Legacy of Satan | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Gerard Damiano |
Written by | Gerard Damiano |
Starring | John Francis Lisa Christian Paul Barry Deborah Horlen Sandra Peabody |
Edited by | Gerard Damiano |
Release date |
|
Running time | 68 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Legacy of Satan is a 1974 horror film written and directed by Gerard Damiano. [1] It stars John Francis, Lisa Christian, Paul Barry, Deborah Horlen and Sandra Peabody, who respectively portray Dr. Muldavo, Maya, George, the High Priestess, and a cult member. Set in New York, the film revolves around Maya (Christian), a young woman who is chosen to be the queen of a satanic cult, and her descent into madness when her normal life is hindered by a series of evocative dreams. Originally written as a hardcore film, Damiano ultimately decided to rewrite it as a psychological horror film.
Damiano shot the film on a shoestring budget and featured a cast of relatively unknown actors. The film is notable for being the debut film of Christa Helm, an aspiring actress who was murdered three years after the release of this film. [2] Filmed in 1972, the film subsequently had a limited theatrical release in 1973 and became a part of the grindhouse circuit as a double feature to both Tobe Hooper's landmark horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Andy Milligan's Blood (1973) from 1974 to 1976. It has been met to generally negative reviews with the score of the film being heavily criticized by critics.
A high priestess of a satanic cult talks about a woman who is chosen to be the queen to the coven leader Dr. Muldavo. A person can join the cult only once every 1000 years, and member who knows the woman agrees to bring her into their lair. At a dinner party a young woman named Maya brings drinks to her husband George and his friend Arthur. Later that night, Carlos breaks into their apartment and steals a photo of Maya whilst they are sleeping. At the coven, he returns to Dr. Muldavo and gives him the photograph – Maya is the woman who is destined to become his queen. Muldavo goes to Arthur, who is being fed blood by a woman and tells him to invite George and Maya to a costume party.
Later, the cult holds a rite of passage. The high priestess begins burning Maya's photograph between a woman's legs. This causes Maya, back in her apartment, to have an evocative dream. When George wakes her up from her sleep, Maya has a violent outburst. Following the ritual, Maya begins having disturbing hallucinations such as seeing a bleeding picture followed by an attack, and bite to her neck by a mysterious creature. At Arthur's invitation they attend the cult's party with costumes and limo ride being provided for them. Carlos brings George drugged wine and gets Maya delirious. Upon meeting Dr. Muldavo, Maya finds herself intrigued and attracted to him. George is locked up in a cellar. Subsequently, Auriela, a cult member who is jealous of the affection for Maya, gives George a glowing sword that causes the cult members to hide as the light from the sword inflicts pain on them.
Written under the working title Muldavo, the film was originally intended to be filmed as a hardcore film, however, Damiano ultimately decided to rewrite the film as psychological horror film. It was filmed in 1972 but did not have a theatrical release until 1974. Legacy of Satan was released alongside Tobe Hooper's landmark horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a double feature in the grindhouse circuit from 1974 to 1976. Damiano produced the film on a low budget and used a cast of relatively unknown actors, with a cameo appearance from Sandra Peabody, who was becoming a prominent actress in the horror genre following her appearance in Wes Craven's debut film The Last House on the Left in 1972, garnering comparisons to Marilyn Burns, the star of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. [3]
In Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982: A Complete Guide, David Elroy Goldweber [4] gave the film a negative review, stating, "Talk about uninspired. Everyone acts like they think they are supposed to act in this kind of picture. They chant to their devil master, they wear odd, revealing outfits, they drink blood from silver cups. The long opening credits sequence is the highlight, featuring the best of several Black Masses. Annoying buzzing and chirping keyboards play almost continuously. Short as it is, the picture feels endless."
Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 horror novel by American writer Ira Levin; it was his second published book. It was the best-selling horror novel of the 1960s, selling over 4 million copies. The high popularity of the novel was a catalyst for a "horror boom", and horror fiction would achieve enormous commercial success.
Willard Tobe Hooper was an American filmmaker, best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time.
A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Jamie Lee Curtis, Heather Langenkamp, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linnea Quigley.
Marilyn Burns was an American actress. Burns was known for playing Sally Hardesty in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which established her as a scream queen and a catalyst of the final girl trope. She reprised the role with a cameo in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995), and played Verna Carson in Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013), the latter being her last appearance in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. In 2009, she was inducted into the Horror Hall of Fame at the Phoenix Film Festival.
