Psychose phase 3

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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.