Making its cinematic appearance quite late in the game, one could say that To The Devil a Daughter is the one that ended it all for Hammer horror. By the late 70's the Hammer style just wasn't as profitable or popular as it had once been and American distributors (or investors) couldn't help but take notice. Along comes To the Devil a Daughter and of course Hammer Studios wanted to go out with a bang on this one and make it as grandiose and unpredictable as they could have. Unfortunately, as we all know, sometimes things just don't work out quite the way they are planned. This one had fans and critics alike divided as much then as they are now. The story is quite simple actually (or was it eventually made to be quite simple) the strengths of the film itself were meant to lie within the execution and performances within. The question is, was Hammer House successful? I'd say without a doubt, yes, but I unfortunately suspect that others may want to suggest to you otherwise.

Christopher Lee stars as Father Michael Rainer an out of his mind priest who wants to see the rebirth of the unholy one himself, The Lord Satan, ASAP. Rainer sets his sights on the innocent and young nun named Catherine (played by Klaus Kinski's daughter, Nastassia) to see his plan come to fruition. It's up to an occult novelist named John Varney a close friend of Catherine's father, to help try and stop Rainer before (dare I say it?) it's too late.

Without a doubt one of Hammer Studio's most overlooked and under appreciated works, To the Devil a Daughter has always been a personal favorite of mine, pretty much since day one. Yes the film has a sordid history (don't most Hammer productions?) and yes I'm certain that these troubles have quite often swayed the public and critic's decisions throughout the years. If you can put the entire mumbo jumbo aside (troublesome actors, set troubles, altered scenes, you name it!) and sit down with To the Devil a Daughter to be accepted at face value, I'm fairly certain you'll find something to like within.

The film itself is quite often chilling, unnerving and without a doubt ultimately disturbing. While practically bloodless (I did say practically), it relies on good old fashioned terror tactics to score its scare points. There are moments and images that are destined to stay with you once you hit the stop button. The film was deliriously created with extremely low and high angle shots and disorienting edits, mixed right in with long flowing scenes that almost seem to scream tranquillity... and right when we think we're in a safety zone, we're hit right upside the head. The film is unforgiving and unapologetic for its ultimate abrasivness, it certainly ain't no cakewalk here, that's for sure.

I stated earlier that one of the key strengths of the film lies within its incredible performances. Christopher Lee shines as the disturbed Priest Rainer and it's evident that there was a star in the making with young Natassia Kinski. Other notable appearances include Honor Blackman (FRIGHT), Richard Widmark as Verney (not their first choice and purportedly a bastard on the set) and Denholm Elliot (Raiders of the Lost Ark). Of course we have to mention the fact that at the ripe young age of 15 Kinski is seen in some extremely disturbing scenes of a sexual nature. Also, who could ever forget the scene of Kinski toward the end of the film complete with full frontal nudity (completely restored for this release). These are the things that controversies are made of.

The packaging claims that the film is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer but to me it looked more like 1.85:1. Either way the framing looks quite comfortable with a host of info opened up on the sides not present in previous full frame editions. The quality of this release is not as stellar as some of Anchor Bay's previous Hammer titles, but still fares considerably well all things considered. There is minimal print damage, left to mostly specs and film dirt. Colors are quite sharp and black levels are nice and solid, unfortunately though, the film never escapes its 70's heritage. The disc is cleanly authored with no compression artifacts to be found. This is easily the best this film has ever looked, and I can't imagine it ever looking any superior.

Audio doesn't do quite as well as video. Sound often appears a bit muffled with a few scenes in particular really standing out (you'll see what I mean when you hear the gun shots). Quite often dialogue is clear and audible for a mono track, it'll do just fine, although I have heard better, especially from Anchor Bay. I'm sure they did the best they could with what they were given considering their recent track record.

Extras include a 24-minute featurette entitled To the Devil...The Death of Hammer. This is an extremely well executed and informative piece. Featuring interviews with Lee, Honor Blackman, director Peter Sykes as well as many other cast and crew members and film historians. There are so many sweet anecdotes, most memorable are when they talk about the butchered ending that we'll unfortunately never see and the onset antics of Widmark. Other extras include a nifty trailer in decent shape itself and a very nice still gallery (with over 50 shots) that includes everything from onset photos to poster and video artwork. Finally, we have bios for both Lee and Widmark.

It's simply a joy to have this final Hammer horror film preserved on DVD. Forget what you may have heard or try and re think what you may have previously thought. To the Devil a Daughter is more than just a fine film, it's an example of pure unadulterated terror. Give it a once over (for the first time) and see for yourself. It's truly the best example of a diamond in the rough I can think of and it most definitely deserves your attention.