"Thriller" was an anthology series of crime and horror stories which ran on the NBC Television network from 1960 to 1962. The program was hosted by actor Boris Karloff who would introduce each episode. He frequently used the line "And as sure as my name is Boris Karloff, this is going to be a thriller!" This episode is titled "Dark Legacy" and was first broadcast on May 30, 1961. Mario Asparos is a second-rate magician who performs with his wife Monika at small clubs. Mario longs to get a book on magic which belongs to his elderly uncle Radan Asparos who was a famous magician, "up there with Houdini and Blackstone." The uncle dies and leaves the book to Mario who finds that it is a book on "black magic" and witchcraft with instructions for requesting assistance from a demon. At a small gathering of magicians, Lars Eisenhart rolls a coin between his fingers and displays it. A prop coin is used but is not clear enough to identify.

The first scene is set inside renown magician Radan Asparos's large mansion.

The walls have decorations, tapestries, and paintings from medieval times. The butler brings down a tray and passes a large spherical astrolabe or armillary sphere. This ancient device was used for astronomy and navigation and, apparently, for witchcraft. The butler has three people sign cards which are then taken up to Radan.

Radan wears his magical cloak, sets a fire, and puts the three cards into the fire.

Radan's magical cloak includes a swastika, a crescent moon, and a star. After shouting "you decide", one of the cards floats to a large book and rests. The distinguished actor Boris Karloff then appears.

Karloff asks what kind of book a good man would give, or an evil man would give? He then states that "It isn't the gift that counts, it's the spirit behind it." The scene shifts from the modern medieval to the modern time (of 1961).

A street scene of a city entertainment district appears followed by a nightclub stage. Mario Asparos and his wife Monika have a small-time magic act.

Mario concludes his presentation by producing some currency.

In the dressing room club manager Vince meets the pair.

Vince tells the pair that their act is not good enough for his club. Radan dies and Mario is summoned to the mansion along with two other magicians, Lars Eisenhart and Mrs. Edith Pringle, along with Toby Wolfe, a friend of Mario's who is a former magician now studying psychology. While waiting for the lawyer to arrive to read the will, Lars plays with a coin.

Lars rolls the coin between his fingers and then shows it. The coin appears in various positions, four of which have been merged.

The coin is hard to identify but could be a "magician's coin" or advertising coin. The lawyer arrives and reads the will.

Lars receives $10,000, Edith receives something not stated, and Mario receives a phone call. The phone call is from Monica at their apartment and she tells him that a large book has suddenly appeared on a table and she doesn't know how it got there.

Did an owl deliver it? A closer look at the book cover:

The book cover has the letter 'A' and various symbols. Mario and Toby arrive at the apartment and Monika, who knew the uncle and doesn't want to have anything to do with him, asks Mario to get rid of the book. The two men, curious, begin looking at the book.

Mario decides to keep the book when he sees a handwritten note "Useful for summoning Asteroth." Toby joins Monika in asking Mario to get rid of the book. Toby then leaves and Monika goes to bed alone while Mario starts trying out one of the spells in the book.

The prop book is an old large Bible open to the book of Job. (What is "AGLA?") The pair keep a dog which refuses to come near the book.

The demon appears:

The demon is solely a pair of floating eyes. In the next scene, Mario and Monika are back at the night club, now with a successful act. One of their performances is of the infamously dangerous "bullet catch" which has killed several magicians.

Harry lessens the odds for himself by having Monika "catch" the bullet.

Vince wants to keep the act going but Mario tells him that they have an offer from Las Vegas. Monica does not like the unpleasant changes in Mario's personality and calls Toby.

A pay telephone of the period with slots for quarters, dimes, and nickels. One such telephone was featured in another film recently. Toby arrives and Mario promptly accuses Toby of having designs on his wife.

Toby asks Mario to discontinue the dangerous act but Mario replies that he is not using the standard equipment for the act but has other assistance. He offers to conjure up Asteroth to show him.

Mario performs the demonic ritual.

The demon appears and Toby then grabs the book and throws it into the fireplace. The demon disappears leaving Mario on the floor.

Toby tries to reassure Monika that the demon was only in Mario's imagination.

Boris Karloff as the host
Harry Townes as Radan Asparos and Mario Asparos
Ilka Windish as Monika Asparos
Henry Silva as Toby Wolfe
Richard Hale as Lars Eisenhart (the man rolling the coin)
Director: John Brahm
Writers: John Tomerlin