Review: The Legacy

Blu-ray: The Legacy (1978)

Margaret Walsh (Katherine Ross) is mysteriously called across to the UK from her home in America on an undisclosed architect project. Accompanied by her partner Pete Danner (Sam Elliott), things begin to go awry from the moment they set foot in the UK.

A motorcycle accident finds them both \’rescued\’ by a seemingly helpful (and well spoken) stranger, who takes them to a large mansion to rest and recuperate while their transport is fixed at the local garage.

Five other people arrive at the mansion and it is not long before \’accidents\’ become ever more frequent, and ever more threatening to peoples lives.

Discovering that their motorcycle is far from being repaired, Margaret and Pete try to escape the mansion before they too are victims of whatever is happening there.

Unfortunately for them, forces are afoot that wants them to stay.

I remember watching The Legacy \’back in the day\’ on VHS and thinking that it was \’alright\’. My horror tastes back then were for the more bloodthirsty and gory side of the genre. However, on rewatching it many years later, I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more.

As well as the vastly improved picture quality and great special features, the narrative of The Legacy resonated with me a hell of a lot more than in my youth.

A slow burning 1st act gives time to connect with the characters and care for what happens to them. While the \’accidents\’ slowly intensify and leave you wondering who will be next and how/when will it happen.

Part supernatural thriller, part \’10 Little Indians\’, The Legacy is a mish mash of ideas that ultimately comes together as a satisfying whole and plays out like a bigger budget episode of \’Hammer House of Horror\’…which is no bad thing in my book.

If your still on the fence about buying this…you also get to see a young Sam Elliott naked and Roger Daltrey have an unexpected encounter with his food at the dinner table. Sold!

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Two presentations of the film: the US theatrical cut, presented in widescreen from a High Definition master (100 mins); the UK theatrical cut, presented open matte from a Standard Definition master
  (102 mins)
• Original stereo audio
• New and exclusive audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television
• An Editing Legacy (2015, 14 mins): award-winning editor and second unit director Anne V Coates recalls her work on the film
• The Make-up Effects of ‘The Legacy’(2015, 11 mins): Robin Grantham discusses his specialist make-up creations for the film
• Ashes and Crashes (2019, 4 mins): interview with second unit director Joe Marks
• An Extended Legacy (2019, 11 mins): an analysis of the differences between the US and UK cuts
• Between the Anvil and the Hammer(1973, 27 mins): The Legacy director Richard Marquand’s acclaimed documentary short film, made for the Central Office of Information, about the Liverpool police force
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Julian Upton, an archival location report, Jimmy Sangster on The Legacy, extracts from the novelisation, an overview of critical responses, an introduction to Between the Anvil and the Hammer, and film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies

The Legacy will be released on July 29th 2019.

Review by Dave from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.

If you want to buy anything reviewed on our site (or anything at all!), then please use the Amazon link provided and help support us with our website and podcast. Thank you.