Das Haus des Satans

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.

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.

Enjoyed this film though I've seen this story before. Most of the acting was good, especially Elliott, Ross and Daltrey in a small role. Charles Gray though plays the same role in every part he plays and Hildegard Neil is criminally underused. In all a decent effort.

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.

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.