To the Devil a Daughter (1976) User Reviews

Satanic Late Hammer Flick

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 6/10 · 15 April 2008]

"To The Devil A Daughter" of 1976 is on of the last films from the great Hammer studios, and, as it seems, it was a disappointment to many of my fellow Hammer fans. For understandable reasons, since this is the second of two Hammer films about Satanism and black magic based on novels by Dennis Wheatley. Both films star Christopher Lee and the first, namely "The Devil Rides Out" of 1968 is easily one of the most brilliant films ever released by this great Production Company. And "To The Devil A Daughter" can not nearly compete with "The Devil Rides Out", but, as far as I am considered it is still a creepy film that is more than worth watching for a Horror fan.

The performances are exceptional, and I am not only talking about the great Christopher Lee. Lee is brilliant as always, of course, but the cast includes quite a bunch of other great actors. Richard Widmark also delivers a great performance and so do Denholm Eliott, Michael Goodliffe and the great Honor Blackman. Young Nastassia Kinski is also exceptional in one of her very first roles. The cinematography is great, and the film is often very eerie, but it sadly lacks the wonderful Gothic atmosphere that Hammer fans love so much. The film has atmosphere, no doubt, but sadly not the typical Hammer-style. This may be the main reason why many fellow Hammer fans are disappointed with the film. And it was also the lack of Gothic elements that I disliked about the film. But even though it is definitely one of the lesser films from Hammer and it may disappoint on a certain level, the film is definitely a creepy flick that fans of the studios should not miss. If you expect a shining finale to 20 years of brilliant Hammer rule, you run risk of being disappointed. Just expect a creepy little film with a great cast and enjoy!

To the Devil...the death of Hammer.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 24 April 2019]

Occult novelist John Verney (veteran American star Richard Widmark) has his hands full. He has to keep safe the daughter (Nastassja Kinski) of an associate (Denholm Elliott). You see, eighteen years ago Elliott made an unholy pact, and now the girl is intended for use in something depraved by heretic priest Father Michael Raynor (Sir Christopher Lee).

At the time, this was the final theatrical horror film for Britains' renowned Hammer Studios. It was actually pretty successful, but the studio was simply too much in debt to completely reap the benefits. Based on the novel by Dennis Wheatley, it's a commendably low-key, restrained film, with occasional moments of violence / gore as well as cheesiness. As directed by Peter Sykes, the film has the potential to bore some members of the audience, but it's generally got enough interesting material in it to make it palatable.

The cast provides the principal value. Widmark at first seems really out of place, but he does a solid job. Lee delivers what is one of his all-time best villainous performances for Hammer. The supporting cast is pretty eclectic: Honor Blackman, Michael Goodliffe, Eva Maria Meineke, Anthony Valentine, Derek Francis, Frances de la Tour, etc. However, many eyes will be on Kinski, in one of her earliest roles; she does convey an essential naivety and innocence, and the audience will automatically be on her side. Those who are interested should note that she has a controversial few seconds' worth of full frontal nudity near the end.

Although not on the level of another Wheatley shocker ("The Devil Rides Out") produced by Hammer, this does show its viewers a fairly good time, operating with its approach of subtlety. One problem, however, is the ending, which is over too quickly, and robs us of real satisfaction.

All things considered, Hammer could easily have signed off with a much worse horror film. This, at least, is generally compelling.

Seven out of 10.

Hammer's horror swansong.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 5 April 2009]

Popular occult author Dennis Wheatley was so pleased with Hammer's 1968 movie version of his novel The Devil Rides Out that he happily agreed to them making further adaptations of his work, even going so far as to granting the rights for nothing. It was an offer that, eventually, the ailing studio could not afford to ignore.

Choosing to develop To The Devil A Daughter, however, was probably a bad decision: budgetary constraints meant that a faithful interpretation of Wheatley's book was impossible to achieve, and after much script wrangling, filming went ahead whilst further revisions were still being made.

To add to Hammer's problems, star Widmark was not a happy bunny on set, being displeased with the non-Hollywood film making process employed by director Peter Sykes and his crew.

However, despite all the problems, somehow, eventually, a finished product was delivered—only to suffer from some hasty re-editing when some bright spark commented that the original ending bore too much resemblance to that of an earlier Hammer movie, Scars of Dracula. With such a troubled production, To The Devil A Daughter is an understandably less than perfect film, but despite its flaws, it still proves to be an entertaining dose of Satanic nonsense.

Widmark plays John Verney, an American occult novelist who is approached by a strange man named Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliot), who claims to be involved with a cult named The Children of the Lord, led by the sinister Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee, in fine form). Intrigued, Verney agrees to pick up Beddows' daughter Catherine (Nastassja Kinski) from the airport and look after her until they can meet again. In reality, Beddows is trying to protect his daughter from Rayner, who selected the girl at birth for a ritual—scheduled to take place on her impending 18th birthday—that will see her becoming an avatar for the demon Astaroth.

With such a great cast (that also includes Honor Blackman), and Wheatley's well researched black magic mumbo jumbo forming the basis of the script, To The Devil A Daughter trundles along quite nicely for the majority of its running time, offering audiences plenty of fun devilish goings-on, including the nasty birth of a demon child (which exits via the abdomen), Blackman being stabbed in the neck with a metal comb, one poor character going up in flames, Lee terrorising a trembling Elliot over the phone, and the lovely Nastassja giving viewers an eyeful of her hot bod.

