To The Devil A Daughter

Starring:Anna Bentinck, Honor Blackman, Denholm Elliott, Derek Francis, Michael Goodliffe, Howard Goorney, Constantine Gregory, Zoe Hendry, Nastassja Kinski, Christopher Lee, Eva Maria Meineke, Petra Peters, Irene Prador, William Ridoutt, Isabella Telezynska, Anthony Valentine, Richard Widmark, Brian Wilde, Frances de la Tour
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

An anti-climactic swansong for Hammer horror
Another Minor Classic from Hammer's Final Days
The Film Itself -- Ehh. The "Making-Of" Documentary -- Outstanding
Hammer's Final Throw Of The Dice
Yeah, it is just Okay

To The Devil A Daughter
Starring: Anna Bentinck , Honor Blackman , Denholm Elliott , Derek Francis , and Michael Goodliffe
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005UW7N
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Customer Reviews:

An anti-climactic swansong for Hammer horror.......2007-06-19

To the Devil a Daughter was Hammer's last horror film, but it makes for a less than grand slice of guignol and pales in comparison to their earlier Dennis Wheatley adaptation, The Devil Rides Out. Richard Widmark is the imported American star battling Christopher Lee's Satanist while trying to protect Nastassja Kinski from becoming host to a demon, but despite a few good scenes the film never really makes much of its premise and the ending is one of the biggest anticlimaxes in the history of horror.

The best part of it is the excellent documentary on the Anchor Bay DVD, which is surprisingly frank about the film's shortcomings - including that non-ending - and Richard Widmark's tantrums on the set. Anchor Bay's transfer is also surprisingly good: unlike the cold and slightly shoddy looking TV prints, this really does David Watkins' cinematography a great service.

Another Minor Classic from Hammer's Final Days.......2007-05-25

"To the Devil..." is marred by a clumsy, rushed ending, but prior to the final four minutes, it's fairly stunning stuff. Hammer films were going out of fashion in the 1970's, but not necessarily for lack of quality. Some of the most experimental, daring stabs at literary, gothic horror came from this era of the studio. This film boasts a nice cast and is one of few films to explore black magic in a detailed and accurate manner. Based on the Dennis Wheatley novel.

Recommended for companion viewing to:
The Devil Rides Out
The Wicker Man (original only)
Demons of the Mind
Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter

The Film Itself -- Ehh. The "Making-Of" Documentary -- Outstanding .......2007-05-09

Occasionally I'm in the mood for an occult mystery/horror film like "Bay Cove," "The Devil Rides Out" (AKA "The Devil's Bride"), "Race with the Devil and (to a lesser extent) "Rosemary's Baby," which explains why I recently picked up this 1976 Hammer film "To The Devil A Daughter" (which was Hammer's answer to American horror hits like "The Exorcist" and "Rosemary's Baby"). Hey, with Nastassja Kinski, Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee and Honor Blackman in the cast, how can you go wrong?

THE STORY: In London, Richard Widmark plays an occult novelist who is asked to protect a man's daughter, a young nun (Kinski), from a cult of satanists led by a malevolent Christopher Lee, who possesses supernatural powers. They need her for some diabolical ritual.

The story is loosely based on the Dennis Wheatley novel. Wheatley was furious with the numerous changes and called the film "obscene."

WHAT WORKS: The picture pretty much maintains your interest as the mystery slowly progresses.

The London (and Germany) locations are excellent. They seemed to have more money to work with in this regard than most Hammer films. Speaking of Hammer, "To the Devil a Daughter" doesn't FEEL at all like a Hammer picture. Don't get me wrong, I love the unique, colorful ambiance of Hammer films, but this is a nice (and unsuspected) change.

For those who care, Kinski is shown completely naked from the front. Unfortunately Lee is also show in the nude, albeit from behind. One thing I never cared to see in my life was Christopher Lee's butt.

There's a fairly shocking, obscene "devil baby" sequence. I'm not sure yet if this scene fits or even makes sense (I'll have to see the film again to decide) but they did a good job with the infant F/X, at least for 1976.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Like I said, the mystery has a fairly good build-up but the ending somehow doesn't quite work. Yes, they throw in some bizarre things -- the aformentioned "devil baby" scene and a wild satanist orgy (which is more silly than shocking) -- but, I don't know, I was left feeling a bit disappointed. It should have ended with a bang (at least I expect it to), but it doesn't.

COMMENTARY: This was Hammer's penultimate film and their final horror picture. Surprisingly, "To the Devil a Daughter" was a hit and made lots of money (at least in Europe), but Hammer Studios had debts to pay and the film's success couldn't save them.

BOTTOM LINE: The film itself is just okay, so I can only barely recommend it to those interested in occult/mystery stories, Hammer and the actors involved. What makes this DVD worth picking up, believe it or not, is the excellent 24-minute "making-of" documentary that discusses the film and the demise of Hammer Studios; it's called "To the Devil... The Death of Hammer." The documenary includes interviews with Lee, Blackman, the director, the producer and many more. It's very informative and entertaining. By all accounts Widmark was arrogant and a real bastage to work with. The Hollywood star frequently insulted the English filmmakers (calling the picture a "Micky Mouse production"), walking off the set, arguing, brawling and kicking over expensive equipment (!!). Every aspect of the film is addressed, including changes from the novel, Wheatley's objections, the ending's failure, etc.

Hammer's Final Throw Of The Dice.......2006-12-27

It would be fair to say that Hammer were a little late catching the modern horror train in the 1970's. There response to such progressive films as "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was a series of curiously flat gothic retreads and a bungled attempt to place gothic iconography and characters in a modern setting. Horror continued to thrive in the UK in the first part of the 1970's despite the financial shortcomings of the British Film Industry and Hammer's total failure to tap into the modern zeitgeist beggars belief considering how well they did it in the late 1950's. Mismanagement aside their final horror entry returned them to the stuffy bourgeious world of Dennis Wheatley and like their previous adaptation "The Devil Rides Out", "To the Devil: A Daughter" just about succeeds. It succeeds because it is trading in a crisis in Christianity which had been highlighted in two huge commercial hits "The Exorcist" and "The Omen". The subject matter was popular amongst audiences, the treatment by Christopher Wicking is typically convoluted (as anyone who has seen "Scream and Scream Again" will testify). Director Peter Sykes however shoots some impressive London landmarks and proudly pushes Hammer into the modern world. Rather than being anachronistic, Christopher Lee produces one of his most consistently chilling performances which is important because Richard Widemark is terribly miscast as occult novelist John Verney. The film generally suffers from visual flatness which makes the occasional burst of violence and special effects more impressive. The films conclusion however is something of a let down.

Yeah, it is just Okay.......2006-08-19

Richard Widmark and Nastassja Kinski do a very good job in their respective roles and the pacing creates some decent tension throughout most of it, but it does fall a little short of succeeding as Hammer's rival to "The Exorcist" or "Rosemary's Baby." There are a couple scenes that more or less ruined this for me: 1) The Satanists' orgy scene in the graveyard has not held up well and is more amusing than terrifying; and, 2) The climactic scene at the finale features some not-so-special effects, which really detracts from much of what had been established in the movie. Recognizing their limitations, the filmmakers should have been more judicious in planning this scene. I have nothing against a film attempting to cash in on the success of another as long as the result at least as good as the source. What might have looked good on paper did not translate very well to film in a couple places. Overall I actually like the movie; I just wish those couple instances had been executed better.

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