The Legacy | The 1978 occult chiller gets a UK Blu-ray premiere

This 1978 British horror from Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand fuses that mystery staple, the old dark house – seen in many a classic, including James Whale’s 1932 whodunit and the long-running Agatha Christie play on London’s West End, The Mousetrap – with the in-vogue satanic frighteners of the day like The Omen and Race With the Devil.

Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott (who later married after meeting on the set) play an American couple who become reluctant guests at the English country mansion of a dying Satanist (John Standing) who believes Ross to be the reincarnation of an ancestor and next in line to head his powerful cult. But standing in her way are five house guests, who soon meet with spectacular deaths including drowning, burning, impaling and a botched tracheotomy.

The cast boasts some famous faces, including The Who’s Roger Daltrey, playing a music impresario – of course; Charles Gray (still my favourite Blofeld) as a weapons dealer; and West End actress Margaret Tyzack (who’d go on to play Bianca and Ricky’s gran in EastEnders) as a nurse who can turn herself into a white cat.

With its themes of reincarnation, possession and telekinesis, The Legacy – which was written by the legendary Jimmy Sangster – follows in the wake of other occult-themed films like The Omen and Suspiria, and was very much inspired by them. While it’s no masterpiece, and didn’t catch the box-office alight – unlike Gray’s character, it’s still a stylish exercise in suspense with some decent special effects, crisp autumnal photography by Dick Bush and Alan Hume, and an ‘eccentric’ score from Theatre of Blood composer Michael J Lewis, who also wrote the annoying theme tune, Another Side of Me (sung by Kiki Dee).

Today you can visit the film’s main location, Loseley Manor in Surrey, as the house and gardens are open to the public all year round. But if you do, watch out for any suspicious-looking nurses lurking about. Meanwhile, the village scenes were shot in Hambleden, Bucks – which has been used for huge number of films and TV shows, from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Good Omens.

The Indicator Limited Edition Blu-ray (UK premiere) is available from 29 July and includes the following special features…

• The UK theatrical cut, presented open matte from a Standard Definition master (102 mins): The film was released in UK cinemas in September 1978.
• The US theatrical cut, presented in widescreen from a High Definition master (100 mins): The film was released in the US in 1979, with a shorter runtime and some alternative shots
• Original stereo audio
• An Extended Legacy (2019, 11 mins): an analysis of the differences between the US and UK cuts (This is found in the Play sub-menu): There 13 instances of unique footage across the two version – 12 in the UK cut and 1 in the UK cut.
• Audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television website (I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially when Kevin discusses the filming locations and compares the screenplay with the the film’s paperback tie-in – which I have – and yes, I did go straight to page 183 to find out more about Charles Gray’s gruesome death)
• An Editing Legacy (2015, 14 mins): editor and second unit director Anne V Coates recalls her work on the film (this one is ported over from the Scream Factory release)
• The Make-up Effects of The Legacy (2015, 11 mins): Robin Grantham on his make-up creations for the film, including that squrim-inducing tracheotomy (also ported over from Scream Factory)
• Ashes and Crashes (2019, 4 mins): interview with second unit director Joe Marks, who shares his memories of working with the film’s cast and crew (this one was shot for this release)
• Between the Anvil and the Hammer (1973, 27 mins): Richard Marquand’s Central Office of Information short about the Liverpool police force (this is a real eye-opener — and an historic step back in time — when it really was grim up North)
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Collector’s 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

 

The Legacy (1978) | This British horror puts an Omen-esque spin on The Old Dark House classic

This 1978 British horror from Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand fuses that mystery staple, the old dark house – seen in many a classic, including James Whale’s 1932 whodunit and the long-running Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap – with the in-vogue satanic frighteners of the day like The Omen and Race With the Devil.

Stepford Wives heroine Katharine Ross and Mission: Impossible‘s Sam Elliott play an American couple who become reluctant guests at the English country mansion of a dying Satanist, who believes Ross to be the reincarnation of his mother and next in line to head his powerful cult. But standing in her way is a group of odd houseguests, who soon meet with spectacular deaths including drowning, burning, impaling and a botched tracheotomy.

 

The cast boasts some famous faces, including The Who’s Roger Daltrey, playing a music impresario – of course; Charles Gray (still my favourite Blofeld) as a weapons dealer; and West End actress Margaret Tyzack (who’d go on to play Bianca and Ricky’s gran in EastEnders) as a nurse who can turn herself into a cat.

With its themes of reincarnation, possession and telekinesis, The Legacy follows in the wake of other occult-themed films like The Omen and Suspiria. But while it’s no masterpiece, and didn’t catch the box-office alight – unlike Gray’s character, it’s still a stylish exercise in suspense with some decent special effects and another great score from Theatre of Blood composer Michael J Lewis.

Today you can visit the film’s location, Loseley Park in Surrey, as the house and gardens are open to the public all year round. But if you do, watch out for any suspicious-looking nurses lurking about.

The Legacy is available on DVD through Screenbound Pictures in the UK and gets its network premiere on The Horror Channel today (Saturday 16 April) at 10.50pm.