To the Devil…A Daughter (1976)

MOVIE 5 - 2025 Edition of 100 Horror Movies in 92 Days

To the Devil...A Daughter is one of Hammer's final films and has Christopher Lee as an excommunicated priest who runs a convent in Bavaria which the titular Daughter, Catherine's, father Henry (played by the inestimable Denholm Elliot) believes is a Satanic cult.

He asks a famous American occultist and author, John Verney, to intercept Catherine at Heathrow airport as the cult is taking her somewhere for some reason and take her under his care until he (Henry) can meet them to take her home.

Of course, Henry is correct, and the film follows the cult's attempts to retrieve Catherine and complete their work while Verney and Henry try to save her.

For a film that's about the occult, black magic, sex magic, blood magic, bringing Astaroth to life, and demon babies, To the Devil...A Daughter does not have a lot going on for long periods of time.

It does have Christopher Lee being super-evil and Denholm Elliott being super-drinky, so it has that going for it. It was also fun to see Frances de la Tour have a couple of lines.

To the Devil isn't a terrible film, it's just a little boring and doesn't stand up to other in the Hammer catalogue, or that of its lead actors, or others in the "bring a demon to life through a baby" sub-genre such as Rosemary's Baby or The Omen.

Words I Liked: "It's the most important date in the calendar for Satanists. It's like Christmas to us." (re: Halloween)