To the Devil a Daughter
1976, directed by Peter Sykes, released by Anchor Bay

Movie
Hammer Studios makes a last-ditch effort to keep the studio solvent. Financial backers are found, and a great cast is assembled. Does Hammer live to film another day?? (Hint: don't write the script while you film it).

The story: The antagonist of the story is introduced, the heretical Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee). Having been excommunicated by the church, Rayner continues his atrocities in Germany. Of most interest to he and his followers is a young "nun" in their church - Catherine (Nastassja Kinski). Apparently her father, Henry (Denholm Elliott), gave Catherine to Father Rayner as part of a demonic contract.

With Catherine visiting her father in the United States for her birthday, Henry has decided to try and renege on the contract, and save his daughter. To accomplish this, he seeks the aid of the renowned occult writer John Verney (Richard Widmark). John succeeds in kidnapping Catherine from Father Rayner's escort. And from that point on, must simultaneously protect her, while unlocking the mystery of what demonic fate awaits her.

Video
We have another quite competent video transfer from Anchor Bay - an anamorphic transfer, 1.66:1 aspect ratio.

For a film aged over 25 years, there is an acceptable amount of source defects. But as I have said many times, I haven't seen the film look better - and I don't expect to, either.

Audio
English Dolby Digital mono is all there is. Dialogue is generally clear throughout.

However, there were quite a few scenes where the ambient sound was quite distracting. There was such a muffled quality to the "world" surrounding the actors - especially in the outdoor location shots. Perhaps this is all the source material had to offer. If so, it's a pity that the quality of the audio track couldn't have been improved.

Trash Factor
The main trash for this movie is the full-frontal nudity of Nastassja Kinski - she must have been 16 or 17 at the time this movie was made. In addition to her disrobing, there are other scenes of sexual depravity, in the obligatory sadistic, satanic ceremonies that this film would obviously include. Overall, if you are a Kinski fan, you will want to see this film - otherwise, the sex appeal isn't enough to sell it.

Violence and gore fans will be disappointed here. Very few kills here, but what little gore effects are included, are actually pretty good. Some decent gunshot and stabbing effects. And lots of blood surrounding some very uncomfortable birth and sacrifice scenes.

And the well-renowned, utterly disappointing demon baby scene is here - laughable.

Extras
Pretty much your typical DVD extras here - trailer, cast and crew bios, and a gallery of production stills, posters, and ad copy to browse through.

The most compelling and essential extra is the all too short documentary, "To The Devil… The Death Of Hammer." This feature, produced by Blue Underground just this year, focuses on the analysis of what went wrong with this picture. It is quite insightful to hear some of the actors (Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Anthony Valentine) share their recollections. You also hear interviews with director Peter Sykes, producer Roy Skeggs, and two of the screenplay writers (Christopher Wicking and Gerald Vaughn-Hughes). Some Hammer historians are on hand, as well, to give the historical overview.

This feature runs an all too brief 25 minutes. Yes, unfortunately, there are so many failures on so many levels to talk about regarding this film - 25 minutes is not nearly enough. Richard Widmark, unfortunately does not contribute. Since he is discussed so much, his viewpoint would have been welcomed.

Packaging
Very nice cover image for this DVD release. I think it is an original art design? I have not seen it previously. The chapter-stop insert card has a "Lee vs. Widmark" poster reproduction on the flip side.

Overall
This film really isn't all that bad. However, whatever potential this project had - the execution was atrocious. After seeing the documentary on this DVD, it is plain to see that this movie was doomed to mediocrity. And in a final insult to injury - although the film was rather successful at the box office - Hammer didn't reap the rewards, only the financial backers did. And this was the last film from the Hammer Studios.

On the plus side of the film - the source material was solid, a book by Dennis Wheatley. Hammer had successfully adapted Wheatley's novel The Devil Rides Out. Yet the final product of this adaptation was apparently appalling to Wheatley - to the point he vowed never to work with Hammer again.

I also enjoyed the performances - Christopher Lee's certainly topping the list. Just another of his many classic horror performances for Hammer. The protagonist to Lee is Richard Widmark - who I feel carries his own. Many people seem to dislike his performance - but I see him as an occult "expert" that bites off more than he can chew in the case of Catherine and Father Rayner. Widmark's character John Verney proclaims that 98% of the occult claims he investigates are bogus. So to me it isn't surprising that in this real occult situation, he is thrown off a bit.

Supporting these two main leads - actors Honor Blackman, Denholm Elliott, Nastassja Kinski, and Anthony Valentine are solid.

Bottom-line, the movie has some very intriguing ideas and sequences. Hammer, however, was trying to play catch-up to Hollywood's success with films like Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and It's Alive. Perhaps that led to the script taking things a little too far - leading to a final product that sacrificed sense for shock?

Watching the documentary, it is evident that writing, and re-writing the script (while filming) - makes this film an unfair assessment of director Peter Sykes. Watch his Hammer film Demons of the Mind for proof. There is just too much going on in this film, for a short 90 minute plus running time. And what is assembled here is truly disjointed. The plot and script here are Swiss cheese. The final failure is a completely unsatisfying final confrontation between Lee and Widmark. A halfway decent ending would have prevented the film leaving such a bad taste in your mouth.

So we have here an above average DVD treatment, for a slightly below-average movie. The final score I give the DVD of To the Devil a Daughter is average; with only a mild recommendation. Buy or rent at your own risk.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD