The Legacy (1978)

A millionaire, a million-dollar prostitute, a star-maker, a nation-killer, a woman whose lusts are as cold as graveyard snow...Five of the most powerful people in the world, and Maggie ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Patrick Tilley (screenplay)

Stars:

Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, John Standing

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Katharine Ross	...	Margaret Walsh
Sam Elliott	...	Pete Danner
John Standing	...	Jason Mountolive
Ian Hogg	...	Harry
Margaret Tyzack	...	Nurse Adams
Charles Gray	...	Karl Liebnecht
Lee Montague	...	Jacques Grandier
Hildegard Neil	...	Barbara Kirstenburg
Marianne Broome	...	Maria Gabrieli
William Abney	...	Butler
Patsy Smart	...	Cook
Mathias Kilroy	...	Stable Lad
Reg Harding	...	Gardener
Roger Daltrey	...	Clive Jackson

Storyline

A millionaire, a million-dollar prostitute, a star-maker, a nation-killer, a woman whose lusts are as cold as graveyard snow...Five of the most powerful people in the world, and Maggie makes six, gather in an ancient mansion to inherit a Legacy of bloodsome horror.

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Plot Keywords:

man in shower | male nudity | buttocks | barefoot man | horse riding | 

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Taglines:

Six came to claim it...

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Legacy of Maggie Walsh

Filming Locations:

Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

David Foster Productions, Pethurst Ltd., Turman-Foster Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Coyne was asked to write a novelization in six weeks to promote the movie, and Hollywood spent a lot of money to make it "briefly" a best seller.

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Goofs

When Sam Elliot's character takes a shower and breaks the glass door to avoid being burned with the hot water, his back gets hurt and bleeds, but when Katharine Ross's character comes into the bathroom, Sam's back is completely clean.

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Quotes

Karl Liebnecht: [Speaking to Marggie about the portrait of Margaret Walsingham] She vos dragged from ze haus unt burnt at ze stake on ze orters ov Elizabeth the Furst. She vos succeeded by her illegitimate dorter, who inherited all her velth, all her visdom unt all her POWER!

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Connections

Spoofs Red River (1948)

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Soundtracks

Another Side of Me
Sung by Kiki Dee
Music by Michael J. Lewis
Lyric by Gary Osborne

User Reviews

Cool story, silly execution. Shows how important a good soundtrack is

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.