The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh (2012) – Review

Yell! Magazine’s The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh review:

This is exactly the sort of horror movie I love because it’s terrifying. True, there’s no blood or stalking serial killer or teenagers running, screaming, and doing generally stupid things. There aren’t even any jump scares. I love all that, but The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh has the parts that scare the shit out of me: a religious element, clown-type dummy dolls (like in Poltergeist), supernatural occurrences, and much more.

This is the type of horror film that gets under your skin and into your head. You’ll be thinking of this movie days, or weeks, after viewing it.

Brought to us by Rue Morgue publisher Rodrigo Gudino (writer/director), The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh is superficially about an estranged son, Leon (Aaron Poole), who’s an antique dealer and inherits his mother’s home and all of her worldly possessions. It doesn’t take long for us to learn that she was a religious zealot and a member of a mysterious cult dedicated to the worship of angels. We also learn that she pushed religion on her son and Leon’s father either committed suicide or sacrificed himself when Leon was a young boy.

During the course of the film, Leon discovers that his mother has left posthumous messages for him throughout the house and he experiences some strange things. At the film’s core, however, is the story of a young man who, only after his mother’s death, feels guilty for turning his back on her and remorseful for abandoning her to a life of loneliness. Unfortunately, Leon is unable to forgive himself as God or a mother would, and now he’s haunted by his lack of filial piety.

The Verdict: [rating:4]

If Clive Barker (Hellraiser) likes it, calling it “a whole new direction in which to take the narrative experience in filmmaking” and stating that “this film has no precedent,” it has to be good. This is truly a memorable horror experience.

Rock Hard \m/