Unfortunately, the messy finalé (which sees Lee's character disappear mysteriously after receiving a bump on the head) does mean that the film closes on something of a bum note and admittedly cannot hold a (black) candle to the real Satanic hit of '76, The Omen, but it's also nowhere near as bad as some Hammer fans would have you believe.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Underrated

[sol-9 · 27 July 1999]

Underrated thriller that despite being slow and meandering still manages a few nice shocks and is never less than interesting. This attempted to match The Exorcist for near-the-knuckle images and themes, and although it lacks that film's lasting power to haunt it does have a strong line in perversity that may surprise the most jaded unshockable viewer. Christopher Lee is great as the smiling, gentlemanly paganist - Natassja Kinski looks great and goes through the film like a day-dreaming naive child, which is exactly what she is supposed to be. Admittedly the creature at the end could easily have climbed out of a cornflakes packet as the depths of hell, but it doesn't ruin the film. Channel 4 recently showed a wide-screen version. It was well worth taping.

This is NOT a third rate horror movie!

[fookoo · 7/10 · 9 September 2003]

This is not a film for the occult horror film aficionado. "To the Devil...a Daughter" has already received a few whithering reviews that are all justified. Dennis Wheatley, the author of the book, condemned it because there was little resemblance to his novel and what appears on screen, except for the title. Currently available on wide screen 16X9 anamorphic transfer, the DVD contains a 24 minute documentary with recent commentary by Peter Sykes, the director, and Roy Skeggs, the producer. "To the Devil...a Daughter" is a well done film that demonstrates what a first rate director is capable of with a limited budget. This film turns out to be the horror film equivalent of "Casablanca" because the movie as originally scripted was not filmable. Hence, with the start of production, the script was continually being written on a day to day basis by Gerald Vaughan-Hughes, an uncredited screen writer. "To the Devil...a Daughter" followed the genre setting "The Exorcist" and "Rosemary's Baby" and was the last Hammer film because it was too little and too late.

"To the Devil...a Daughter" is one of the earliest Nastassja Kinski films and must have been seen by Roman Polanski who realized her potential. It is not a chessey film, but does have a few pieces of cheese in it. The most obvious one is the full frontal nudity scene of a very young Nastassja. Yes, it is cheesey, but from an editing view, is more shocking than titillating. In her first scene, it is apparent that there is more than a passing resemblance between Nastassja and Ingrid Bergman - innocent, clean beauties. In one of the scenes, Nastassja was having a problem actually getting the tears that the director wanted and there had been quite a few retakes. Richard Widmark said to the director, "when I say turnover, turnover, it's going to happen." Sykes started the film rolling and Widmark hit her right "in the chops" and the tears came and he said, "OK, now act." The cast is first rate and included Richard Widmark (who was pretty disgusted with the film and threatened to walk out on it), Christopher Lee (of horror film fame), Honor Blackman a renown actress at the time in Britain (known to American audiences as Pussy Galore of the James Bond "Goldfinger," and Denholm Elliot as the German bad guy in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

It is best to watch "To the Devil...a Daughter" with no expectations and let the film naturally unfold, without preconceived mental baggage. If one is steeped in the occult traditions, then this movie is not for you because of its glaring errors - all made up by the afore mentioned screen writer. Otherwise, the mood of the picture is quickly set by Richard Widmark's,

"98% of so called satanist are nothing but pathetic freaks who get their kicks out of dancing naked in freezing church yards and use the devil as an excuse for getting some sex, but then there is that other 2%, I'm not so sure about them."

Christopher Lee's role as the maniacal, ex-communicated priest brings to mind the great performance of Boris Karloff as Imhotep in the 1932 "The Mummy," who had the supernatural power to project thought over space and time. "To the Devil...a Daughter" is well paced with its race against time.

TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER (Peter Sykes, 1976) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 30 April 2008]

The reputation of Hammer’s last horror film has always been fairly maligned (for a variety of reasons) but, when I finally watched it – via a pan-and-scan PAL VHS – some years back, I recall being reasonably impressed by it. Somewhat perversely, I chose it to end my month-long tribute to the recently deceased Richard Widmark – given that he was notoriously cantankerous throughout the film’s shooting and would subsequently single it out as the one regret of his 44 year-long film career!

Re-acquainting myself with TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER by way of the Anchor Bay R1 DVD, I was pleased to discover that my initial reaction to it remained pretty much intact – though, obviously, I no longer felt that initial shock to some of its more intense and bizarre sequences. Anyway, the film was a companion piece to Hammer’s previous Dennis Wheatley adaptation – THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1967) – in which Christopher Lee had atypically played the hero; however, the author wasn’t as enthused this time around – since his novel was considerably bowdlerized in the transition – and declined the company further access to his works (they had previously acquired the rights to yet another of Wheatley’s occult tales, “The Satanist”)! Lee co-stars in this one as well – but, here, he reverts to his favored (on-screen) element i.e. The Dark Side: his character of Father Michael is actually among the most believably sinister he ever played (going about his diabolic business with a thoroughly calm demeanor and, often, a chilling smile on his lips!). As for Widmark, I’m glad he was sensible enough to understand that, whatever his personal feelings (the Hollywood star clearly seemed to consider the material beneath him), he still owed the public a good performance – and there’s no denying the fact that his no-nonsense occult novelist emerges as a most fitting opponent to Lee.

