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.