To the Devil A Daughter (1976) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - September 8, 1976

The release of To the Devil A Daughter did not ping my burgeoning horror geek radar, back in the day. I think I may have first heard about the film via an article or still in the pages of Fangoria magazine, maybe.

Then again, perhaps, it was the review I read in John Stanley's Creature Features Movie Guide saying, "[Director Peter] Sykes zooms all over the gloomy landscapes and the final results are pretty good if somewhat muddled..." I have no argument to make with that assessment. 

I do know that I first saw the film on home video in, or around, 1984. When we were living in Hong Kong. I also rented and watched The Wicker Man around that time, as well.

While the movie does have its issues and controversies, I remember really liking it. Dennis Wheatley hated the liberties the film took with his source novel and wanted no more Hammer Film adaptations made of his work. Nastassja Kinski, Richard Widmark, and Christopher Lee also seem to have had unpleasant experiences making the film. Evidently the shoot was really chaotic.

The film's abrupt ending also seems to be getting no small amount of negative criticisms, but I remember liking it. This is one I should add to my collection, I think.

Oh, and To the Devil A Daughter was coupled with Embryo at most theaters. Save for the Hilltop Drive-In, where the co-feature was Abby, and the Hayward Automotive, where the co-feature was, of all things, St. Ives.