The convoluted plot involves the rebirth of the demon Astaroth in human form – its vessel being a nubile girl (played by the luscious Nastassja Kinski), brought up in seclusion as a nun! Lee is a priest who has been excommunicated for challenging the belief that Man depends on the ‘presence’ of God to guide him through life – contending that Man is perfectly capable of making his own Destiny (with a little help from the Forces of Darkness). Aiding him in his scheme is veteran Michael Goodliffe, the wonderful Denholm Elliott is featured as Kinski’s recanting wimpish father, and Derek Francis as the Church official who has barred Lee from service. In Widmark’s corner are his husband-and-wife agents, played by Honor Blackman and Anthony Valentine – both of whom eventually find themselves on the receiving end of Lee’s evil powers.

Among the film’s notable sequences: the unnatural birth of the demon child (displaying a harrowing intensity quite uncommon to Hammer’s usual output), the two scenes depicting the monstrous appearance of the baby itself (one in which it slobbers all over 17-year old Kinski’s bloodied naked body Lee slams as “obscene” in the accompanying documentary!), the would-be depraved rite/orgy (presented as a nightmare in the vein of the not-too-dissimilar ROSEMARY’S BABY [1968]) and, of course, the much-debated climax (nowhere near as godawful as many seem to think, the scriptwriters having at least put an extra effort into coming up with a mystical explanation for the denouement, but the rushed execution of it is decidedly limp!). In essence, then, this is not at all a bad send-off for Hammer Films – and, easily, among their better offerings of the decade (incidentally, I’ve just acquired the obscure Sci-Fi/Western hybrid MOON ZERO TWO [1969] from this legendary brand, which promises to be fairly goofy)…

To get to Anchor Bay’s DVD edition, the one quibble I have with it concerns the ‘processed’ quality of the sound effects (background noise, gunshots) in a couple of sequences. Whilst serving as a moving valediction to a bygone era, the 24-minute featurette is a great account of the nerve-racking making of the film (with its last-minute revisions to the script, problems securing a director, and Widmark’s temper-tantrums). Apart from over-hyped trailer, extensive poster/still gallery and detailed biographies for both Widmark and Lee, one is able to access a hilarious Easter Egg from the “Extras” menu – an excerpt from an interview with leading Hammer Films stunt-man Eddie Powell, wherein he discusses his multi-purpose duties on this particular title (which included doubling for Lee in a scene requiring his character to appear in the nude!).

Promising Story and Great Cast Wasted in a Lame Screenplay

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 2 December 2011]

In London, the occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) is contacted by a stranger named Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott) during a lecture in a private gallery of his friends David Kennedy (Anthony Valentine) and Anna Fontaine (Honor Blackman). Henry asks John to meet his daughter, the nun Catherine Beddows (Nastassja Kinski), in the airport since she is coming from Munich and lodge her in his apartment since Henry has had a problem with Satanists and he would like to protect his daughter. In return, John could write a book with his experience with the Satanists.

John brings Catherine to his apartment and sooner he learns that she belongs to the church "The Children of Our Lord" from Germany, and she will be eighteen years old on the All Hallows Eve. While she is sleeping during the night, John realizes that Catherine, and not her father Henry, is actually in danger. Sooner he finds that the excommunicated Catholic priest Father Michael Raynem (Christopher Lee), who is Catherine's godfather, and a group of Satanists that worship the Devil plan to use Catherine to become Astaroth through a ritual. John visits the bishop, who is his friend, and asks permission to read the same pages of The Book of Abramelin that Father Michael had read in the 50's. Now John battles against the powerful Father Michael to save the life and soul of Catherine.

"To the Devil a Daughter" is the last film from Hammer with a promising story and a great cast with Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Nastassja Kinski and Denholm Elliott. Unfortunately they are wasted in a lame screenplay with many flaws and a disappointing conclusion. The gorgeous Nastassja Kinski (officially born on 24 Jan 1961, but sources tell that she was born in 1959) naked does not seem to be only fifteen years old; seventeen would be more acceptable. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Filha para o Diabo" ("A Daughter to the Devil")

Not Hammer's Best, But Probably Far From Their Worst

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 4 September 2012]

An American occult novelist (Richard Widmark) battles to save the soul of a young nun (Nastassja Kinski) from a group of Satanists, led by an excommunicated priest (Christopher Lee), who plan on using her as the representative of the Devil on Earth.

As a White Zombie fan, I was thrilled to hear the Latin of the excommunication scene and finally know where one of their best songs took its clips from. That alone makes the movie satisfying (though it hardly carries the entire film).

Despite being a Hammer film and featuring Christopher Lee, the film does not seem well-liked by many people. IMDb rates it below a 6 and Rotten Tomatoes has it holding a 17% approval rating. I feel obligated to defend it, if even just a little bit. I mean, wow, what a truly creepy and disturbing birthing ritual -- the blood, the bondage, Lee's diabolical grin... Oh, and that other ritual...

I would say this film is a winner, despite the harsh criticism people seem to have for it. Some parts are a bit slow or bland, but the overall story is interesting and the imagery is fascinating. A lot of work was put into this one.

Shocking bits and nudity can't make up for a flat story with a tepid close

[Wuchakk · 4/10 · 14 March 2014]

In London, an occult novelist (Richard Widmark) is asked to protect a man's daughter, a young nun (Nastassja Kinski), from a cult of satanists led by a towering man who seems to possess supernatural powers (Christopher Lee). They require her for some diabolical ritual. Honor Blackman has a peripheral role.

