To the Devil a Daughter

To the Devil a Daughter

1976

Director- Peter Sykes

Cast- Christopher Lee, Richard Widmark, Natassja Kinski, Denholm Elliot, Honor Blackmon

           

This film has a lot in common with its Hammer predecessor, The Devil Rides Out. Not only were they made by the same studio and both star Christopher Lee, both films were based on novels by Dennis Wheatly and they were only made 8 years apart. However, whereas The Devil Rides Out is considered one of Hammer’s best films, To the Devil a Daughter was not as well received and was one of the last films Hammer made before the end of their heyday.

            The story follows an occult writer (played by Widmark) who is suckered into a Satanic conspiracy. Christopher Lee is an excommunicated priest trying to create a living avatar for a Satanic god, Asteroth. The vessel for this avatar is a young virginal nun, Catherine (played by Kinski).

            There are a few things working against the film. It has a complicated story line that progresses slowly but the ending seems rushed. Rugged looking American Richard Widmark ,who seems at home in The Alamo, seems out of place among the British cast. 

    No doubt some viewers felt uncomfortable with the overt sexualization of an underage Natassja Kinski. Kinski, who would later go on to melt the screen in Cat People, was not well utilized in the film. Her nude scene is problematic not so much for the content, but for the context. Underage nudity was more permissible in the 1970s but it needs to make sense within the context of the film. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, for instance, features underage nudity but it fits the context of the film. The same goes for Linda Hayden's nudity in Blood on Satan's Claw. But Kinski's nude scene in To the Devil a Daughter comes at almost the very end of the film and does nothing to effect the mood or plot. It really seems like someone added it for the sole purpose of making the film more salacious.

            Despite its flaws, there are reasons to recommend it. It has a good cast with supporting roles by Honor Blackmon (Pussy Galore in Goldfinger) and Denholm Elliot (Marcus Brody in Raiders of the Lost Ark). It is obviously not afraid of challenging taboos with both its subject matter and imagery. And of course, Christopher Lee was one of the best villainous actors in motion picture history.

            Some people will really dig the Satanic conspiracy story line. There are also a few interesting visuals, like a malformed demon fetus crawling over Natssja’s body. I suppose if the film needed an endorsement it would be that White Zombie thought enough of it to reference it in one of their songs, Black Sunshine, and sampled the film’s opening excommunication and Christopher Lee’s voice over (“This is not heresy, I will not recant.”) in another song, Supercharger Heaven.

            The film has merit, just don’t watch it with the expectation that it will be as good as the Devil Rides Out.