I like this potboiler. There's a soft spot in me for this story, even though it features the occasional lapse in narrative logic, and the special effects--while serviceable--don't guarantee it will leave much of a cinematic impression in many people's memory, years down the line. The Legacy is passed down by a moribund multi-millionaire, Jason Mountolive, to a group of inheritors (most of them European) who have travelled from afar to reunite for Jason's last 'will and testament.' Maggie Walsh and boyfriend Pete work together in Los Angeles as interior decorators (what's the likelihood of that?). They are hired sight unseen by a British client and, soon, 'accidentally' meet Jason, and are invited to stay at his home. At Ravenshurst mansion, the inheritors drop like flies, and Jason begins to get a little warmed over--he appears to be melting, cataracts appear, and he's definitely in dire need of a manicure. Clearly, this horror film was inspired by The Omen and, likewise, features a few Rottweilers that help take care of impending 'business' matters... Time to feed the dogs!!!
68 Reviews
muddled nonsense but sort of watchable
ElWormo12 March 2016
This can't seem to decide if it wants to be a kitch 70s Hammer Horror-em-up, or a glossy romantic US TV movie. Slick moustache man heart throb Sam Elliot clearly thinks he's in the latter, while Roger Daltrey bounds onto the screen like he's auditioning for a part in 'Eastenders: The Pantomime'. To say The Legacy is uneven is putting it mildly, no two characters appear to realise they're in the same film. Shove them all in a grand old mansion in the English countryside, add a touch of supernatural hokum, some surprisingly inventive death scenes, a whole lot of messing around doing nothing, the most pointless random car drive scene in movie history, a cat which has more screen time than half the cast yet has no reason to be involved in the film, and enjoy - but not that much because it drags after an hour or so.
The Mansion. The Gathering. The Evil... Her Destiny.
Vomitron_G29 July 2010
The first time I ever saw this one, I must have been barely in my mid-teens. And I didn't like it very much (hey, I preferred my horror filled with slimy monsters and lots of blood & gore back then). But some things about this movie stuck with me over the years (especially the infamous 'tracheatomy-scene' did, amongst other things). And I just knew that was a good thing. So you could say I was ready for a more "mature viewing" of this movie. And yes, it's actually pretty good! I didn't mind it was a bit slow during the first half, because it builds up a good atmosphere wrapped in a fine mystery. Some people in their user-comments called it a "haunted house movie", but that couldn't possibly be further from the truth, as far as I'm concerned. It's a film about the supernatural, yes, but the only 'haunted house'-related thing it does have, is indeed one big, creepy looking mansion on an isolated location on UK grounds. Margaret Walsh (played by a beautiful looking Katharine Ross) is summoned to the UK for an architect-assignment. Her friend Pete (Sam Elliot) accompanies her. Circumstances lead her to the aforementioned mansion, where she is obliged to stay the weekend. Then 5 other guests arrive and they all seem to know why they are there, but Margaret doesn't. It's up to her and Pete to find out, because it doesn't take long before the guests start dying one by one. And something inside the mansion isn't willing to let her go... That's really all you need to know before going into this movie. The death-scenes aren't particularly gory, but they were sort of original at the time (1978), and there's even a catch to them... Very happy I did finally re-watch this film, as I seem to have slightly misjudged it in my teen-days.
Loved the book
stuartdonna3615 June 2011
This movie doesn't seem to compare to the horror movies of today but I remember really liking this film when it came out. It may have been considered much better back when the film was released. I had read the book first when it came out before seeing the film and thought it was fantastic. I found it to be a great story and played very well in my mind. Though most seem to have a complaint about the special effects/ cheesiness of the film. I think they fair well in the time frame that the movie was made, plus to this day the swimming pool scene still gives me a chill. If the special effects don't work for you try reading the book and see if your imagination doesn't bring this story to life for you. I gave it an 7 because I felt it was a good solid movie and that is what I would have rated it back in 1978.
Katherine & Sam go to the devil
macabro35727 September 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Another of Universal's recent 70s DVD horror releases, this one's about a woman (Katherine Ross) who goes to England with her cynical boyfriend (Sam Elliott) to take on an interior decorating assignment. On a motorcycle ride out in the countryside, they're 'accidentally' run off the road by Jason Mountolive and are invited to stay at his castle while repairs are done to their motorbike.
Once they get there, they encounter other strange guests including Roger Daltrey as a rock star and a creepy German industrialist (played by Charles Gray). Daltrey later dies from choking on a chicken bone while Gray dies after being burned by a fire. His pile of burnt remains are then scooped up by one of the house staff and fed to the dogs. Cool.
As the rest of the other guest die off through horrible ends designed to look like accidents, it slowly dawns on Ross that she is the chosen one to inherit the not-so-normal Mountolive's legacy.
I thought this one was entertaining with an intriguing plot that had me wondering what was going to happen next. Lots of excellent overhead shots and crane work add to the beautiful view of the castle where they filmed it.
More good English locations also add to the atmosphere.
If your not too demanding about horror films from the 70s, then you might like this one. I thought it was entertaining enough.
7 out of 10
Once they get there, they encounter other strange guests including Roger Daltrey as a rock star and a creepy German industrialist (played by Charles Gray). Daltrey later dies from choking on a chicken bone while Gray dies after being burned by a fire. His pile of burnt remains are then scooped up by one of the house staff and fed to the dogs. Cool.
As the rest of the other guest die off through horrible ends designed to look like accidents, it slowly dawns on Ross that she is the chosen one to inherit the not-so-normal Mountolive's legacy.
I thought this one was entertaining with an intriguing plot that had me wondering what was going to happen next. Lots of excellent overhead shots and crane work add to the beautiful view of the castle where they filmed it.
More good English locations also add to the atmosphere.
If your not too demanding about horror films from the 70s, then you might like this one. I thought it was entertaining enough.
