dworldeater Review of To the Devil a Daughter

To the Devil a Daughter (1976)

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

[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.