The story of "To the Devil a Daughter" (1976) is loosely based on Dennis Wheatley's 1953 novel. It was Hammer's answer to American horror hits like "The Exorcist" (1973) and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), but Wheatley was furious with the numerous changes and called the film "obscene."

It's a slow-burn occult-oriented mystery with good locations and a notable cast. Producers 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 like a Hammer picture from the '60s and early '70s, which is a nice (and unsuspected) change, I guess.

For those who care, Kinski is shown completely naked from the front near the end, which was/is controversial since she was still 14 years-old during shooting, almost 15. Unfortunately Lee is also show in the nude, albeit from behind. One thing I never cared to see in life was Christopher Lee's butt (actually, it was his stunt double, Eddie Powell).

There's a fairly shocking and obscene "devil baby" sequence. The creators obviously wanted to take "Rosemary's Baby" to the next level. In any case, they did a good job with the infant F/X, at least for the mid-70s.

While the mystery is sometimes interesting the story is flat and the last act somehow doesn't work. Yes, they throw in some bizarre things - the aforementioned "devil baby" scene and a wild satanist orgy (which is more silly than shocking) - but I was left feeling disappointed.

This was Hammer's penultimate film and their final horror production. 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 movie's success couldn't save 'em.

At the end of the day, it's okay at best, but not as good as flicks like "Bay Coven" (1987), "The Crimson Cult" (1968), "The Devil Rides Out" (1968) and "Race With the Devil" (1975).

The DVD includes an informative and entertaining 24-minute "making-of" documentary that discusses the film and the demise of Hammer Studios called "To the Devil... The Death of Hammer." It features interviews with Lee, Blackman, the director, the producer and many more. 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 movie is addressed, including changes from the novel, Wheatley's objections, the ending's failure, etc.

Needless to say, the documentary is way more compelling than the film itself and is available on Youtube for those interested.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot mostly in the greater London area of England, including Elstree Studios, with a bit in Bavaria, Germany.

GRADE: C-

The final film for Hammer, a good film, but not without its problems

[dworldeater · 7/10 · 26 October 2015]

This is the final horror film from the legendary Hammer Studios in England. It is in the same vein as Rosemary's Baby and The Omen. This film has some problems and is not in the same class or quality of either of those films. It is however, in the same genre of satanic themed horror. This was a large budget movie for Hammer, but it required much more time and money to tackle Dennis Wheatley's novel properly. With limited budgets and time, director Peter Sykes tried to make the best film he could. I feel a large amount of material that would have made the story flow better was cut out and some substandard material was quickly thrown together to try and replace it. The story was set in contemporary London and some of the sequences were shot in Germany as well, which gives it a different feel from the old Hammer sets and Gothic style. The film itself looks good and is beautifully shot. The score is also effective as it provides a sinister ambiance as well. The cast is excellent and I will provide no complaints about the quality of acting in this production. Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliot and Klaus Kinski's gorgeous and talented daughter Natassja Kinski round up the principal cast. The lovely Natassja gets naked for us also, which is a treat. This production has more blood and nudity than the usual Hammer production. But there are certain scenes that come across as cheesy that don't match up to the rest of the film. There are some scenes that would be more effective if less was shone. Some of the special f/x flat out look like crap and don't belong in a film where everything else seems to be taken seriously. The cast however is awesome, especially Christopher Lee. His presence and power as an actor is immense and one of a kind. He really brings menace and pure evil to diabolical heretic priest Father Michael. To The Devil...A Daughter is a very flawed production, but still has enough good stuff to entertain most horror fans.

Hammer dies non-too impressively

[pwfinch · 4/10 · 31 August 2007]

This one really could and should have worked. The usual ingenuity was employed to stretch a small budget a long way, lots of British talent was available at micro-cost, a Hollywood A-lister came on board, it was based on probably the best of Dennis Wheatley's black magic novels, and in an age when, thanks to THE EXORCIST, occult movies were in vogue, it might well have regenerated vital interest in the ailing studio.

But it didn't. Hammer folded shortly afterwards, and this movie contributed to that - even though it made a healthy profit. Nowadays it's seen as something of a curiosity: a well-intentioned but belated addition to the Satanic horror cycle, still distinctly Hammer but laced with tasteless moments that don't do anyone involved any credit at all, and at times so clumsily edited that you're never really sure what's going on.

The first problem is the script, which apparently was being constantly rewritten right up until the end of production. As a result, there's no clear narrative line for the audience to follow. What is the purpose of the hideously deformed baby? Is it the Devil incarnate? If so, why does it then get sacrificed? What's Nastassja Kinski's role in all this, apart from to lie alluringly on slabs and indulge in full-frontal nudity? Who are the lead-Satanist's urbane followers? We never really get to know them, or understand what functions they have, and we see no real sign that they're part of a larger cult. Why does one of them then bleed herself to death? Surely it isn't required that every drop be drained from her body just so that a small amount can be trickled around a magic circle? Why, right at the end, are we suddenly introduced to the mysterious properties of flint-stone, and why, when it's got the blood of one of Satan's acolytes on it, will flint automatically protect the hero from demonic attack (if this is a part of arcane lore, how on Earth were we supposed to know – because the impression this movie gives is that we should be blown away by this revelation and say: "Wow, why didn't I see that coming?")?

The most perplexing moment of all however, comes – unforgivably – right at the climax of the movie. Once Christopher Lee has been thwarted, he simply disappears – with no explanation given. Has he escaped? Is he dead? Has the Devil taken him? We simply don't know, we're not told. (In actual fact, the answer is that in the original version, Lee was struck by lightning and died in flames, much the way he did in SCARS OF Dracula, and this similarity worried the producers so much that in the end it was simply cut out and not replaced.

