So disappointed! **SPOILER WARNING END OF MOVIE REVEALED****
SPOILERS BELOW, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
I missed this movie last summer. I just finished watching it and was very disappointed. It started out great -- dark and stormy night, mysterious death in an old house, then just fizzled out. George Wickersham's Maine accent didn't appear until half an hour into the movie. His wife Nikki seems more like a giggling schoolgirl than a serious artist. There were too many unanswered questions.
Peter reveals to Nikki that on the night of Mr. Wickersham's death, he was absent because he had gone to purchase a money order for the old man's "girlfriend." He further revealed that the relationship had lasted for 22 years. Nothing more is ever heard about the girlfriend, she didn't attend the funeral. Seems like the writers should have gone somewhere with this but they didn't.
Nikki correctly guesses that the photographer, Virginia Roberts, is sick and at peace after a painful life. Virginia does not act ill and a year later is seen holding George and Nikki's new baby. She appears to be in perfect health. Again, it sounded like an interesting subplot that went nowhere, maybe connecting Virginia's painful past to the Wickersham family.
Peter Hughes, the caretaker, is at first suspected by George and Nikki of murdering George's father. He turns out to be a good guy, but once that's established there's no place for him in the movie. His role seems to be romancing Nikki's friend. I thought he would turn out at the last minute to be a bad guy, maybe a distant relative looking for revenge, but that was not the case.
George was obviously distraught over the death of his father but had not seen him in many years. After George falls from a ladder and is in a coma for weeks, Nikki guesses that his father deliberately distanced himself from George to protect his son from the family curse. That is never discussed, as the end of the movie comes much too quickly.
It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but I doubt I'll watch it again.