7 out of 10
Underrated chiller
kira02bit25 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
American Interior decorator Katharine Ross and architect boyfriend Sam Elliott are commissioned for a job in England. While touring the beautiful English countryside, they are in a traffic accident with a limo containing filthy rich John Standing, who insists that the banged up couple experience his hospitality at his grand manor while their motorcycle is being repaired. Once there, the two are joined by an array of flamboyant guests, who all seem to owe some kind of allegiance to Standing, who Ross is puzzled to hear mentioned is bedridden and at death's door. Apparently called forth to receive some kind of death bed bequests, the guests die grisly deaths one by one, as attempts to escape from the manor grounds are frustrated at every turn.
Released back in the late 1970s, The Legacy was a modest box office success despite some rather lackluster reviews, but few people seemingly remember it. It is hard to understand any ill will towards it. The story is a twist on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with some supernatural elements added to good effect. This story has been used often throughout cinema history for good reason - because it is effective and solid. The death scenes are memorably grisly without the stomach-turning pretensions of the modern day torture porn proliferating the screen since the success of Saw.
Director Richard Marquand has a decent command of atmosphere and his actors, and captures the beautiful English countryside in all its glory. The film moves along at a brisk clip. He establishes a respectable modicum of tension and provides enough of a showcase for some of the suspense sequences to wrap the viewer up in the story. The sequences with the woman trapped beneath the surface of a pool and a wayward fireplace log that causes a rather shocking demise are suitably memorable. I also like the sequence where Ross and Elliott launch an escape attempt only to find every single road leading them in circles back to the mansion.
The cast is strong and appealing. English veterans like Standing, Charles Gray, and Hildegarde Neil are well cast. As is Margaret Tyzack as an enigmatic caregiver who seems to have some sort of symbiotic relationship with the manor's sinister cat. Roger Daltrey is on hand in an attention-getting glorified cameo as one of the ill-fated guests.
Ross and Elliott are both immensely appealing and sympathetic as the trapped fish-out-of-water Americans. Ross does a credible job of rendering her character's mounting panic palpable, which she moves nicely to frustration and then ultimately acceptance of the predicament. Elliott is really not an essential character plot-wise, but he shares tremendous chemistry with Ross and provides a note of likable stability among the more eccentric house guests. Plus one is never quite sure where he will ultimately fit in the final denouement.
If any real criticisms can be leveled at the film, it would be predictability. It is not really a shock who the last person standing is and it is something we have suspected all along - indeed the film does not do much to keep it a secret. Yet to say that this robs the film of suspense would be erroneous as the viewing journey to get from point A to B is largely entertaining. By contrast, I think this traditional (albeit predictable) rendering of the material is far more suspenseful and enjoyable then the more recent modern rendering found in Identity, where an overly ambitious mid-plot twist finds the suspense petering out like a deflating tire.
I would heartily recommend this to fans of thrillers, mysteries or genre films without any compunction. Ironically, I have found that older viewers seem to have a higher appreciation of it than younger ones, perhaps due to its more traditional trappings.
Released back in the late 1970s, The Legacy was a modest box office success despite some rather lackluster reviews, but few people seemingly remember it. It is hard to understand any ill will towards it. The story is a twist on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with some supernatural elements added to good effect. This story has been used often throughout cinema history for good reason - because it is effective and solid. The death scenes are memorably grisly without the stomach-turning pretensions of the modern day torture porn proliferating the screen since the success of Saw.
Director Richard Marquand has a decent command of atmosphere and his actors, and captures the beautiful English countryside in all its glory. The film moves along at a brisk clip. He establishes a respectable modicum of tension and provides enough of a showcase for some of the suspense sequences to wrap the viewer up in the story. The sequences with the woman trapped beneath the surface of a pool and a wayward fireplace log that causes a rather shocking demise are suitably memorable. I also like the sequence where Ross and Elliott launch an escape attempt only to find every single road leading them in circles back to the mansion.
The cast is strong and appealing. English veterans like Standing, Charles Gray, and Hildegarde Neil are well cast. As is Margaret Tyzack as an enigmatic caregiver who seems to have some sort of symbiotic relationship with the manor's sinister cat. Roger Daltrey is on hand in an attention-getting glorified cameo as one of the ill-fated guests.
Ross and Elliott are both immensely appealing and sympathetic as the trapped fish-out-of-water Americans. Ross does a credible job of rendering her character's mounting panic palpable, which she moves nicely to frustration and then ultimately acceptance of the predicament. Elliott is really not an essential character plot-wise, but he shares tremendous chemistry with Ross and provides a note of likable stability among the more eccentric house guests. Plus one is never quite sure where he will ultimately fit in the final denouement.
If any real criticisms can be leveled at the film, it would be predictability. It is not really a shock who the last person standing is and it is something we have suspected all along - indeed the film does not do much to keep it a secret. Yet to say that this robs the film of suspense would be erroneous as the viewing journey to get from point A to B is largely entertaining. By contrast, I think this traditional (albeit predictable) rendering of the material is far more suspenseful and enjoyable then the more recent modern rendering found in Identity, where an overly ambitious mid-plot twist finds the suspense petering out like a deflating tire.
I would heartily recommend this to fans of thrillers, mysteries or genre films without any compunction. Ironically, I have found that older viewers seem to have a higher appreciation of it than younger ones, perhaps due to its more traditional trappings.
An unholy (no pun intended) mess
Jimmy-12811 February 2000
The Legacy suffers from a crisis of identity. On the one hand, it's a horror movie, with the requisite supernatural elements and inexplicable occurrences. On the other hand, it's a mystery in the cozy, Agatha Christie style, set in a large Victorian mansion in the English countryside, with corpses turning up left and right.
Of course, there's no law against blending genres. To do so successfully, however, takes a defter hand than is evident here. The result is an incoherent mess that leaves the viewer feeling cheated. The actors do their collective best, but this one's beyond help.
Of course, there's no law against blending genres. To do so successfully, however, takes a defter hand than is evident here. The result is an incoherent mess that leaves the viewer feeling cheated. The actors do their collective best, but this one's beyond help.