Another problem lies in what, ironically, should have been one of the movie's greatest strengths – Richard Widmark. His presence (which was purely to justify US funding) is initially surprising and intriguing, but he was allegedly very difficult for the crew to work with, and extremely high and mighty while on set. And, despite that, he doesn't give much of a performance. Stone-faced and unemotional throughout, he lacks any kind of charisma and is way too old to be the hero in a movie where 18-year-old Nastassja Kinski is the heroine. Kinski herself doesn't add much, apart from the aforementioned risqué moments, and this is a pity because the rest of the cast do a good job. Christopher Lee is at his most devilish as the excommunicated priest at the heart of the conspiracy, and is ably supported by Honor Blackman, Denholm Elliot and Anthony Valentine as innocents who get caught up in it.

Director Peter Sykes does a reasonable job considering the difficulties he supposedly had, and composes some very nice shots – check out the opening sequence in the church, all played out under beautiful stained-glass reflections – and makes very good use of authentic locations in and around London and Munich. But all this really does is remind you what a good movie this could have been.

New-fangled obscenity didn't help it much either. Throughout the age of permissiveness, Hammer had been pushing the envelope with regard to sex. But it really cuts loose in this one. The Satanic orgies are the most explicit and realistic the studio ever produced, and in addition to these there's a plethora of gratuitous female nudity, and then – yet again – we come to that ghastly, deformed baby. It seems to serve no purpose at all, and yet at one point is thrust up into Nastassja Kinski's womb, and at another has its throat cut on camera while it's still wriggling and crying. Christopher Lee was very unhappy with these scenes, while Dennis Wheatley was revolted and said afterwards that Hammer would never again adapt one of his stories – though neither Wheatley nor Hammer would live to see this defiance tested.

The film is certainly good enough to watch again. The mysterious nature of the rituals involved is quite convincing – the symbols, the ancient books, the dusty vaults – but it's too talkie and seems tediously slow by today's standards and, as I said before, the finale is truly the most disappointing in Hammer history.

Much better than its poor reputation would suggest

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 9 May 2007]

I finally saw this infamous final theatrical fright feature from the legendary Hammer Studios and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was nowhere near as bad as its many detractors claim. In fact, I thought this movie was quite good. Granted, it's got its flaws (the much-ridiculed silly monster hand puppet and the weak climax are both below par), but overall this picture has a lot of solid stuff in it. For starters, the plot is fresh and compelling: Sinister excommunicated renegade Satanist priest Father Michael Rayner (a wonderfully wicked Christopher Lee) plots to impregnate sweet innocent nun Catharine (a ravishing and beguiling Nastassja Kinski in her first big role) so she will give birth to the spawn of the Devil. It's up to humble, but shrewd and charming best-selling occult novelist John Verney (superbly played by Richard Widmark, who makes for an engagingly unlikely Hammer hero) to stop Father Rayner and his avid followers before it's too late. Moreover, director Peter Sykes maintains a steady pace throughout and effectively creates a chillingly creepy atmosphere. The smart and intricate script by Christopher Wicking and John Peacock offers a gripping story and a strong pair of refreshingly mature adult characters as the two principal adversaries. David Watkin's polished cinematography and Paul Glass' spare, spooky score are on the money fine. Kinski does well as an extremely fair maiden in distress (and performs a truly startling full-frontal nude scene at the movie's conclusion). The stellar supporting cast qualifies as another substantial plus: Denholm Elliott as a wormy, wayward weakling member of the evil cult, Honor Blackman as Verney's spunky agent Anna Fountain, and Anthony Valentine as Anna's suave boyfriend David. Eerie, intelligent and underrated, this undeservedly maligned movie is well worth checking out by general horror film fans and hardcore Hammer aficionados alike.

Good film, should've been better

[neil-douglas2010 · 7/10 · 20 June 2022]

With a cast like this, this film should've been one of the best Hammer films of the 70's. Unfortunately a weak ending and an unlikeable lead character ( Widmark ), make this a more humdrum affair. Thankfully a lot of great UK actors are in this film ( Lee, Valentine, Blackman and Elliott, to name a few ), to make this an enjoyable movie for the British viewer. Hard not to mention the fact that Nastassja Kinski was 14/15 when making this film, her scenes wouldn't happen now I think.

Slovenly, bumbling, poorly made tripe

[I_Ailurophile · 1/10 · 23 September 2022]

"Alright, can I go now? I don't know what the hell's expected of me." It's remarkable how one early throwaway line of dialogue, among Richard Widmark's first in the picture, so handily describes the entirety of the feature. Sequencing, dialogue, scene writing, and the narrative as a whole are astoundingly disordered, sometimes downright rancid, and struggle to attain a baseline level of cohesiveness or coherence. The movie can't decide if its characters are incredibly knowledgeable, or blithely ignorant. The story does gradually come together, and there are some good ideas here, but it's an astoundingly rough and frankly unconvincing ride. I'm not sure that anyone involved actually knew what they were doing; it certainly doesn't seem like it. Not the cast, including Widmark, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliott, and Natassja Kinski; not director Peter Sykes; not screenwriters Chris Wicking, John Peacock, or Gerald Vaughan-Hughes; not composer Paul Glass. From top to bottom this is sloppy, and weak, and 'To the devil a daughter' may well be a critical low point in the careers of everyone who participated in the production.

