Il testamento

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.

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.

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'll start by saying, I'm a big fan of this film, and have enjoyed watching it many times over the years. As a teen I can remember this regularly being on The BBC late on a Friday night.

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.

It feels very Agatha Christie from the odd, and there are definitely elements of And then there were none, one by one the gathered guests start to die. Unfortunately the film doesn't have the claustrophobia that Agatha Christie had in abundance in her book.

It's looks stunning, that's the films biggest strength, the house looks incredible, Roger Daltrey's own place.

It isn't particularly scary, but it has its moments, 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.

It's a very decent film, it creaks in parts, but on the whole it ticks a lot of boxes, I just love the nostalgia.

8/10.

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.