William Moseley is an American actor, primarily known for his performances in horror films. His best-known roles include Chop Top in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie's Firefly trilogy, Luigi Largo in Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), and The Magician in Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2015). He had a recurring role as camp cook Possum on the HBO TV series Carnivàle (2003–05). He has also released records with guitarist Buckethead in the band Cornbugs, as well as featuring on the guitarist's solo work.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an American horror franchise created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. It consists of nine films, comics, a novel, and two video game adaptations. The franchise focuses on the cannibalistic spree killer Leatherface and his family, who terrorize unsuspecting visitors to their territories in the desolate Texas countryside, typically killing and subsequently cooking them.
Sally Hardesty is a fictional character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. She made her first appearance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as a young woman investigating her grandfather's grave after local grave robberies—crossing paths with Leatherface and his cannibalistic family in the process. In this film and later in The Next Generation (1995), she was portrayed by Marilyn Burns. Olwen Fouéré was cast in the sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). The character, renamed Erin Hardesty and played by Jessica Biel, also appeared in a remake of the original film in 2003.
Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is a 1976 American made-for-television horror film and a sequel to Roman Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby starring Stephen McHattie, Patty Duke, George Maharis, Ruth Gordon and Ray Milland. The film premiered as the ABC Friday Night Movie on October 29, 1976.
I Drink Your Blood is a 1971 American exploitation horror film written and directed by David E. Durston, produced by Jerry Gross, and starring Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, Jadine Wong, and Lynn Lowry. The film centers on a small town that is overrun by rabies-infected members of a Satanic hippie cult after a revenge plot goes horribly wrong.
Pieces is a 1982 Spanish-American slasher film directed by Juan Piquer Simón, written and produced by Dick Randall, and starring Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña, Edmund Purdom, Paul L. Smith, Ian Sera, and Jack Taylor.
Home Sweet Home is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Nettie Peña, and written by Thomas Bush. It stars Jake Steinfeld, Peter De Paula, and Vinessa Shaw in her film debut, and the plot focuses on a PCP-addicted killer who terrorizes a family in their remote home on Thanksgiving. Along with Blood Rage and the faux Thanksgiving trailer from Grindhouse, it is one of the few slasher films centered on the Thanksgiving holiday, and one of the few to be directed by a woman.
Maligno is an ABS-CBN primetime horror-action-thriller which was the second installment of Sineserye Presents: The Susan Roces Cinema Collection. The show is adapted from the 1977 movie of the same name which starred Susan Roces who makes a guest appearance in the television program. It premiered from April 28 to May 23, 2008, replacing Palos, was replaced by My Girl.
Satan's School for Girls is a 2000 American made-for-television horror film directed by Christopher Leitch and starring Shannen Doherty, Julie Benz, Daniel Cosgrove and Kate Jackson. It is a remake of a 1973 ABC Movie of the Week of the same name.
Hail Satan, sometimes Latinized as Ave Satanas or Ave Satana, is an exclamation used by some Satanists to invoke the name of Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire. The Satanic Temple uses the phrase as a sincere expression of rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions.
Our Lady of Endor Coven, also known as Ophite Cultus Sathanas, was an American Satanic cult founded by Herbert Arthur Sloane in Cleveland, Ohio, with a claimed origin in 1948 though definitive documentation of the group does not appear until the 1960s. Heavily influenced by gnosticism, the group equated Sathanas with the Serpent in the Garden of Eden as revealer of true knowledge.
Satánico pandemonium is a 1975 Mexican nunsploitation horror film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and written by Jorge Barragán, Adolfo Martínez Solares and Gilberto Martínez Solares. It stars Cecilia Pezet, Enrique Rocha and Delia Magaña.
Daughters of Satan is a 1972 American horror film directed by Hollingsworth Morse and written by John C. Higgins. The film stars Tom Selleck, Barra Grant, Tani Guthrie, Paraluman, Vic Silayan and Vic Díaz. The film was released by United Artists in the fall of 1972, screening as a double feature with Superbeast.
"Sojourn" is the eighth episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 31, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Josh Green, and directed by Bradley Buecker.
Satanic Panic is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Chelsea Stardust, based on a screenplay written by novelist Grady Hendrix and adapted from a story created by Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan. It is a Fangoria production.
May the Devil Take You is a 2018 Indonesian horror film written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto.The story follows Alfie who, when trying to find answers to her father's mysterious illness, visits his old house and finds out events from his past.