The Legacy is a 1978 horror film directed by Richard Marquand , in his directorial debut , and starring Katharine Ross , Sam Elliott , Roger Daltrey , John Standing , and Margaret Tyzack . It follows an American couple who are summoned to a British mansion while visiting England for a work obligation, where they stumble upon its family's curse.
26-408: The Legacy may refer to: Film [ edit ] The Legacy (1978 film) , a horror film directed by Richard Marquand The Legacy (2009 film) , a drama film from Canada directed by Bernard Émond Literature [ edit ] The Legacy , an unpublished c. 1948 novel by Kingsley Amis The Legacy (Shute novel) ( A Town Like Alice ),
52-400: A 'depressing' horror film, stating “in place of invention it uses contrivance, and in place of imagination it uses shock”. Variety stated "The film, directed with no tension or suspenseful pacing...takes an eternity to get down to business". People magazine negatively compared it to The Exorcist . Dread Central wrote a mixed review for The Legacy , stating, "It’s hard to hate
78-497: A 1950 novel by Neville Shute The Legacy , a novelization of the 1978 film by John Coyne The Legacy , a 1981 novel by Howard Fast , the fourth installment in the Lavette Family series The Legacy , a 1987 novel by Lynda La Plante The Legacy (Forgotten Realms novel) , a 1992 book by R. A. Salvatore The Legacy , a 1994 novel by Linda Lael Miller The Legacy , a 1997 novel by Claire Rayner The Legacy ,
104-496: A 1998 novel by Stephen Frey The Legacy , a 2010 novel by Kirsten Tranter, nominated for the Miles Franklin Award Music [ edit ] The Legacy (album) , an album by Testament "The Legacy" (song) , a 2011 song by Black Veil Brides The Legacy (1961–2002) , a boxset covering four decades of recordings by Glen Campbell "The Legacy", a song by Testament on Souls of Black "The Legacy",
130-509: A 2014 Danish television drama Other uses [ edit ] Le Legs or The Legacy , a play by Pierre de Marivaux The Legacy (professional wrestling) , a former professional wrestling faction in World Wrestling Entertainment The Legacy (Lindenwood University) , a college newspaper The Legacy: Realm of Terror , a 1993 computer game "The Legacy", a secret society of paranormal investigators on
156-464: A fireplace that leaves the rest of the room untouched. A mirror in Barbara Kirstenburg's bedroom explodes, piercing her with glass shards, then restores itself without a crack. Jacques Grandier suspects Maggie and Pete of engineering these inexplicable deaths, and makes his way onto the roof with a shotgun. After taking a few shots at Pete, the weapon jams and explodes in his face, knocking him off
182-677: A large financial retainer from an anonymous client in Britain for an unspecified piece of work. They are reluctant to abandon their current client in California, but are released when that client dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Using their pre-paid airfare, they travel to England ; soon after, they are involved in a traffic collision with a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce . The passenger and owner, Jason Mountolive, invites them to his rambling country estate, Ravenhurst, where they are greeted by Nurse Adams. They find that Mountolive has also invited
208-456: A movie that spends most of its time being so off-the-wall ridiculous. The Legacy doesn’t remotely work in the way it was intended to but, despite a few dull stretches, there’s plenty of nonsense on display to enjoy." HorrorNews.net's review was also mixed, and praised Daltrey's acting and the film's settings, while criticizing the film's upbeat soundtrack and plot holes. Two years after its release, Sam Elliott gave an interview to Jerry Buck of
234-562: A new region-free limited edition Blu-ray through their Indicator series on 29 July 2019. The original music score was composed by Michael J. Lewis . The opening-credits theme song ("Another Side of Me") is performed by Kiki Dee . The Legacy movie poster was seen in Fade To Black (1980), and the video case is shown in the documentary Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005). Video clips of The Legacy were featured in season 3, episode 11 of
