Independent Films, Film Profiles

To the Devil a Daughter

To the Devil... A Daughter is a 1976 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions, directed by Peter Sykes. It stars Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Nastassja Kinski and Denholm Elliott. The original music score was composed by Paul Glass.The film was adapted from the 1953 novel of the same name by Dennis Wheatley. It was the second of Wheatley's "black magic" novels to be filmed by Hammer, following The Devil Rides Out, released in 1968. It was marketed with the tagline "...and suddenly the screams of a baby born in Hell!" The film is generally noted for three things: the full frontal nude scene of Kinski; Hammer's attempt at a supernatural thriller, in the style of Don't Look Now or Rosemary's Baby; and the fact it is the last "Hammer Horror" produced.Occult writer John Verney is asked by his friend Henry Beddows to pick up his daughter Catherine from the airport. Catherine is a nun with The Children of the Lord, a mysterious Catholic order located in Bavaria and is allowed to come to visit once a year on her birthday. But after Catherine arrives, Beddows then insists that she stay with Verney. But the order under the sinister Father Michael Rayner make all efforts to get Catherine back and marshal black magic to stop Verney as he protects her. Verney learns that the order really harbours a group of practicing Satanists who have prepared Catherine to become an avatar of Astaroth upon this, her eighteenth birthday.