Fairly classy underrated thriller
mnpollio18 October 2008
Interior decorator Katharine Ross and boyfriend Sam Elliot are offered a plum assignment in England. When they are run off the road by an enigmatic millionaire, he invites them to stay at his family castle while their motorcycle is repaired...and then the fun begins. The film can be taken as either a straight horror film or an Agatha Christie-style supernatural mystery. There is not much in the way of genuine surprises, but it is interesting figuring out which of the guests at the English estate will be the next to go and how. Ross and Elliot play their roles believably as a suitably bewildered American couple, who cannot understand how they got stuck in this predicament and how the heck to get out of it. The cast is made up of solid, familiar British actors and the cinematography lends a polish that helps this film rise above the usual dreck in this genre. While not edge-of-your-seat, the film moves along briskly and there is just enough gruesomeness to add to the atmosphere. Aside from the leads, Margaret Tyzack is particularly effective as a sinister nurse. Richard Marquand's direction is above-average and he deftly showcases the English countryside, the stately manor and Sam Elliot's birthday suit (THANK YOU, RICHARD!) with equal aplomb.
Cool story, silly execution. Shows how important a good soundtrack is
Maciste_Brother27 February 2007
I finally saw THE LEGACY on DVD, after looking for it for ages. Though I'm a fan of horror and know most of every horror film made out there, for some reason, this one always eluded me. Well, the final result is a mixed bag. The horror elements are not really creepy or memorable. In fact, some of the killings are quite silly (for instance, the guy who is burned alive...). There's almost no creepy feel to it, due mainly to the super slick look of the film, which, by today standards, looks more like a high budget TV movie than anything else. Because there's so little violence or gore, and because there's almost no nudity or sex (except for Sam Elliot's famous nude scene), I wonder why THE LEGACY was even rated R. Without Elliot's nude scene, this would be rated PG-13 today. So, even though I was expecting a horror film, I was unimpressed by the final result.
With that said, I have to say that the story is actually great and is ripe for a proper all out Gothic remake. This story is filled with so much potential for amazing horror moments and elements that the lackluster finish product makes it look even worse than it actually because it is so uninspired. The film can be summarized in a few words: yuppies taking over (a very 1970s concept if there ever was one).
Finally, the music for THE LEGACY is point blank awful. It is, by far, the worst soundtrack I've ever heard for a horror film/thriller. No Goblin soundtrack here or expansive Jerry Goldsmith score. Instead, we have the crappiest "music" that doesn't even try to create tension or any mood aside from treacly upbeatness. It's shows how important an effective soundtrack is in creating that unique feel for horror story. And it's yet another reason why this story should be remade, so the cool story can reach its full potential for mind-blowing horror.
With that said, I have to say that the story is actually great and is ripe for a proper all out Gothic remake. This story is filled with so much potential for amazing horror moments and elements that the lackluster finish product makes it look even worse than it actually because it is so uninspired. The film can be summarized in a few words: yuppies taking over (a very 1970s concept if there ever was one).
Finally, the music for THE LEGACY is point blank awful. It is, by far, the worst soundtrack I've ever heard for a horror film/thriller. No Goblin soundtrack here or expansive Jerry Goldsmith score. Instead, we have the crappiest "music" that doesn't even try to create tension or any mood aside from treacly upbeatness. It's shows how important an effective soundtrack is in creating that unique feel for horror story. And it's yet another reason why this story should be remade, so the cool story can reach its full potential for mind-blowing horror.
A decent haunted house horror that I really rather liked.
poolandrews22 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The film opens in Los Angeles. Margaret Walsh (Katherine Ross) is talking on the phone, making sure a cheque for $50,000 from a British company called 'Wigans and Trumble development' has cleared. She discusses it with her boyfriend Pete Danner (Sam Elliott), it appears that the company has hired Margaret who is an architect but hasn't told her exactly what for. Margaret has been told to travel to England and asks Pete to go with her, to which he agrees. After one of the worst songs I've ever heard during the opening credits, 'Another Side of Me' by Kiki Dee, Pete and Margaret are involved in an accident on a stretch of road in the middle of the English countryside with a Rolls-Royce because Pete was riding his motorbike on the wrong side. The both end up lying by the side of the road, their bike is badly damaged but they both walk away unharmed. The Rolls-Royce belongs to Jason Mountolive (John Standing) who along with his chauffeur Harry (Ian Hogg) makes sure Pete and Margaret are OK and sorts out a mechanic to repair Pete's motorbike. Jason also asks's Pete and Margaret to his house for tea. They feel they have little else to do and accept Jason's invitation. Jason's house turns out to be a majestic large country house. He invites them in and are greeted by a Nurse Adams (Margaret Tyzack) who strangely seems to be expecting them. More people arrive, Jacques Grandier (Lee Montague), Karl Liebnecht (Charles Gray, better known as Blofeld from Diamonds are Forever (1971)), Clive Jackson (Roger Daltrey, yes the lead singer from 'The Who'), Barbara Kirstenburg (Hildegarde Neil) and Maria Gabrieli (Marianne Broome). Each guest wears a ring, the same ring that Margaret wears and cannot seem to remove however hard she tries. Both Pete and Margaret become suspicious and start to think that something strange might be going on. After one of the guests mysteriously dies and other odd occurrences happen Pete and Margaret decide they should leave. All their attempts to do so end in failure and accept that they aren't going anywhere for the time being. Pete and Margaret's happiness is shattered as some sort of evil force begins to influence and control Margaret's life. More guests start to die in mysterious 'accidents' and Margaret starts to discover that her presence there is no coincidence. Margaret begins to search for the truth about why she is really there and who the now bed-ridden and incredibly ill Jason Mountolive actually is and what he wants. Eventually she finds the answers to the source of the evil power within the house and discovers her own 'Legacy'! Directed by Richard Marquand I actually really rather liked this haunted house horror film. Most people will probably be put off by the slow paced script by Jimmy Sangster, Patrick Tilley and Paul Wheeler which to be fair could have been a little tighter and less ponderous. But for me it didn't have long boring stretches of irrelevant dialogue or character development that nobody wants or needs, the majority of the script is relevant to the story and in a film like this we need to care at least on a basic level about the people involved. The twists and turns are revealed gradually, although not completely to my satisfaction and a few things could have been elaborated on a little bit more. The film managed to keep my interest throughout and I liked the overall story and where it went, even if the last couple of minutes didn't make a whole lot of sense and felt somewhat rushed and unfinished. The English country side and Stately house looks gorgeous, and with two extremely experienced cinematographers listed, Dick Bush and Alan Hume it should do. The production design by Disley Jones is top-notch too. We get shots of blood dripping down from an elaborately decorated ceiling into a wineglass, a point-of-view shot from inside a shower head, some nice underwater photography and generally speaking the film has a nice clean, crisp and impressive visual quality about it, much better than I was expecting anyway as is the whole film. There's not much in the way of blood or gore, a burnt corpse, an on-the-spot tracheostomy using a kitchen knife and someone is impaled in flying shards of glass from a broken mirror. The acting is OK, except Roger Daltrey who is simply awful and embarrassingly overacts for his death scene. It has faults to be sure and it isn't a masterpiece by any means, but for what it was I really liked it. Much more than I thought I would, worth watching but some may find it a little slow and somewhat silly.