260-961: A song by Iron Maiden on A Matter of Life and Death "The Legacy", a single by Push Television [ edit ] Episodes [ edit ] "The Legacy", 7th Heaven season 3, episode 4 (1998) "The Legacy", Alfred Hitchcock Presents season 1, episode 45 (1956) "The Legacy", Allegiance episode 7 (2024) "The Legacy", Arliss season 3, episode 6 (1998) "The Legacy", Ben Hall episode 11 (1975) "The Legacy", Black Harbour season 2, episode 4 (1997) "The Legacy", Bonanza season 5, episode 11 (1963) "The Legacy", Delta House episode 1 (1979) "The Legacy", Dr. Christian season 1, episode 13 (1956) "The Legacy", Dr. Kildare season 2, episode 11 (1962) "The Legacy", Harrigan and Son episode 31 (1961) "The Legacy", Have Gun – Will Travel season 4, episode 13 (1960) "The Legacy", Knots Landing season 7, episode 25 (1986) "The Legacy", Little House on
286-577: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Legacy (1978 film) A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, The Legacy was released in the United Kingdom in September 1978, and one year later in the United States. Maggie Walsh and her boyfriend Pete Danner are interior decorators from Los Angeles . Maggie receives
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#1732892061182312-401: Is now "Lady Margaret". The household staff declares their allegiance to her. Maggie selects Pete as her first beneficiary. She gives him a signet ring which immediately attaches itself to his finger. Themes presented in the film include karma, and reincarnation. Jimmy Sangster originally wrote a supernatural script set in a run-down hospital in downtown Detroit. Much to his dismay, the script
338-649: The United Kingdom on 29 September 1978, before having its U.S. premiere approximately one year later, opening in New York City on 28 September 1979. It subsequently premiered in Los Angeles on 16 November 1979. The US theatrical cut has a 2-minute shorter runtime and some alternative shots. Audience reception was mixed, but most critics found the good aspects of the film overshadowed by its shortcomings. John Corry of The New York Times described The Legacy as
364-534: The Associated Press in which he said, "I wouldn't rush out to see it. It's about fifteen years behind its time." On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a rating of 19% from 16 reviews. Universal Studios released The Legacy on DVD in North America on 7 September 2004. Scream Factory released The Legacy a Blu-ray edition North America on 15 September 2015. British distributor Powerhouse Films released
390-490: The Prairie season 8, episode 14 (1982) "The Legacy", Los Americans episode 3 (2011) "The Legacy", Marcus Welby, M.D. season 1, episode 17 (1970) "The Legacy", Matlock season 7, episodes 3–4 (1992) "The Legacy", Mission: Impossible (1966) season 1, episode 15 (1967) "The Legacy", Mission: Impossible (1988) episode 5 (1988) "The Legacy", Monsters season 1, episode 7 (1988) "The Legacy", On
416-1383: The Rocks (American) episode 4 (1975) "The Legacy", Planet of the Apes episode 5 (1974) "The Legacy", Return to Lonesome Dove episode 3 (1993) "The Legacy", Stage 7 episode 3 (1955) "The Legacy", Tales of Wells Fargo season 3, episode 26 (1959) "The Legacy", The Campbells season 2, episode 22 (1989) "The Legacy", The Celts series 2, episode 6 (1987) "The Legacy", The Cheaters series 2, episode 6 (1961) "The Legacy", The Colbys season 2, episode 14 (1987) "The Legacy", The Dukes of Hazzard season 3, episode 13 (1981) "The Legacy", The High Chaparral season 3, episode 11 (1969) "The Legacy", The Immortal episode 4 (1970) "The Legacy", The Man from Blackhawk episode 12 (1959) "The Legacy", The Middle season 2, episode 19 (2011) "The Legacy", The Outsider episode 2 (1983) "The Legacy", The Real McCoys season 4, episode 20 (1960) "The Legacy", The Rebel season 2, episode 9 (1960) "The Legacy", The Waltons season 7, episode 20 (1979) "The Legacy", Versailles season 3, episode 10 (2018) "The Legacy", Whiplash episode 23 (1961) "The Legacy", Z-Cars series 7, episode 87 (1972) Series [ edit ] The Legacy (TV series) ,
442-588: The TV show Poltergeist: The Legacy See also [ edit ] Legacy (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Legacy . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Legacy&oldid=1239796777 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
468-408: The five potential heirs to his financial estate, all public figures with notorious reputations. The other guests explain that they have been summoned because Jason is dying, "wasting away" above the stairs. Maggie is astonished to hear this because Jason seemed vigorous just minutes earlier. Shortly afterward one of the guests, Maria Gabrieli, despite being an excellent swimmer, becomes trapped under
