Director: Peter Sykes
Screenplay: Christopher Wicking and John Peacock, from the novel by Dennis Wheatley
Starring: Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Nastassja Kinski, Denholm Elliott
Release Date: July 1976
In 1976 Hammer Films, the British production company renowned for their lushly gothic and fairly graphic (for the time) period horror tales, decided to jump on the devil-worship bandwagon in an attempt to cash in on the massive box office returns of similarly-themed fare in the wake of THE EXORCIST. The resulting film, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, is a fantastically realized vision of demonic diabolism full of stunning displays of surreal Satanism and a terrifying performance from Christopher Lee that as of now ranks as my favorite of the studio’s output.
The film begins with the excommunication of Father Michael Rayner (Lee) from the Catholic church, during which we hear his inner monologue defiantly refusing to recant for sins untold. We then skip ahead twenty years. Father Michael is overseeing a coven of nuns on a secluded island, and is sending teenaged Catherine to the mainland for her eighteenth birthday. Meanwhile, occult writer John Verney (Widmark) is approached by Henry Beddows (Elliott), Catherine’s father, who asks the author to intercept his daughter at the airport and watch over her for a few hours. Sensing the possibility of ideas for a new novel, Verney agrees, but soon discovers that he may have gotten in over his head. Catherine, though seemingly innocent and pure, has been raised her entire life by a Satanic sect presided over by Rayner called The Children of the Lord. When Catherine was born, the evil priest forced her father to make a pact, essentially signing her soul over to the sect, who have taken great measure over her life to prepare her for the honor of becoming the Earthly avatar of their demonic god, Astaroth. Sensing Beddows has broken the pact, Rayner utilizes everything he has at his disposal, including black magic, to get Catherine back. As the film escalates in intensity towards its climax, John Verney must use his intensive knowledge of the occult to his advantage in order to save the soul of Catherine, and perhaps the world.
There’s just something about Satanic cult and possession movies from the 1970’s never fails to get under my skin. Perhaps it was the conviction with which the filmmakers and filmgoers of the time believed that these events were actually happening, but they certainly don’t make them like this anymore, at least not with such regularity. Ti West’s HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a rare exception, and that film perfectly tapped into the mood that permeates throughout TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER. The film begins rather slowly, with a series of seemingly disconnected scenes that leave the viewer slightly confused as to what exactly is going on.
But as all of the elements come together and we realize the deplorable depths which Father Rayner has plumbed in order to achieve his goal, the horror deepens, seemingly building towards an epic climax. The film’s ultimate ending can’t quite meet these expectations, unfortunately, but in the meantime director Peter Sykes treats us to a menagerie of surreally Satanic circumstances. A woman is forced to give birth to….something, with her legs bound shut. The thing eventually bursts from her belly, to the horror of her doctors and the demonic glee of Father Rayner. Catherine has frequent visions of a hellish demon-fetus, caked in it’s mother’s entrails. In a flashback later in the film we get to see the bizarre, hallucinogenic ritual in which Rayner impregnates the woman with this demon seed while his followers simultaneously thrust a statue of their leader, a man hanging upside down on a crucifix, onto an unconscious Catherine in an obscene mockery of the reproductive act. All of this takes place in the middle of an orgy, by the way, and we even get to see Christopher Lee’s bare ass, which I later found out belonged to his stunt double. Is it weird that I was sorta disappointed when I found that out?
Sykes moves the story along at exactly the pace it needs, giving the characters room to breathe and allowing for a growing sense of impending doom. While Richard Widmark is does not make for the most charismatic lead, he commands a great deal of authority in his ration dealings with some most unnatural events. I loved seeing Denholm Elliott in a movie that didn’t feature INDIANA JONES in the title, especially since the character he plays here is much less sympathetic and far more perverse than I’m accustomed to seeing him. But Christopher Lee owns this movie, giving an electrifying performance as Father Rayner. His calm, collected attitude never waivers, and the only emotion he allows himself is one of unholy glee when he sees his ultimate goals coming together. The standout scene for me is when he calls Elliott’s character on the phone and proceeds to use his dark magic to convince him to reveal the location of the girl, causing Elliott to imagine snakes coiling around his hands. He enacts this magic by simply coiling a length of rope around the receiver on his end, and he delivers his lines with a cool assurance that sent a shiver down my spine. The cinematography is excellent, and though I can’t be sure, it looks like Hammer pumped substantially more money into this picture than usual. Regardless, the filmmakers use low angles and careful lighting to make even the most safest of places, like a church, seem dark and foreboding even in broad daylight.
The only complaint I can level against the flick is that the final confrontation between Rayner and Verney ends far too abruptly, considering the momentum with which the film builds towards this point. It’s not that the ending is a total letdown, it just happens to fast, allowing little time for character resolution. However, in the final few minutes we do get to see some magnificent full-frontal nudity from Ms. Kinski, so I think that balances things out.
TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER is moody, violent, and incredibly disturbing in parts, with sturdy performances from some fine British thespians to prop up it’s slightly stiff American lead, anchored by a stand-out performance from the legendary Christopher Lee. It’s gruesome, and offensive, and will probably make you feel very uncomfortable if you watch it with your grandmother. In other words, it is a great horror film, and makes for perfect viewing during the Halloween season.
My Rating: 8.5/10
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