The Legacy: Baffling nonsense
Platypuschow21 June 2018
The Legacy was a pick and mix movie so I went in with zero expectations but was happy to see Sam Elliot.
It tells the story of a couple of Americans who travel to England for work. While travelling through a small village they are involved in a traffic accident and are welcomed into the mansion of a nearby gentleman. But not everything is as it seems (Is it ever?).
The plot is baffling, don't get me wrong I fully understand it I just deem it an absolute mess.
The cast are on point, the whole movie looks great and I found myself wanting to like the film and hoping it would turn itself around. Alas it did not and when the credits rolled I was more than a little dissapointed.
The Legacy is not without merits, but it should have been better as it had all the tools at its disposal for greatness.
The Good:
Cast are fantastic especially Sam Elliot
Cats <3
Looks great
The Bad:
Deeply baffling plot
Doesn't exactly flow
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
It takes seconds to become an expert crossbow wielder
Logical plots are overrated
It tells the story of a couple of Americans who travel to England for work. While travelling through a small village they are involved in a traffic accident and are welcomed into the mansion of a nearby gentleman. But not everything is as it seems (Is it ever?).
The plot is baffling, don't get me wrong I fully understand it I just deem it an absolute mess.
The cast are on point, the whole movie looks great and I found myself wanting to like the film and hoping it would turn itself around. Alas it did not and when the credits rolled I was more than a little dissapointed.
The Legacy is not without merits, but it should have been better as it had all the tools at its disposal for greatness.
The Good:
Cast are fantastic especially Sam Elliot
Cats <3
Looks great
The Bad:
Deeply baffling plot
Doesn't exactly flow
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
It takes seconds to become an expert crossbow wielder
Logical plots are overrated
A Fun horror from the 70's
Sleepin_Dragon1 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoy this film very very much. As a teen I can remember this being on constantly on BBC2 Friday nights. By today's standards of course it's tame as a horror, but look beyond that and it's actually a really clever, very well acted movie. The story itself is very dark, any film that involved the Devil would be. I love the village scenes, when Maggie and Pete try to escape in the car but are trapped and always end up back at the house, it's so clever. Elements of And then there were none, as one by one the gathered guests start to die. I can remember having a few bad dreams about the mirror scene (I was only about 9 or 10.) I particularly liked Katherine Ross, there was a soft sincerity about her, I also really liked Margaret Tyzack's cat nurse. 8/10 it's a very good film, it creaks in parts, but on the whole it ticks the boxes well.
One of the Best "Happy Endings" Ever Filmed!
bragant23 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
THE LEGACY is a film with many, many flaws - not the least of which are a weak and clueless protagonist with less screen time than the male lead (always a mistake in this kind of film), uneven pacing and and a script containing plot holes so large that one can drive a lorry right through them! That said, director Richard Marquand indeed accomplishes what he sets out to do - create a genre-bending mix of country-house-mystery, gorefest and BBC-family-melodrama which zooms along so quickly one hardly notices the flaws on the first go-round because one is too busy being entertained! Katharine Ross stars as "Maggie Walsh," a sweet California decorator summoned to rural England - ostensibly to take a decorating job for which she has already been paid in full (to her own surprise) a rather large sum. Accompanied by her Significant Other, Pete (played with classic Marlboro-Man machismo by the hirsute and callipygous Sam Eliott), Maggie duly heads off to the UK, only to become involved in a road accident which totals Pete's motorcycle and leaves them stranded at Ravenhurst, the remote manor of the other party to the mishap, elegant landowner Jason Mountolive (played with superb menace by John Standing). The American couple are very surprised when they arrive at Mountolive's house only to find a room already prepared for them by Mountolive's combination housekeeper/home health aide/shapeshifting familiar Nurse Adams - as if they were expected guests rather than accidental pick-ups. A quick test of their new Jacobean 4-poster canopy bed perks up Maggie & Pete's tense mood until other guests start arriving - all of whom appear to have been expecting Maggie's presence in their midst, which only increases Pete's suspicion of these smooth Europeans. Mountolive does not appear for dinner, and the other guests express great surprise to learn that their reclusive and deathly ill host has in fact met Maggie in person already. Suddenly, one of Mountolive's guests dies horribly. The shock loosens tongues and Maggie learns from conversing with the other guests that all of them are beholden to Jason in one way or another for their worldly success, that he is dying, and the time has come for a new heir or heirs. Eventually, Maggie is summoned to Jason's rooms for a private audience. Approaching the sick man's veiled bedside, Maggie is scared out of her wits when she is grasped by a wizened, clawed hand which forces a signet-ring onto her finger. After she realizes that the ring cannot be taken off, Maggie listens to her suspicious boyfriend and agrees to leave, only to find that they are somehow unable to do so - no matter which road they take, the path always doubles back to return them to Jason's mansion, but Maggie is getting caught up in the spirit of things now, so only Pete seems to mind that they are trapped on the estate. Soon, more deaths occur among the guests as part of the selection process, and in due course of time, Maggie learns that she is in fact the reincarnation of Jason Mountolive's mother - a witch and Satanist named Lady Margaret Walsingham who was burnt