I'm calling out to all of you, good people working at DVD-distributing companies like NoShame Films, Subversive Cinema or even Anchor Bay Entertainment! During the past couple of years, and especially with the revival of low-budget seventies exploitation cinema, a lot of stupendous Italian Gialli thrillers already received fancy DVD-releases. Even several lesser great and downright mediocre Gialli already got transferred to disc, but still there are numerous hidden treasures that remain stuck in video-oblivion to this date. "Deadly Inheritance" is an ideal example of this. Perhaps there aren't any famous names listed in the cast and crew, but nevertheless this is a wondrously convoluted and marvelously flamboyant showcase of Italian Giallo greatness with mouth-watering gore, sensational sleaze and phenomenal music. The plot may be derivative and the constant red herrings may be too grotesque for their own good, but I guarantee this is the stuff all you Giallo-fanatics are searching for. Straight from the first couple of minutes you'll already know you're in for a nice treat, as the opening involves a fast ride on rails filmed from the trains' POV and guided by THE most exciting music I ever heard. The ride abruptly ends when an elderly man messily ends up underneath the train and the titular (Deadly) inheritance refers to the arrangement of his testament between the family members. The deceased had three beautiful daughters and one mentally handicapped adopted son, but the will irreversibly states that nobody receives one penny before the boy reaches the age of 21. Naturally, none of the women (nor their husbands/lovers) intend to wait two more years or even consider sharing the family wealth and it doesn't take too long before the kid ends up underneath a train as well. It looked like suicide, but Inspector Greville suspects murder and quickly gets confirmed when more relatives turn up dead in less camouflaged circumstances. The rest of the plot unfolds itself as an engaging and unpredictable (because of its absurdity) Giallo with many inventive death sequences and perverted underlying sub plots. "Deadly Inheritance" is a must-see for genre lovers, so I sincerely hope it'll be widely available on short notice and, if it's not too much to ask, the wildly exciting soundtrack ought to be released separately as well. There's a more than fair amount of suspense and mystery, the killings are deliciously gross and the three leading ladies are luscious eye-candy. Femi Benussi is probably the most famous name in the cast, since she starred and showcased her ravishing body in "The Bloody Pit of Horror", "Bloodsucker Leads the Dance" and Mario Bava's "Hatchet for the Honeymoon". The rest of the cast, as well as director Vittorio Sindoni, is fairly unknown, but they all do good jobs and contribute in making "Deadly Inheritance" what is in my book the most undeservedly and shamefully overlooked Giallo ever.
Review of Deadly Inheritance
