How much you like this movie will probably depend on how many times you saw it on television in the early 80s. It also helps if you like Gothic overtones, spooky stories about black magic, and Sam Elliott's naked butt circa 1979. I like all of the above very much, and I do remember "The Legacy" fondly from its extensive run on HBO.
It's not a very good movie, though. Watching it recently gave me a new perspective on it, and it makes very little sense. It's not quite as disjointed as Argento's "Suspiria", and nowhere near as bloody, but it was most definitely influenced by "Suspiria"--right down to a scene where Katharine Ross approaches an ominous bed, which is swathed in white sheets, and a pair of withered hands lunge out to grab her. Even though the film doesn't quite work, it's still got a couple of gruesome moments, and is often enjoyably campy. Really could have benefited from a more gratuitous approach....like "Suspiria".
It's not a very good movie, though. Watching it recently gave me a new perspective on it, and it makes very little sense. It's not quite as disjointed as Argento's "Suspiria", and nowhere near as bloody, but it was most definitely influenced by "Suspiria"--right down to a scene where Katharine Ross approaches an ominous bed, which is swathed in white sheets, and a pair of withered hands lunge out to grab her. Even though the film doesn't quite work, it's still got a couple of gruesome moments, and is often enjoyably campy. Really could have benefited from a more gratuitous approach....like "Suspiria".