It speaks volumes about the picture that screenwriter Wicking and Hammer Films maestro Michael Carreras are apparently on record bad-mouthing it, and I'm amazed that still more participants have not publicly echoed such sentiments. For a company renowned for exquisite production design and art direction, even these elements are uneven as we see them here. Not that it would much matter even if they were reliably strong, for in every way that is of real consequence this is unfocused, scattered, flimsy, and an outright mess. Kernels of meaningful value crop up irregularly and infrequently, but are not nearly enough to counterbalance the rotten, careless "craftsmanship" that comes across in pretty much every last regard. And it's all made still worse for the fact that we know what these folks are capable of - what happened here?!

In every instance where the movie seems to have stumbled onto something good, in the next moment it demonstrates the same flailing lack of mindfulness that made such a poor impression from the very beginning. This could have been good, entertaining, a splendid slice of horror cinema. Instead, it's only godawful, floundering, empty baloney. Among this title's predecessors, contemporaries, and successors, there are many great and worthwhile genre flicks. 'To the devil a daughter' is not one of them, and by whatever means it caught your eye, you don't need to watch this. Two thumbs way down.

"Hammer's final horror film."

[jamesraeburn2003 · 26 November 2004]

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

Father Michael Rayner (CHRISTOPHER LEE) was ex-communicated from the Church of England for attempting to bring a personification of the devil to Earth. Twenty years on and Rayner has settled in Germany with his devil-worshiping followers under the facade of the "Children of the Lord" cult. Rayner sends his godchild Catherine Beddows (NASTASSJA KINSKI) to England to join her father Henry Beddows (DENHOLM ELLIOT) for her 18th-birthday. Rayner intends to fulfil his old ambition and rebaptise Catherine into the service of evil. Henry who was forced into the cult's evil-doings because his wife was a member of the cult attempts to recant and places his daughter in the care of occult novelist Jim Verney (RICHARD WIDMARK) who must confront and destroy Rayner before he succeeds in making the devil walk the Earth in the form of an innocent girl.

TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER was Hammer's final horror film and the company's second attempt to bring one of Dennis Wheatley's occult novels to the screen. Wheatley was overjoyed by the company's filming of his novel THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968), but was apparently less pleased with Hammer's version of his popular TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER novel which Hammer had considered adapting for the screen as early as 1963. The film took a very respectable £13, 375 on it's opening week at the Odeon Leicester Square and it reached number three in the London Film Charts. On it's general release the film's takings were estimated at about £200,000.

Yet despite this success, Hammer's plans to film Wheatley's THE SATANIST were sadly scrapped. Thus continued Hammer's trip into oblivion which came to a head with an ill-advised remake of Alfred Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES in 1979.

TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER is a most enjoyable film. The script may be a little confused but the gore scenes are suitably erotic (more so than in most other Hammer films) and it benefits from good production values and an exemplary cast. Lee is excellent as the disgraced priest, a complete contrast to his portrayal of the Duc De' Richeleau in THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, while Richard Widmark shines as the hero. His performance is up to the standard of the Hammer heroes portrayed by Peter Cushing and Andre Morell even though his character only conflicts with Lee's once. The direction of Peter Sykes is good even if his other feature film credits like STEPTOE AND SON RIDE AGAIN (1973) may cause some initial doubts. Hammer purists consider this to be the company's worst film. It is more graphic than the earlier Hammer horrors and more or less ignores all the traditions of the company's earlier films, which makes it all the more better.

A huge Hammer misfire

[The_Void · 7/10 · 16 December 2004]

Over the years, Hammer studios have provided us with some true classics within the horror genre. However, if this is the only Hammer film you've ever seen, then you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. All the things that make Hammer horror great are absent from this movie; it lacks charm, originality and it isn't intelligent or imaginative. It's a shame too, because the plot isn't a bad one. It involves a satanic cult that is posing as a Christian church and has chosen a child to 'become the devil' upon her eighteenth birthday. However, now that time has come and her father has decided that he wants to back out of the deal, only the cult isn't going to let him. So, as you can see, we have devil worshippers, sacrifice, Christopher Lee as the head of the cult, the devil himself even makes an appearance... this is great horror stuff, and if it had the right handling, it might have been able to capitalise on it's premise; but as it happens, it did not.

The main reason it fails is that it's just so DULL. The film takes ages to get anywhere, and by the time something does happen, you don't care because you're so bored. Speaking of being bored, Christopher Lee doesn't exactly approach his role in this film with gusto and his performance, although still malevolent as Lee always is, pretty much is the epitome of this film; bored. As usual with Hammer, the production values are low; but usually it doesn't matter as you can forgive the film for it, and even like it, depending on the film; but here, since the rest of the film is so bad; it's hard to forgive the bad production values. When the devil does appear, it's so ridiculous that all you will be able to do is laugh. I never thought I'd see the devil as a glove puppet! There are no real standout moments in this film, and even the ending isn't any good. I was expecting it to at least end with a bang after making us sit through nearly ninety minutes of boredom, but no.

I recommend this film to people that want to see every Hammer Horror movie ever made. Everyone else should avoid like the plague.

Uneven occult horror film but good in places

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 9 December 2011]

To the Devil a Daughter is the second Hammer film to be based on a Dennis Wheatley occult novel. This one seems to be aimed primarily at cashing in on the 70's craze for Satanic horror. It was in fact the last film to be made by Hammer and it does unfortunately have a fairly poor reputation. While this is not entirely unjustified, it does have some good moments and it is a decent entry in the occult film cycle.