494-480: The other heirs to the Devil in order to pass on his sinister powers to her. He instructs her to choose six heirs of her own, who will likewise be sacrificed when the time comes so that the lone survivor will also inherit the powers bestowed by Satan . Pete forces his way into the room and tries to prevent the transfer of power by sabotaging Mountolive's life-support system. He is too late; Maggie has accepted her legacy and
520-464: The ring, but it cannot be taken from her finger. Maggie and Pete find they are unable to leave the Ravenhurst grounds. The other guests begin to die by mysterious and gruesome means. Clive Jackson gets a chicken bone lodged in his throat during dinner (although he was not eating chicken at the time) and perishes during a botched tracheotomy . Karl Liebnecht is incinerated by a massive burst of flame from
546-571: The roof to his death. Maggie and Pete find a collection of newspaper clippings. These reveal that each of their fellow guests had been accused of serious crimes or implicated in major scandals, yet always escaped punishment or censure thanks to Mountolive's intervention. Mountolive's ancestors were Lady Margaret Walsingham (whose portrait Maggie closely resembles) and the Lord of Mountolive; both families included notorious practitioners of black magic and witchcraft . Lady Margaret and her husband were burned at
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#1732892061182572-408: The show Sneak Previews (1979). John Coyne was asked to write a novelization in six weeks to promote the movie. Reviews unanimously prefer the novelization over the movie, and the book was briefly a best-seller. The Legacy is perhaps best remembered now for being the film where Hollywood couple Katharine Ross (Margaret Walsh) and Sam Elliott (Pete Danner) first met. During production, he
598-422: The stake for heresy . Maggie realises that she is Jason's great-granddaughter, and that the retainer was a ruse to lure her to Ravenhurst before Mountolive dies so he could appoint her as his sixth potential heir. As the last remaining heir to Mountolive's legacy, Maggie stands to inherit the vast Walsingham-Mountolive financial empire. She confronts Mountolive. With his last breath, he confesses that he sacrificed
624-540: The surface of Jason's indoor pool and drowns. Mountolive receives his guests in his bedroom, a sterile chrome and glass environment where he lies connected to a life support system. His bed is shrouded by white curtains that obscure his appearance. He calls Maggie to the bedside, where a monstrous hand reaches out of the curtains and places a signet ring on her finger with the Mountolive family crest upon it. The other guests already wear identical rings. Maggie tries to remove
650-1190: Was altered to more closely resemble other Hammer movies. Although keeping the American protagonists, events were manipulated to allow the story instead to take place in an English country estate featuring a collection of stereotypical butlers, chauffeurs and curtseying maids. The film had the working title The Devil’s Doorway , and was also known as Psychose , and The Legacy of Maggie Walsh . Considered for Karl were Harry Andrews , Peter Cushing , Bernard Archard , Herbert Lom , Donald Pleasence , Christopher Lee , Michael Gough , Anton Diffring , Peter Arne , Patrick Troughton , Peter Vaughn and Donald Houston . Considered for Grandier were Peter Arne , Frank Finlay , Peter Jeffrey , Joss Ackland , Ian Bannen , John Carson and Ian Hendry . Principal photography began on 16 January 1978 at Bray Studios in Berkshire , England, concluding on 23 March 1978. Other filming locations included Mountolive Manor House and Loseley Park in Guildford , Surrey. The Legacy premiered in
676-568: Was single, while she was married to the Italian-American actor Gaetano Lisi. Ross's marriage ended the following year and, eventually, the pair announced their romance to the public. They married in 1984. In fact, this wasn't the first film on which they had worked, as they both starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid several years previously. Ross was the leading lady in that film and
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