at the stake hundreds of years earlier. Jason himself is the designee of his mother's legacy - a legacy not just of wealth and property, but of witchcraft and Satanism - and must be at least 350 years old. Finally dying, he must transmit the legacy to a new generation...After the last bit of human competition is removed via yet another strange death, Maggie chooses to accept her destiny and mind-meld with the dying Jason, embracing her heritage of horror and Satanism and becoming the new "Lady Margaret," mistress of the Ravenhurst estate and all it represents. Pete survives and accepts his new role as Lady Margaret's consort, allowing her to slip an unremovable signet-ring onto his finger in the final moments of the film. Now Maggie has everything - money, land, position, title, her preferred mate and Satanic powers - and one can only imagine what she'll get up to! Of course, none of this makes much sense, but it is directed with such panache that somehow one doesn't mind. Script flaws are legion and far too much time is spent on the Sam Eliott character but the visuals are rich and atmospheric - the Jacobean country-house setting is especially appropriate - and so suggestive that they almost make up for the disjointed script and senseless plot. Scenes like Jason giving Maggie the ring, the attempted escape, and anything involving Nurse Adams keep the whole thing going. Amusingly, Pete's Marlboro-Man-Machismo winds up being completely ineffectual in the face of aristocratic European witchcraft - the final scene where an enraged Pete destroys Jason's bedchamber in a vain attempt to save Maggie from a fate she herself now freely accepts is a perfect lesson in the limitations of brute force as a means of problem-solving. There is something very satisfying about a movie in which the "Rambo" antics of the Typically-Macho-American-male lead are treated as the harmless play of a child and the character is shown as a buffoon rather than a role model, and it is doubly satisfying because this is a movie in which the female lead actually accepts a new life as Satan's disciple and not only survives, but gets everything she wants as well. It's one of the most unusual "happy endings" ever scripted - and one of the most enjoyable! Don't expect plausibility or a coherent plot from this one - just enjoy the creepy atmosphere, fine acting, and striking images on a cold rainy night and you'll have a very pleasant evening of thrills and chills. An extremely entertaining film that practically cries out to be remade...soon...Enjoy!
A promising idea becomes muddled.
dinky-41 April 1999
The original screenplay, ("The Devil's Doorway"), showed promise but re-writes apparently turned this into one of those muddles which has no clear point or purpose other than to string together a few creepy scenes in the hope an audience will "buy" it. Things start to go wrong in the very first reel when Katherine Ross and Sam Elliott arrive in England where Ross has a job waiting for her. They're involved in a road accident and get a lift from a man who turns out to be the reason for their coming to England. Is this a coincidence? If so, it boggles the mind. If it isn't a coincidence, then what is it? The movie never explains because, hey, it's a movie, and it's not supposed to make any sense. Note how leading lady Katharine Ross is overdressed throughout in floor-length skirts and long-sleeved blouses whereas leading man Sam Elliott quickly and completely strips down for a rear-view nude scene -- buns by Michelangelo! -- in which he's shown walking into a bathroom and climbing into a shower. There's no plot purpose for this blatant display of male skin and one suspects someone on the film-making staff simply decided that as long as one has a hot, hairy hunk like Sam Elliott in one's employ, why not tell him to take off all his clothes? For the sake of art, of course. (I'll bet no one missed being on the set the day Sam let it all hang out!)
I ain"t gonna work for Maggie's farm no more.
dbdumonteil7 April 2008
Based,as users have pointed out ,on the "and then there were none "aka "ten little Indians" aka "Ten little n...." model which had already begun to be thread-bare at the time (although "mindhunters" recently used it relatively smartly), "the legacy" was mainly a Katherine Ross vehicle ,whose hair is really beautiful.The rest of the cast is faceless,although they hired Roger Daltrey to attract the rock audience:he has five or six lines to say.
"They have all done something wrong in their life and they have not been punished" discovers the heroine,in the grand Christie tradition.this is not only a thriller,it's also a horror flick with some gory scenes .The mixture is stodgy .The ending does not make any sense .
"Nothing works in this f.... country!" yells the hero after a hot shower and a drive in the English country.
"They have all done something wrong in their life and they have not been punished" discovers the heroine,in the grand Christie tradition.this is not only a thriller,it's also a horror flick with some gory scenes .The mixture is stodgy .The ending does not make any sense .
"Nothing works in this f.... country!" yells the hero after a hot shower and a drive in the English country.
Beware of mansions where there is a classic portrait that looks just like you.
mark.waltz16 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I could definitely see this being done with a "Downton Abbey" like atmosphere, showing a classic view of an old-school wealthy family, then the sudden loss of one of the most beloved members, and years from then the presence of a look-alike showing up by accident, somehow destined to be there, but unaware as of why. Such seems to be the case for tourist Katharine Ross who along with her boyfriend Sam Elliott is injured in a motorcycle accident, picked up and brought to a huge country estates for a rest and a cup of tea while the motorcycle is fixed. A group of seemingly unrelated strangers show up, and one by one, they are brutaly killed. The only one who seems to have any connection to what is going on is the polite but dour nurse (the great Margaret Tyzack) who reminded me of Billie Whitelaw in "The Omen".
