Before having seen "To The Devil A Daughter", it'll definitely remind you of Hammer's 1968 classic "The Devil Rides Out". Christopher Lee is present again (no surprises here, though) but it's also the legendary horror studios' second attempt to a black magic occult thriller (both were based on Dennis Wheatley novels, by the way). Yet, you'll soon discover that the two bear very little comparison. "The Devil Rides Out" might easily be Hammer's finest effort whereas "To The Devil A Daughter" ranks among the worst
The screenplay is very inherent, a lot of plot-twists and events don't make the slightest bit of sense and most of all the film has the most unsatisfying ending in horror history. The basic premise is promising, though, and introduces a satanic cult neatly disguised as a Catholic Church community. The leader, who else than the almighty Christopher Lee, comes to claim the pure soul of soon-to-be 18 virgin Catherine, as agreed with her father in a devilish pact when she was born. After performing a bloody ritual, she'd become Satan's representative on earth, but her father tries to avoid this from happening by asking the help of an occult novelist. He manages to hide Catherine for a good while, but can she really escape her occult fade? Despite a couple of seriously unsettling moments and great acting performances of the entire cast, this film lacks a whole lot of impact. Much more like a good old engaging Hammer film, "To The Devil A Daughter" feels like a typical 70's Satan-flick in the trend of "The Exorcist". As a matter of course, it's much better than all the contemporary rip-off's featuring mad-raving nuns, sexually perverted priests and possessed babies but, to real Hammer fans, it'll definitely be a disappointment.
Review of To the Devil a Daughter
