shocking turn of events, but I did appreciate the slight twist that made The Inheritance's ending pop a bit

Low Points

I hate just saying, "something was missing" as a general review, because that's bad writing where, you know, something is missing. But I can't quite put my finger on why The Inheritance just lacks some kind of heft

Lessons Learned

Social media influencers are convenient exposition dump characters

Abernathys don't believe in flair

Never put your trust in steely corporate brother/sister twins

Rent/Bury/Buy

The Inheritance is a perfectly fine way to pass some time. You can find it on Hulu when you once again have that 90-minute-or-less itch.