legacy

No one stays on top forever. And the rise and fall of Hammer Films, one of England’s most prominent and profitable film production companies, has been well documented. There was plenty of blame to pass around for their eventual demise, but the most common excuse is the studio’s slow-moving Gothic horrors couldn’t compete with the modern excesses of films like The Exorcist. Great Britain was just too damn polite to wallow in pea soup!

Jimmy Sangster should get as much credit as anyone for Hammer’s early success, with winning screenplay adaptations for all the early classics like Horror of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein as well as a slew of Psycho rip-offs. But even he wasn’t immune to getting stuck in a rut, if, by example, one is to use his script for 1978’s The Legacy, an outdated drawing room horror flick that seems to have been filmed 20 years too late.

Pete and Margaret (played by real-life couple Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross) are lured to jolly old England for a mysterious but well-paying freelance job, which proves to be nothing but a ruse. It turns out Margaret is one of six “candidates” chosen to inherit the power, estate and fortune of one Jason Mountolive (John Standing). The other guests are all multinational bigwigs who certainly don’t need the cash, but seem deadly serious about taking over the title.

So much so that – one by one – they begin dying in spectacularly supernatural way; which, of course, is all explained away as a series of tragic accidents. Pete and Margaret attempt to escape but, too late, realize that Mountolive’s power springs from much more than wealth and privilege. It may even come from Hell itself!

The Legacy would fit very easily in the Hammer catalog during their heyday, which explains the film’s appeal. Its decidedly old-fashioned plot structure and stodgy shocks are pleasantly retro even while it jumps on the late ‘70s satanic bandwagon. The parade of death sequences – which include drowning, burning and, most memorably, The Who’s Roger Daltrey choking on a chicken bone – was a selling point. But none of them deserve a raised eyebrow now or then.

What’s amusing about The Legacy is watching Sangster’s rather silly script adapted into a polished studio production. Sam Elliott was coming from television while Katharine Ross was headed in that direction. Neither actor feels right for their role but, cast as ugly Americans lacking in proper British protocol, it almost works in their favor. And when the dialogue is finally stripped away, leaving director Richard Marquand (Return of the Jedi) with a surprisingly action-heavy finale and some clever editing by Anne V. Coates, the formulaic story ceases to really matter at all. The audience buys it because everyone onscreen seems to be buying it!

Scream Factory deserves high praise for keeping the classic cover art and aiming this one at fans who know what they’re getting into. The Legacy will scratch a itch for collectors of ‘70s horror but it’s lack of scares and gores will probably disappoint the uninitiated. For those buying on day one, you’ll be rewarded with a stunning HD transfer (this baby looks really good!), the original trailer and TV spot, a still gallery along with a wonderfully informative interview from editor Anne Coates along with a slightly less wonderful one from effects artist Robin Grantham.