In a nutshell the story is about a defrocked priest who organises a birth where the baby is taken away and primed to be given to Satan on her 18th birthday. She is taken out of this situation at the last moment and put under the protection of a pulp writer who specialises in occult pot-boilers. From here the forces of Satan try all they can to prise the girl away into their grasp.

There is a pretty good cast in this one. Christopher Lee is good as the excommunicated priest; while Nastassja Kinski is the girl, Denholm Elliot her father, Richard Widmark is the writer and Honor Blackman one of his friends. Not bad acting personnel all things considered. Also in the movie's favour are some effective creepy and horrible moments. Like the little red homunculus who appears mysteriously in the mirror, then later crawls over Kinski like an aborted foetus come to life. The Satanic ceremonies are well done too, and there is a bloody birth scene. It's certainly a more explicit film than was usual for a Hammer production.

Sadly, there are problems too. Its story isn't very original nor especially inspired. While the infamous ending is genuinely awful. Lee is a high priest of Satan yet he is defeated when Widmark throws a stone at him. Not only that but he disappears for some reason too. Its very hard to understand what the film-makers thought they were playing at with this non-ending. Despite that though, this is not the rotten film it is sometimes made out to be and is a good enough occult horror.

From The Devil's Nun To The Devil's Nymph

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 21 September 2006]

With the filming of Dennis Wheatley's novel in To the Devil a Daughter, Hammer films tried to cash in on the cycle Satanic films that seemed to be out about every third week in the seventies. It wasn't exactly a crashing success.

Denholm Elliott has pledged his daughter Natassia Kinski to the Devil as a bride on her 18th birthday and now he wants out of the deal. He seeks the help of Richard Widmark who is a writer and authority on the occult. Widmark is taking the place of the role Peter Cushing would normally have. I'm sure Widmark was getting fewer and fewer good scripts at this time and probably thought this one and only venture into horror films might give him a new direction for his career.

Natassia however is in the charge of a defrocked priest played by Christopher Lee in all his Satanic glory. He's got his own satanic church and young Natassia has been raised in it as a nun and she goes around in complete habit of same. Of course after the rite of passage she will be viewing life from a different perspective and we do get a glimpse of her fully frontally nude to whet our appetites as well as the devil's.

A pleasant prospect and as good a reason as any to see this film. Lee is his usual grandly horrific self so his fans will be pleased. Hammer did so much better work with their Dracula, Frankenstein, and Mummy films from the previous two decades though.

Not A Bad Hammer Horror Film

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 28 March 2021]

The excommunicated priest (Christoper Lee) has set up a Satanaic cult where the women give birth to devilish children and are killed in a sacrifice to their dark lord. Katheryn (Nastassja Kinski) is the next on the list; it is up to a friend of her father's to stop it.

Not a bad film - but not the greatest Hammer Horror. It's better than it's given credit for.

7/10.

It could have been so much better...

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 22 March 2009]

This film is about a Satanic cult helmed by fallen priest, Christopher Lee. The film begins with him being defrocked and soon picks up 20 years later--after he's created an order of nuns who look just like Catholic ones. The difference is that they've devoted their lives to Beelzebub.

A young nun (Nastassja Kinski) is being sent from their headquarters in Bavaria to London. However, her father (Denholm Elliott) seeks out the help of Richard Widmark, a noted author on the occult, to rescue Nastassja and prevent her from going through with a pact with Satan. Why exactly he picked Widmark is uncertain but the American spends much of the film trying to stop the Satanists from kidnapping the girl. The trouble is, it turns out she's rather willing to join them--which leads to a bizarre and confusing finale.

After watching this film I watched one of the DVD extras ("To the Devil... The Death of Hammer") and those connected with the film (such as Christopher Lee and the film makers) were very disappointed in the film as well--particularly the sloppy ending that just didn't work at all. Thank goodness for some outside validation for my relatively low score!

TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER started off well enough and set a great chilling mood. However, as the movie neared the climax, it just seemed that the film got lost and was frantically looking for its way. Well, the documentary confirms this in several ways. First, in a very foolish move (caused by the pending closure of the studio), the film began without a finished script! Re-writes were done up until the last minute and as a result the film seemed rather incoherent at times. Second, the ending which would have been a lot better (having Lee getting impaled) was removed because they realized it was pretty much identical with one of the Dracula films that Lee had already made for Hammer Studios. Instead, the improvised ending was both confusing and limp. Apparently, the message the ending tells us is to toss a big rock at evil and it will easily be defeated!! Additionally, someone decided to stick in a rather gross scene involving a stupid demon having sex with Nastassja Kinski. Lee described this scene as "pornographic" in the documentary. I just thought it was icky and stupid--after all, the demon was an obvious puppet--and a bad one at that.

Overall, fans of Hammer films will probably be very disappointed--except for the card carrying cult members who ALWAYS see every Hammer film as a cinematic masterpiece. Others will no doubt find the film confusing and less and less enjoyable as the film progresses.

A final note--There is a lot of nudity and blood in this film. Full-frontal nudity and several terrifically violent and bloody scenes make this a very BAD choice for the kids!!

Enjoyable Cult-Based Hammer Horror.

[meddlecore · 6/10 · 2 November 2021]

A young nun (played by Klaus Kinski's daughter Nastassja), approaching her 18th birthday, has been signed over to the god of a satanic cult, named Astaroth, via a rite of sex magick by proxy.

