The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh

Every once in a while a films comes by and you have absolutely no idea what to expect going into the theatres. The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh was one of those films for me, the only advertisement I saw for once revealed nothing. It was also one of the most unsettling and creepy movies I've seen in a long time. To find out some of the things that made it so eerie for me read on.

Firstly how I was able to see this in theatres was through a one night only engagement as apart of the Sinister Cinema series that cineplex is putting on which highlights independent horror. The evening was hosted by the Soska Sisters and because I was lucky enough to go with a friend who knows them I got to say hi to them. I was probably as awkward of a person as when I met Sarah from season 3 of Face Off.

Seriously, I thought we had agreed, no more dressing identically. 

Now what really made this film for me was the set, which is in fact an actual house in Toronto. It felt like a very small well maintained castle of an artifact and christian paraphernalia hoarder. What really got me though was all the angel statues. The place was littered with them and all I could think was "Don't Blink! Don't Blink!". Vanessa Redgrave's cryptic narrations also sold the film for me. The film also made the choice of showing it's creature which was actually quite impressive for a CGI creature and remained quite creepy... until it licks the protagonist, when that happened all the menace was taken away from this monster. There is also some interesting cinematography going on that explores the set fully helping to create the unsettling feeling of not being alone. At the twist conclusion you learn that ultimately this film is a cautionary tale about trying to indoctrinate your children. Also if you haven't seen your parents in a while this movie will make you feel extremely guilty.

Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.

What also intrigued me about this film was that it was produced by Rue Morgue magazine (as well as directed by Rue Morgue's head honcho). This is the second horror resource I've noted of late to get into the producing business, the other being Bloody-Disgusting with their V/H/S films. If this trend continues I'll be looking forward to Horrormovies.ca's first feature, especially if it is as well made as The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh.