To the Devil a Daughter

Twenty years ago, Father Rayner (Christopher Lee) was excommunicated for leading a satanic cult under the guise of a Catholic church. Now Father Rayner and his followers have come back for Catherine (Nastassja Kinski), the daughter of Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott), who was pledged to be the new vessel for the demon, Asteroth, on her 18th birthday. Henry has sought the help of occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) in battle for his daughter's soul.

The movie is a little slow and confusing in the beginning, but the superb acting makes up for these flaws very quickly. Lee is very powerful without being over the top, Widmark never loses his composure as the harried novelist, Elliott plays the frantic father who is slowly losing his mind, and even Kinski, in one of her first roles, does well as the tormented nun.

While the special effects and blood use are tame by today's standards, the imagery, camera angles and music exude a creepiness that stands up over time.

All in all, a pretty creepy film to watch.