The Devil's Daughter (1973 film)
The Devil's Daughter is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film starring Shelley Winters, Belinda Montgomery and Robert Foxworth. It originally aired as the ABC Movie of the Week on January 9, 1973.
| The Devil's Daughter | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Horror |
| Written by | Colin Higgins |
| Directed by | Jeannot Szwarc |
| Starring | Shelley Winters Belinda Montgomery Robert Foxworth Jonathan Frid |
| Music by | Laurence Rosenthal |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Edward K. Milkis Thomas L. Miller |
| Production locations | Pacific Grove, California Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Cinematography | J.J. Jones |
| Editor | Rita Roland |
| Running time | 74 minutes |
| Production company | Paramount Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | January 9, 1973 |
It was an early screenwriting credit for Colin Higgins.[1]
Plot
Diane is a young woman (played by Belinda Montgomery) who attends the funeral of her mother. One of her mother's old friends, a wealthy woman named Lilith (Shelley Winters), introduces her to a Satanic cult (her mother was part of this cult before leaving it while Diane was a baby). The cult members have been keeping track of Diane (unbeknownst to her) throughout her childhood and teenage years, and believe her to be their "princess of darkness," insisting she take that role, which Diane rejects, horrified. Several strange things happen to Diane and her friends as the cult tries to take control over her. Diane eventually meets Steve, a charming young man (Robert Foxworth), and as she falls in love with him, feels she can defy the cult and live her own life. On her wedding day, Diane learns, to her shock and horror, that there are sinister conditions for the marriage, making her destiny unavoidable when she finds out that Steve is really the demon prince the cult had arranged her to marry.
Cast
- Shelley Winters as Lilith Malone
- Belinda Montgomery as Diane Shaw
- Robert Foxworth as Steve Stone
- Jonathan Frid as Mr. Howard
- Martha Scott as Mrs. Stone
- Joseph Cotten as Judge Weatherby
- Barbara Sammeth as Susan Sanford
- Diane Ladd as Alice Shaw
- Lucille Benson as Janet Poole
- Thelma Carpenter as Margaret Poole
- Abe Vigoda as Alikhine
- Ian Wolfe as Father MacHugh
- Robert Cornthwaite as Pastor Dixon
- Rozelle Gayle as Fedora
Production
The movie was filmed in Pacific Grove, California and Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California.[2]
Reception
The Los Angeles Times said it "had about as much suspense as the Nixon-McGovern race."[3] The New York Times called it "one of the better made for TV movies."[4]
Legacy
Higgins later described the script as "just a job".[5] However producers Milkis and Miller enjoyed working with Higgins and commissioned him to write a Hitchcock style thriller. This became Silver Streak.[6]
See also
References
- OBITUARIES Colin Higgins; Creator of `Harold and Maude' Film: [Home Edition] Los Angeles Times 6 Aug 1988: 28.
- "The Devil's Daughter (TV Movie 1973) - IMDb". IMDb.
- TV MOVIE REVIEW: Scare Tactics in 'Devils Daughter' Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 9 Jan 1973: f11.
- TV: 'Devil's Daughter': Shelley Winters Is Harassed Heroine in A.B.C.'s Witchcraft Thriller Tonight By HOWARD THOMPSON. New York Times 9 Jan 1973: 79.
- David Stratton, 'Colin Higgins', Cinema Papers, December 1982 p 534
- The Producers: A Varied Bunch Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times 20 Apr 1977: e8.