''Blood Legacy'' (also called ''Legacy of Blood'' and ''Will to Die'') is a 1971

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Carl Monson, starring

Rodolfo Acosta Rodolfo Pérez Acosta (July 29, 1920 – November 7, 1974) was a Mexican-American character actor who became known for his roles as Mexican outlaws or American Indians in Hollywood western films. He was sometimes credited as Rudolph Acosta ...

Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Anders was born ...

, Norman Bartold,

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later J ...

, and

Faith Domergue Faith Marie Domergue (; June 16, 1924, or 1925 – April 4, 1999) was an American film and television actress. Discovered at age 16 by media and aircraft mogul Howard Hughes, she was signed to a contract with Hughes's RKO Radio Pictures ...

. There is a 1978 film with the same name and a similar plot, but it should not be confused with this one.

Synopsis

Christopher Dean (John Carradine) has died. His four adult children—Greg, Veronica, Johnnie, and Leslie—along with their spouses, as well as Christopher's longtime three servants, have been summoned to the mansion to listen to Christopher's previously recorded last will. The servants are entitled to a monthly salary of $500 as long as they remain in service. The children, on the other hand, are to inherit equal portions of the $136 million balance of the estate. However, in the event of any child's demise, the remaining share will be distributed among the surviving siblings. If all the children perish, the servants become the heirs to whatever is left. A peculiar condition in the will requires the children to stay in the deceased's house for one week to qualify for their inheritance. Christopher, in his recorded message, explicitly expresses his lack of affection or respect for his four offspring. He advises them to decline his offer if they possess any virtue. The narrative takes a dark turn as the killings commence with the murder of Mrs. Greg Dean's dog. The violence escalates to the decapitation of the police officer summoned to address the incident, continuing until only one individual remains alive. The terms of the will create an atmosphere of suspicion among all present parties. The surprise, and seemingly illogical, twist lies in the revelation of the perpetrator and the motive behind the killings.

Cast

: Sheriff Dan Garcia *

: Laura Dean *

Norman Bartold Norman Hillman Bartold (August 6, 1928 – May 28, 1994) was an American film and television actor. He played Mr. Brody in eight episodes of the American television sitcom '' Teachers Only''. He also played the District Attorney Donahue in the ...

: Tom Drake *Ivy Bethune: Elga *

: Christopher Dean *

Richard Davalos Richard Davalos (November 5, 1930 – March 8, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Davalos was born in The Bronx, New York City of Spanish and Finnish descent. At age six, he acted in a school performance of ' ...

: Johnny Dean *

: Veronica Dean *

Buck Kartalian Vahe "Buck" Kartalian (August 13, 1922 – May 24, 2016) was an American character actor. Biography Vahe Kartalian was born on August 13, 1922, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Armenians, Armenian immigrants. He had four sisters and one brother ...

: Igor Garin *Brooke Mills: Leslie Dean *

Jeff Morrow Leslie Irving Morrow (January 13, 1907 – December 26, 1993), known as Jeff Morrow, was an American actor. Biography Morrow was educated at Pratt Institute in his native New York City. He was a commercial artist prior to turning to actin ...

: Gregory Dean * John Russell: Frank Mantee * John Smith: Dr. Carl Isenburg *Mr. Chin: Chin

Presentations

Horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (

Cassandra Peterson Cassandra Gay Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage pers ...

) presented ''Blood Legacy'' as part of her '' Movie Macabre'' series. The film was also riffed by the cast of ''

Cinematic Titanic Cinematic Titanic was a project by ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''MST3K'') creator and original host, Joel Hodgson. The project involved "MSTing, riffing" B-movies, in a manner similar to that of ''MST3K''. Joining Hodgson were some of the ori ...

.''

References

External links

* 1971 films American horror films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films Films scored by Jaime Mendoza-Nava {{1970s-US-film-stub