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To The Devil A Daughter [1976]
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To the Devil a glove puppet
Review date: 2008-10-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
Occult novelist John Verney(Richard Widmark) is asked by his friend Harry Beddowes(Denholm Elliot) to look after his daughter Catherine whilst she's in London. What Verney does not know is that a group of Satanists lead by the excommunicated priest Father Michael(Christopher Lee) are desperate to get their hands on Catherine as she is required for a hideous ritual to bring the demon Azaroth back into the world. Soon Verney and his friends are fighting for their lives.
This film, Hammer's last feature length horror, is an excellent adaptation of Dennis Wheatley's novel. It is very tense and quite frightening in places, especially as the forces of evil do have the upper hand for most of the film. Richard Widmark as Verney is terrific, maybe an unlikely choice for many, but he is entirely credible as he begins to understand what a dangerous situation he finds himself in. Christopher Lee is gives a sinister, underplayed performance as the very dangerous Father Michael.
There are a couple of reasons that stop this film from being a classic, the hand puppet emmissary of evil, and a terribly rushed garish ending. Apart from those quibbles, its a very fine film, and it really is a shame that Hammer concentrated solely on television output after this.
A flawed classic. 4 out of 5
Similar Products
- The Devil Rides Out [1968]
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- Dracula - Prince Of Darkness [1965]
- Dracula A.D. 1972
- Cat People [1982]
Reviews
The end of Hammer
Review date: 2007-08-14 Rating: 8 out of 10
Having just seen this for the first time I was surprised at just how good it was. Whether those involved realised that it would be the last ever Hammer film I don't know, but it seemed as though a bit more effort was made with this.
Firstly as the previous reviewer stated its an excellent cast and unlike the later Dracula films Christopher Lee has a proper role which makes good use of his screen presence and unique voice. Denholm Elliot is also very good and the rest of the cast do a fine job. In many ways TTDAD resembles 'The Devil Rides Out' because it is also based on a Dennis Wheatley story, but I think the overriding influence was probably Hammers attempt to cash in on the success of the Exorcist and The Omen.
As for the previous reviewers comment about the violence being unacceptable I'm afraid I can't rationally explain this. There is only one scene which can possibly be considered for this and nothing is shown, you only see the after effects (and this is just tomato ketchup). There is a little bit of nudity, but in terms of violence there is nothing here to upset the regular horror film fan. By comparison to a lot of modern horror films this is a restrained and subtle affair.
So overall an enjoyable film which was a fine swan song for Hammer.
hammer's swansong and not very good.
Review date: 2007-04-17 Rating: 6 out of 10
hammer studios had a chance to finish their prolific output on a high note, with an adaption of dennis wheatley's "to the devil a daughter."
instead, what remains is a rather muddled-up, violent film that is passable at best but is ultimately ruined by its confusing and rather silly ending. one moment christopher lee is in the frame, the next he completely vanishes without a trace or explanation after being killed by richard widmark. i won't give the ending away, but it is a stupid one nevertheless.
a good cast holds this one together; christopher lee, denholm elliott, honor blackman, anthony valentine. richard widmark is miscast. why peter cushing wasn't involved i do not know. nastassja kinski is quite good. i heard her father the great klaus kinski was going to be cast in the film. another loss for hammer. as stated earlier, the violence included is unacceptable and nasty.
a pity it had to end this way for a studio who had had tremendous success from the 50s onwards.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Christopher Lee
Honor Blackman
Denholm Elliott
Nastassja Kinski
Richard Widmark
Creators:
Richard Widmark (Primary Contributor)
Christopher Lee (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034576921
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2007-01-01
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 89 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)