To the Devil a Daughter (1976)

Director:

Peter Sykes

Writers:

John Peacock (adaptation)
Dennis Wheatley (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Warning! This Motion Picture Contains The Most Shocking Scenes This Side Of Hell!

Plot:

An American occult novelist battles to save the soul of a young girl from a group of Satanists, led by an excommunicated priest, who plan on using her as the representative of the Devil on Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Female Frontal Nudity | Female Nudity | Teenager Nudity | Book | Cult Favorite

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	John Verney
Christopher Lee	...	Father Michael Rayner
Honor Blackman	...	Anna Fountain
Denholm Elliott	...	Henry Beddows
Michael Goodliffe	...	George De Grass
Nastassja Kinski	...	Catherine
Eva Maria Meineke	...	Eveline De Grass
Anthony Valentine	...	David
Derek Francis	...	The Bishop
Izabella Telezynska	...	Margaret
Constantine Gregory	...	Kollde (as Constantin de Goguel)
Anna Bentinck	...	Isabel
Irene Prador	...	German matron
Brian Wilde	...	Black Room attendant
Petra Peters	...	Sister Helle
William Ridoutt	...	Airport porter
Howard Goorney	...	Critic
Frances de la Tour	...	Salvation Army major
Zoe Hendry	...	Girl #1
Lindy Benson	...	Girl #2
Jo Peters	...	Girl #3
Bobby Sparrow	...	Girl #4
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ed Devereaux	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bill Horsley	...	Curator (uncredited)
Peter Sykes	...	Man at airport (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Sykes

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Peacock		adaptation
Gerald Vaughan-Hughes		additional material (uncredited)
Dennis Wheatley		novel
Christopher Wicking		writer

Produced by
Roy Skeggs	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Glass

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
John Trumper

Casting by
Irene Lamb

Art Direction by
Don Picton

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist
George Blackler	....	makeup artist
Jeanette Freeman	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ron Jackson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barry Langley	....	assistant director

Art Department
Wag Hammerton	....	construction manager

Sound Department
Mike Le Mare	....	sound editor
Tony Lumkin	....	recording director
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer
Dennis Whitlock	....	sound

Special Effects by
Les Bowie	....	special effects

Stunts
Eddie Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ted Hallows	....	gaffer
Ron Robson	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Nightingale	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Philip Martell	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Ken Gordon	....	production accountant
Sally Jones	....	continuity
Mike Russell	....	publicist

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions
• Terra-Filmkunst
• Charlemagne Productions

Distributors

• Cine Artists Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Astral Video (Canada) (VHS)
• Continental Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Olympus Video (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Braut des Satans, Die (West Germany)
Child of Satan (USA) (video title)
To the Devil... a Daughter (USA) (poster title)
Braut des Satans, Die (Austria) [de]
Córka dla diabla (Poland) [pl]
Dotter åt djävulen, En (Sweden) [sv]
Figlia per il diavolo, Una (Italy) [it]
Monja poseída, La (Spain) [es]
Paholaisen tytär (Finland) [fi]
Une fille... pour le diable (France) [fr]

Runtime:

Germany:91 min | USA:95 min

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Finland:(Banned) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:(Banned) (1977-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

The "Hill near Warburton" Mausoleum is actually the Dashwood Mausoleum in West Wycombe. Currently National Trust Property, it used to belong to the notorious Hellfire Club.

Quotes:

Father Michael Rayner: It is not heresy, and I will not recant!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Perfect Scary Movie (2005) (TV)

"Hammer's final horror film."

*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.