Bodies are burnt beyond recognition and fed to the dogs, mirrors suddenly break which causes shards of glass to fly at its victim, another guest chokes and 1one drowns. For the most part, this film is not gory, and even with the end, it's up to the viewer to make up their mind as to what exactly has going on and why. Of the featured cast, Charles Gray was the most familiar to me, and he is as regal and commanding as ever. I loved the pacing. It was slow-moving but to the point, and there was enough of the mystery to keep me intrigued. Each of the houseguests have a unique personality, although at the end, I really wondered what the purpose of them being there was to the outcome of the story.
Nevertheless, this is a very well done supernatural horror thriller coming out from success of "Rosemary's Baby" a decade before and "The Omen" just two years before. There were a dozen or so similar films done for TV, but this one has a touch of class and isn't at all unintentionally funny or deliberately campy. Ross and Elliott are very similar to the couple played by Karen Black and Oliver Reed in "Burnt Offerings" which in retrospect is both deliberately campy and unintentionally funny. Tyzack, fresh from playing the regal Antonia in the BBC miniseries "I Claudius", definitely has a sparkle, and her quiet presence is an additional touch of class. In spite of all the great things, I didn't feel frightened or shocked, and watching it late in the evening, didn't fear nightmares coming from it. Had that been my feeling, I would have ranked this a bit higher.
Bodies are burnt beyond recognition and fed to the dogs, mirrors suddenly break which causes shards of glass to fly at its victim, another guest chokes and 1one drowns. For the most part, this film is not gory, and even with the end, it's up to the viewer to make up their mind as to what exactly has going on and why. Of the featured cast, Charles Gray was the most familiar to me, and he is as regal and commanding as ever. I loved the pacing. It was slow-moving but to the point, and there was enough of the mystery to keep me intrigued. Each of the houseguests have a unique personality, although at the end, I really wondered what the purpose of them being there was to the outcome of the story.
Nevertheless, this is a very well done supernatural horror thriller coming out from success of "Rosemary's Baby" a decade before and "The Omen" just two years before. There were a dozen or so similar films done for TV, but this one has a touch of class and isn't at all unintentionally funny or deliberately campy. Ross and Elliott are very similar to the couple played by Karen Black and Oliver Reed in "Burnt Offerings" which in retrospect is both deliberately campy and unintentionally funny. Tyzack, fresh from playing the regal Antonia in the BBC miniseries "I Claudius", definitely has a sparkle, and her quiet presence is an additional touch of class. In spite of all the great things, I didn't feel frightened or shocked, and watching it late in the evening, didn't fear nightmares coming from it. Had that been my feeling, I would have ranked this a bit higher.
Rides the coat-tails of The Omen and Suspiria, but still reasonably fun.
BA_Harrison25 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Attractive young American architect Margaret Walsh (Katharine Ross) is given an advance cheque for $50,000 for a job in London. Together with her boyfriend Pete (Sam Elliot, looking a whole lot like a '70s porn-star), she travels to England several days early to enjoy the countryside, where the couple's motorbike is involved in a near collision with the limousine of millionaire Jason Mountolive (John Standing). The couple are invited to stay at Jason's luxurious mansion while their vehicle is being repaired; there, they are joined by five other guests, who, one-by-one, meet gruesome supernatural fates.
Occult horror was all the rage in the '70s and director Richard Marquand's The Legacy can clearly be seen to be jumping on the bandwagon, taking obvious inspiration from films such as The Omen and Suspiria, with a collection of creatively mounted death scenes being its major selling point ('cos logic sure isn't!). The inventive demises include a swimmer trapped under the surface of a pool, The Who's Roger Daltrey having a messy and fatal tracheotomy after choking on a bone, Charles Gray being incinerated and fed to some dogs, and a woman impaled by flying shards of mirror glass.
After these elaborate death scenes, lots of comparatively mundane old, dark house nonsense, and some not particularly exciting action, it is eventually revealed that Margaret is to inherit the fatally ill Mountolive's legacy, an unlimited Satanic power that she is finally willing to accept. Her boyfriend Pete appears to have quickly come to terms with the situation as well, the film ending with the happy couple discussing what to do with their newfound demonic potential, fabulous wealth and team of loyal acolytes.
Occult horror was all the rage in the '70s and director Richard Marquand's The Legacy can clearly be seen to be jumping on the bandwagon, taking obvious inspiration from films such as The Omen and Suspiria, with a collection of creatively mounted death scenes being its major selling point ('cos logic sure isn't!). The inventive demises include a swimmer trapped under the surface of a pool, The Who's Roger Daltrey having a messy and fatal tracheotomy after choking on a bone, Charles Gray being incinerated and fed to some dogs, and a woman impaled by flying shards of mirror glass.
After these elaborate death scenes, lots of comparatively mundane old, dark house nonsense, and some not particularly exciting action, it is eventually revealed that Margaret is to inherit the fatally ill Mountolive's legacy, an unlimited Satanic power that she is finally willing to accept. Her boyfriend Pete appears to have quickly come to terms with the situation as well, the film ending with the happy couple discussing what to do with their newfound demonic potential, fabulous wealth and team of loyal acolytes.
Evil Rules Yeah
palcal211 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie once or twice on TV in the 90's on a late afternoon, and again a few years ago.
I like how in the end Pete just accepts the fact that Maggie now has satanic powers and (ho hum) they are going to live together happily ever after. La ti da, that happy go lucky 70's elevator music in the background at the end. Love that attitude. Your girlfriend has just been imbued with dark powers. Hooray, let's celebrate.
I wish more horror and or vampire movies would have happy endings like this where evil wins. Also the atmospheric English countryside scenes are kind of spooky, like when they are driving around and keep coming back to the same place. Kinda makes you pity the English for their bad weather.
I like how in the end Pete just accepts the fact that Maggie now has satanic powers and (ho hum) they are going to live together happily ever after. La ti da, that happy go lucky 70's elevator music in the background at the end. Love that attitude. Your girlfriend has just been imbued with dark powers. Hooray, let's celebrate.
