SPOILERS AHEAD: I remember seeing this one when it came out
in theaters and being alternately amused and aggravated by its
hokey, convoluted plot, which seems to borrow themes from
several good sources dealing with black magic, the supernatural,
and even Agatha Christie (as there is a "Ten Little Indians" type
device in which the guests are mysteriously knocked-off one by
one). Unfortunately, it's not cobbled together very well. A couple of
the deaths are genuinely disturbing (imagine surfacing in a pool
to find yourself trapped underwater) but suffer from the lurid
supernatural yarn that underlies the proceedings. Some nice
visual touches, and attractive British country locations buoy this
one up a bit, but not before the whole thing sinks under its own
confused weight by the last reel. One noteworthy silver lining to
this dark cloud is provided by Sam Elliot who, in a rather cheeky
turn, saunters through a bathroom in his birthday suit (with, it must
be said, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of!). This film certainly
had potential, if it lacked focus. Katharine Ross and Sam Elliot
play likable enough, down-to-earth inheritors who (through sheer
stupidity) wind up stuck in this mire with a bunch of continental
kooks, played by the ever decadent Charles Gray, velvet-voiced
Hildegarde Neil, and other talents like Margaret Tyzack, Lee
Montague, and (an oddly placed) Roger Daltrey. Not a shabby set
of actors to be sure, but they're working with a ridiculous script.
See Ross in "The Stepford Wives" and Elliot in "Lifeguard" (better
vehicles from this era). Charles Gray, many will recall from the now
classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show". "The Legacy" is not
necessarily to be completely avoided (unless you are faced with
watching the heavily edited TV print -- the one with the inexplicably
expanded title, "The Legacy of Maggie Walsh"), but it's not at all to
be taken seriously either. Much as it wants to be.