The Quarantine Stream: 'The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh' Is A Well-Made Horror Pic You've Probably Never Seen
(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they've been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)The Movie: The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind LeighWhere You Can Stream It: ShudderThe Pitch: A man returns to his late mother's house to start cleaning the place out. There, he finds something...creepy.Why It's Essential Quarantine Viewing: Do people even know this movie exists? I never hear anyone talk about it, and I've never really encountered anyone who claims they saw it. And yet, it's pretty darn effective, just waiting to be discovered.
I'm unable to find any budgetary numbers for The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh, but I'm positive it did not cost a lot to make. And yet...it looks great. Here is the proof that you don't need a huge amount of cash to create an effective movie – you just need a good idea, and the determination to make it a reality. There are a million ways this could've turned into cheap-looking schlock. But it doesn't. It looks and feels like the real deal.
Leon (Aaron Poole) is a guy who had a not-so-great relationship with his mother, Rosalind Leigh. Now, she's gone – or is she? While Rosalind has passed on, we still hear her, in the form of narration by Vanessa Redgrave. At first, it sounds like Redgrave's narration is meant to be something written before her character's death, but as the movie wears on, it starts to seem like the dead woman is reacting to things that are currently happening. Spooky.
As Leon goes about his mother's house he discovers cluttered rooms and lots of religious paraphernalia involving angels. And oh yeah, he also discovers a VHS tape that has a recording of a religious ceremony in which a giant statue of an angel suddenly opens its eyes. It's all kinds of disturbing, and while simple in design, the way the scene plays out is genuinely unnerving.
The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh is fairly simple in its design – Leon never leaves that house. But the set design along with the general cinematic atmosphere goes a long way toward making the movie work. The house feels lived-in – and creepy. The long stretches of silence aren't boring – they're unnerving. We're just waiting for something scary to happen.
Because there are no jump-scares here. The fear is instead built around the foreboding vibe that haunts every frame, with Redgrave's melancholy and slightly unsettling narration guiding us through a journey just waiting to be embarked on. It's time for you to discover The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh.