''Blood Legacy'' (also called ''Legacy of Blood'' and ''Will to Die'') is a 1971 horror film directed by Carl Monson and starring

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

, 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 ...

, and Faith Domergue.

Synopsis

In this 1971 effort, Christopher Dean (John Carradine) has died; his four adult children Greg, Veronica, Johnnie, and Leslie, and their spouses, as well Christopher's longtime three servants have been called to the mansion to hear Christopher's previously taped last will. The servants are to receive a salary of $500 a month as long as they stay on; the children are to receive equal portions of the $136 million balance of the estate; however, if any die, the remainder will go to the survivors. If all of the children die, the servants inherit what is left. The children must for some reason stay in the deceased's house for one week in order to inherit. In this taped message, Christopher makes plain that he has no affection or respect for his four offspring; he advises them to run away from his offer if they have any virtue. The killings begin promptly with the murder of Mrs. Greg Dean's dog, proceed to the decapitation of the police officer called about the incident, and continue until one individual survives. The terms of the will are such as to cast suspicion on any of the parties present. The surprise, and illogical, twist is who conducted the killings and why. Produced by Bennett Rombouts, directed by Carl Monson. There is a 1978 film of the same name and similar plot, not to be confused with this one.

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: Johnny Dean * Faith Domergue: Veronica Dean *

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

: Igor Garin *Brooke Mills: Leslie Dean *

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

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

Presentations

Horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark ( Cassandra Peterson) presented ''Blood Legacy'' as part of her ''Movie Macabre'' series. The film was also riffed by the cast of ''Cinematic Titanic.''

External links

* 1971 films American horror films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-horror-film-stub