I wish more horror and or vampire movies would have happy endings like this where evil wins. Also the atmospheric English countryside scenes are kind of spooky, like when they are driving around and keep coming back to the same place. Kinda makes you pity the English for their bad weather.
Nostalgic chills
GroovyDoom9 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
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".
Don't go there, Katharine
moviegoer_29 September 2004
A beautiful, young, American couple goes to England because of a mysterious business proposition and because the movie takes place there 'cause it's always gloomy and foggy and coldish and this is a supernatural thriller in a big house and finally because most couple in these derivative though sometimes enjoyable outings are a bit on the slow side. Anyway, they get there through a generic boosting an atrocious "this-is-the-incongruous-love-song-theme-get-use-to-it-it'll-come-back-throughout" and then the legacy unveil itself, literally.
Well, let's just say lovely Ross and tough Elliott fared better with their subsequent collaborations adapting Louis L'Amour stuff. I must say that after seeing that "Legacy" film, I'm a bit confused; I find myself wandering what the hell did they saw in that shallow script devoid of suspense, unexpectedness and more importantly of defined characters. One have to pay the rent (or the ranch) I suppose.
It's a real shame 'cause I'm one of these freaks who loved Mrs Ross' Stepford Wives so the possibility of seeing her in another fantastic/horror flick did thrilled me. And there is the result, a messy, badly acted, confused and sometimes laughable supernatural outing directed with laziness by the late and usually reliable Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle, The Return of the Jedi). The pit.
Well, let's just say lovely Ross and tough Elliott fared better with their subsequent collaborations adapting Louis L'Amour stuff. I must say that after seeing that "Legacy" film, I'm a bit confused; I find myself wandering what the hell did they saw in that shallow script devoid of suspense, unexpectedness and more importantly of defined characters. One have to pay the rent (or the ranch) I suppose.
It's a real shame 'cause I'm one of these freaks who loved Mrs Ross' Stepford Wives so the possibility of seeing her in another fantastic/horror flick did thrilled me. And there is the result, a messy, badly acted, confused and sometimes laughable supernatural outing directed with laziness by the late and usually reliable Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle, The Return of the Jedi). The pit.
Familiar but acceptable horror story
Leofwine_draca20 April 2016
THE LEGACY is no masterwork but as one of a string of haunted house flicks (including THE HAUNTING and LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE) it's an acceptable enough slice of horror. This one was a British film, written by Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster, featuring a couple of imported American leads and an Agatha Christie-style inheritance plot.
The story sees a group of characters trapped together in a creepy old house and assailed by weird events and violent deaths. In an eye on keeping up with modern trends, the death scenes are quite elaborate and gruesome, perhaps inspired by the likes of THE OMEN. In addition, there's a fair wealth of action too, with car chases thrown into the mix as various characters try to escape their predicament. It's an unusual concoction, but somehow it all hangs together, just about.
Katharine Ross (THE STEPFORD WIVES) and Sam Elliott star as the rather boring leads. The two would later go on to marry and indeed are still married, and it's clear they have an obvious charisma together. However, as is so often with these things, the supporting cast is more interesting than the leads. Roger Daltrey has a small but memorable turn, and Charles Gray is as sinister as ever. I did like John Standing's posh host too. Keeping things moving along is director Richard Marquand, who would later go on to helm RETURN OF THE JEDI.
The story sees a group of characters trapped together in a creepy old house and assailed by weird events and violent deaths. In an eye on keeping up with modern trends, the death scenes are quite elaborate and gruesome, perhaps inspired by the likes of THE OMEN. In addition, there's a fair wealth of action too, with car chases thrown into the mix as various characters try to escape their predicament. It's an unusual concoction, but somehow it all hangs together, just about.
Katharine Ross (THE STEPFORD WIVES) and Sam Elliott star as the rather boring leads. The two would later go on to marry and indeed are still married, and it's clear they have an obvious charisma together. However, as is so often with these things, the supporting cast is more interesting than the leads. Roger Daltrey has a small but memorable turn, and Charles Gray is as sinister as ever. I did like John Standing's posh host too. Keeping things moving along is director Richard Marquand, who would later go on to helm RETURN OF THE JEDI.
Duller than drinking afternoon-tea with a bunch of British grannies!
Coventry7 March 2007
The prominent British horror production studios like Hammer and Amicus sadly ceased to exist during the mid-70's, and this loss also seemed to have a negative impact on the creative skills of the contemporary writers. Jimmy Sangster, once the brilliant mind behind genre classics such as "Taste of Fear" and "The Curse of Frankenstein", now delivered the severely lackluster script of the umpteenth haunted-house thriller. "The Legacy" is an incredibly disappointing horror-effort: overlong, boring, implausible and almost entirely fright-free. Sangster regretfully reverts to all the dreadful genre-clichés (secrets in the attic, slamming doors, hidden rooms
) and he depicts his native country England like one gigantic stereotype where everyone stops their activities to drink tea and where people continue to talk with a sophisticated tone of voice even though they're pure evil. The star-power involved in this production was nevertheless promising. Rising American stars Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross are backed up by a solid supportive British cast including names like Ian Hogg and Charles Gray and "The Who" lead-singer Roger Daltrey appears in a limited guest role. Director Richard Marquand even moved on to making "Return of the Jedi" despite having soiled his name with this turkey! Pretty much NOTHING happens within the first hour, apart from the introduction of many bleak & uninteresting characters. Following a suspicious yet appealing job offer, young architect Maggie Walsh and her fiancé Pete travel to the remote British countryside. Whilst doing a sightseeing trip on the first day, their motorcycle is run over by the Rolls Royce of a fancy local millionaire who subsequently offers them both a cup of tea in his ridiculously large mansion. Other guests arrive at the mansion and it pretty soon becomes clear that Pete and Maggie aren't supposed to leave the place. Maggie gets involved in bizarrely occult ceremonies that are organized to arrange the Mountolive family legacy. The guests are killed off peculiarly whilst Maggie and Pete can't seem to escape the estate no matter what they try. Marquand surely tries hard to make his film look spooky! All the mansion's rooms look frigid, there's a bunch of angry-looking cats running around (or maybe just one that pops up everywhere even on the movie poster) and all the forsaken roads in the rural area lead back to the estate. It doesn't work, however, as "The Legacy" is an insufferable boring and predictable thriller. I'm still "rewarding" this film with a generous 3 out of 10 rating, only because the murder sequences are ingenious and remotely gory. There's a spontaneous combustion, one poor woman dies when a mirror explodes in her face and another bloke's shotgun backfires on him. Very cool deaths, accomplished with decent special effects, it's such a shame you have to struggle yourself through the boring scenes in between them.