The leader of the cult wants to baptize her in the blood of Astaroth, in order to make her into an avatar of the devil.

But her father has backed out of the deal at the last second...hoping he can save his daughter's life...and eternal soul...

Even if it will cost him his life.

So he sends her to stay with an author who focuses on the occult.

Hoping that he will be knowledgeable enough to notice the warning signs- when the excommunicated priest turned occult practitioner attempts to control her mind with dark magic- so he can intervene on her behalf.

To learn more, he goes to the Catholic church, so that he can read the Grimoire of Astaroth...hoping their might be a loophole he can exploit. .

However, she is finding it hard to resist the call of the dark priest.

So time is of the essence.

Because, what once was an innocent nun...is now a cold blooded killer.

If he can't get to her before they complete their ritual...she'll become a vessel for the devil himself...

So, armed with what he needs to know, the only question is...can he get to her before it's too late?

This is a stylish and intriguing Hammer Horror, from British filmmaker Peter Sykes.

Based on the novel by Dennis Wheatley.

6.5 out of 10.

To the viewer a bore...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 1/10 · 7 June 2008]

There's not a single scary moment in this boring albeit well made Hammer entry. Christopher Lee is an excommunicated priest who somehow manages to promise to give the Devil a daughter. Richard Widmark is the hack horror novelist trying to stop him. The idea of teaming these two famous screen baddies is promising, but they share scant screen time together. A dubbed Nastassja Kinski plays a young nun and Denholm Elliott is her father, who tries to renege on his deal with Lee. It's a lousy movie all around and even manages to wastes Honor Blackman (as Widmark's sharp tongued literary agent). Based on the (presumably better) novel by Dennis Wheatley, this film surely exists solely to cash in on the EXORCIST craze of the early 70s.

Top 10 of over 5,000 movies watched

[james1-494-826857 · 10/10 · 20 April 2020]

This movie is in the top 10 movies I've ever seen. I don't understand the poor ratings what's not to like about 1970s satanic horror movies they're all good. I've watched this four times it's stunningly good....

Lurid, Gross, and Bloody What's Not to Like?

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 22 December 2014]

This Horror Movie is much Better than it Ought to be Considering its Troubled Production. Hammer Studios was in Dire Straits and this was the One that was going to Save the Beloved British Studio. Although it made a Tidy Profit, it was Not to be.

It was Hammer's Biggest Budget Movie, went on Multiple Locations, but it wasn't in the Tarot Cards as the Studio Closed it Doors just one Film Later (a non Horror Film, a remake of The Lady Vanishes).

The Film has a Cast of well Knowns including Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman and Nastassja Kinski (her age is referenced anywhere from 15-17 depending on the source). This is Significant because the Actress has some Daring Sex Scenes.

After Completion Chris Lee, Richard Widmark, and Author of the Source Material Dennis Wheatley all but Disowned the Movie. One can see why, but then again, it seems Like a bit of Insincere Embarrassment and Over Reaction.

Sure it is Lurid, Gross, Bloody, and Disturbing in its Seventies Exploitation kind of way. After all, it was "The Exorcist" (1972) that made oodles of Money and Everyone, including the Cash Hungry Hammer were trying to Emulate. Even Today "The Exorcist" and this one are Lurid, Gross, Bloody, and Disturbing. So...What The?

The Movie is Worth a Watch for a number of reasons and will Deliver the Goods to Horror Fans and Fangoria Types. It may not be as Good as its Inspirations but the Movie is Odd enough and Gory enough and with that Cast, it finds itself in Cult Film Status despite the Rushed and Disappointing Ending and the on the Set Bickering.

It's a Nasty Bit of Business this, and a number of Things make it Interesting, and a Good Try for Hammer. It was just that Their Time was Up and Others would have to Carry On the Tradition. R.I.P. Hammer Horror.

To The Hammer Fans....A Disappointment!

[Coventry · 5/10 · 14 October 2005]

Before having seen "To The Devil A Daughter", it'll definitely remind you of Hammer's 1968 classic "The Devil Rides Out". Christopher Lee is present again (no surprises here, though) but it's also the legendary horror studios' second attempt to a black magic occult thriller (both were based on Dennis Wheatley novels, by the way). Yet, you'll soon discover that the two bear very little comparison. "The Devil Rides Out" might easily be Hammer's finest effort whereas "To The Devil A Daughter" ranks among the worst… The screenplay is very inherent, a lot of plot-twists and events don't make the slightest bit of sense and – most of all – the film has the most unsatisfying ending in horror history. The basic premise is promising, though, and introduces a satanic cult neatly disguised as a Catholic Church community. The leader, who else than the almighty Christopher Lee, comes to claim the pure soul of soon-to-be 18 virgin Catherine, as agreed with her father in a devilish pact when she was born. After performing a bloody ritual, she'd become Satan's representative on earth, but her father tries to avoid this from happening by asking the help of an occult novelist. He manages to hide Catherine for a good while, but can she really escape her occult fade? Despite a couple of seriously unsettling moments and great acting performances of the entire cast, this film lacks a whole lot of impact. Much more like a good old engaging Hammer film, "To The Devil A Daughter" feels like a typical 70's Satan-flick in the trend of "The Exorcist". As a matter of course, it's much better than all the contemporary rip-off's featuring mad-raving nuns, sexually perverted priests and possessed babies but, to real Hammer fans, it'll definitely be a disappointment.