The Devil's Daughter (1973) (TV)

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writers:

Colin Higgins (writer)
Phill Norman (titles)

Release Date:

9 January 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Satan Has Returned For Her!

Plot:

A young girl whose mother had sold her soul to Satan when she was born is told by Satan that she must marry a fellow demon.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Satanism | Occult | Father Daughter Relationship | Devil

Cast

Shelley Winters	...	Lilith Malone
Belinda Montgomery	...	Diane Shaw
Robert Foxworth	...	Steve Stone
Jonathan Frid	...	Mr. Howard
Martha Scott	...	Mrs. Stone
Joseph Cotten	...	Judge Weatherby
Barbara Sammeth	...	Susan Sanford
Diane Ladd	...	Alice Shaw (as Diane Lad)
Lucille Benson	...	Janet Poole
Thelma Carpenter	...	Margaret Poole
Abe Vigoda	...	Alikhine
Ian Wolfe	...	Father MacHugh
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Pastor Dixon
Rozelle Gayle	...	Fedora
Nick Bolin	...	Turk

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Pacific Grove, California, USA

Company:

CBS Television Network

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Devil's Child (1997) (TV)

The Devil takes His due...

An aspiring mother makes a pact with The Devil for wealth in exchange for her daughter, who would one day marry Satan's son. She despicably tries to renege on the deal, and is promptly punished for her ingratitude. In an attempt to shoot The Devil, the bullet actually penetrates her own chest. Her daughter 'Diane' {Belinda Montgomery} grows up sheltered in convents and private schools, eventually developing into quite a comely young lady until the day of her mother's funeral, where she meets with Lilith Malone {Shelley Winters}, who graciously offers her to stay at her beautiful home, wherein she begins experiencing nightmares and comes upon little secrets here and there, and her suspicion grows. She becomes fascinated by a certain sigil which she notices being virtually omnipresent at the mansion, on objects, and on jewelry upon suspicious persons, including two rather feather-brained women who act like something out of The Stepford Wives.

Upon meeting a new friend Alice Shaw {Diane Ladd}, she decides to be out on her own, and leaves the comfort of this veritable palace for an apartment. Here and there, Lilith and her cohorts begin appearing, monitoring her. Jonathan Frid {of Barnabas Collins / 'Dark Shadows' fame} plays a mute butler / limousine driver, who seems to feel for the young lady's perceived plight, when all she had to do all along is merely accept her birthright as the "Princess of Darkness'.

One night while at a party thrown by Lilith, Diane drinks a bit too much wherein her repressed carnal expression breaks free and begins lasciviously dancing in the midst of the crowd, who begin hailing her as the said 'Princess of Darkness', as well as 'The Demon of Endor'. Her denial persists, despite her increasing experiences with her own diabolical powers made manifest. She is summoned by a Judge who informs her that her father set up a trust fund for her; who pleasantly agrees to 'give her away' at her impending whirlwind romance and wedding. I thought it rather interesting that she began dating her now dead friend's man, who perished in a freak horse 'accident' {seems that during one of Lilith's unexpected visits, she stealthily lifted a horse figurine from Alice's collection, obviously using it for a Curse}. She meets Steve Stone {Robert Foxworth} and falls horns over hoofs in love. We later come to discover that she meets her true "soul-mate" in his form.

Many surprises await the viewer at the end during The Wedding with a truly delightful twist.

The Devil's Daughter was released around the same time as all the legendary 'devil movies' such as The Devil's Rain, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, and later, The Omen were, which also includes an 'all-star' cast, and otherwise served to launch the career of subsequent stars.