Well-made supernatural version of crime classic
Sibelius186516 July 2001
An excellent little movie, though it might be wasted on anyone likely to get disappointed by 1970s special effects or confused by the intrusion of a plot. It's a well-made supernatural re-working of Agatha Christie's "And then there were None" (Originally "Ten Little Nigger Boys") and starts when the descendents of a 17th century witch gather at an English country house in the hope of receiving part of the family legacy. Instead, they get a dose of poetic justice delivered from beyond the grave. Don't expect to be scared out of your skin, just entertained for a while.
Haphazard supernatural thriller punctuated by violent death scenes
drownsoda9019 September 2015
"The Legacy," based on a novel of the same name, has Margaret Walsh (Katharine Ross) and her boyfriend Pete (Sam Elliott) taking a mysterious interior decorating job in England for $50,000. After arriving, the two go on a motorcycle trip across the countryside, and are run off the road by a billionaire in his Rolls Royce. Invited to his mansion for tea, the couple meet a series of other guests; industrialists, musicians, a prostitute— who are beholden to the dying owner of the estate. The couple find it impossible to leave the isolated house as each of the guests begin dying one by one.
This unusual supernatural thriller, upon synopsis, evokes rather high expectations— what we have here is essentially a Satanic retread of "Ten Little Indians," complete with a sprawling English castle and sinister cats galore. "Are you... involved in black magic?" asks Ross, point blank to the other house guests. The film definitely has its moments no doubt— a series of bizarre death scenes wiping out the guest list definitely call attention — but the supernatural elements that tie the narrative together remain fairly nebulous and nondescript.
The film does do a fantastic job at establishing a moody, drab atmosphere with the cloudy forest and forlorn aristocratic estate, especially when placed in contrast with the film's first five sunny minutes in Los Angeles. Overhead shots and some nice cinematography are on display here, but some of the film's key moments of tension are nearly destroyed by the hokey musical score. Other have said it, and I will say it as well: the score here is awful. Not that the music in and of itself is "bad," but it is frankly just inappropriate; key action scenes that should play out as moments of terror come across as scenes from an adventure comedy (Ross and Elliot's equine-come-car escape is a major example).
Performance-wise, we have Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott playing off each other well, and British veterans like Charles Gray and John Standing are appropriately sinister. Roger Daltrey also fittingly appears as a wealthy rock musician who is one of the weekend party guests.
Overall, "The Legacy" is a half-boiled supernatural thriller that suffers from two major pitfalls: the first being an indistinct script (a surprise given Hammer veteran Jimmy Sangster's repertoire), and the second being a disastrously ill-fitting score. That said, the film does succeed in reaping the sets of their Gothic atmosphere, and there are a handful of creative scenes scattered throughout, including some unexpectedly violent deaths. It is not a great film, but is worth viewing as a sort of time capsule of the era's genre pictures. 6/10.
This unusual supernatural thriller, upon synopsis, evokes rather high expectations— what we have here is essentially a Satanic retread of "Ten Little Indians," complete with a sprawling English castle and sinister cats galore. "Are you... involved in black magic?" asks Ross, point blank to the other house guests. The film definitely has its moments no doubt— a series of bizarre death scenes wiping out the guest list definitely call attention — but the supernatural elements that tie the narrative together remain fairly nebulous and nondescript.
The film does do a fantastic job at establishing a moody, drab atmosphere with the cloudy forest and forlorn aristocratic estate, especially when placed in contrast with the film's first five sunny minutes in Los Angeles. Overhead shots and some nice cinematography are on display here, but some of the film's key moments of tension are nearly destroyed by the hokey musical score. Other have said it, and I will say it as well: the score here is awful. Not that the music in and of itself is "bad," but it is frankly just inappropriate; key action scenes that should play out as moments of terror come across as scenes from an adventure comedy (Ross and Elliot's equine-come-car escape is a major example).
Performance-wise, we have Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott playing off each other well, and British veterans like Charles Gray and John Standing are appropriately sinister. Roger Daltrey also fittingly appears as a wealthy rock musician who is one of the weekend party guests.
Overall, "The Legacy" is a half-boiled supernatural thriller that suffers from two major pitfalls: the first being an indistinct script (a surprise given Hammer veteran Jimmy Sangster's repertoire), and the second being a disastrously ill-fitting score. That said, the film does succeed in reaping the sets of their Gothic atmosphere, and there are a handful of creative scenes scattered throughout, including some unexpectedly violent deaths. It is not a great film, but is worth viewing as a sort of time capsule of the era's genre pictures. 6/10.
Glum horror hodgepodge...
moonspinner559 February 2008
Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross play an American couple traveling through England where they are taken in by a mysterious millionaire who apparently heads up a devil's coven. The evil lurking at the mansion won't allow anyone to leave--and so we're all held prisoner together, watching the guests meet their 'imaginative' grisly fates. Fashionable nastiness, "Ten Little Indians" style, with director Richard Marquand showing no sympathy for his victims--nor giving viewers any genuine thrills to enjoy along the way. Marquand gets ridiculously showy with his camera tricks--even staging one shot through the nozzle in Elliott's shower stall! Lethargy settles in early, the talented leads are wasted, and the shocks are awfully slow in coming. *1/2 from ****
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