To the Devil... The Death of Hammer

To the Devil...The Death of Hammer (2002)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

This 24-minute documentary by David Gregory is about the making of Hammer's TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, which would turn out to be the studios final film (until here recently). We learn from Christopher Lee that he's the one who originally brought the book to the studio but we then learn that to properly film the book they would need at least ten-million so they decided to try and do something different with the screenplay. While Lee agreed the screenplay was good he adds that it wasn't really the book. From this point on it seems everything went wrong with the production. We learn that Klaus Kinski was originally going to be in the film but he couldn't promise the director that he'd stay off drugs for ten days. We learn that his daughter ended up getting a part in the film because the director had seen her in an underground movie. The biggest shock comes from the fact that it seems everyone hated Richard Widmark and wish he had fallen off the face of the Earth. I love Widmark as an actor so hearing all these negative stories was somewhat of a shock but at the same time he seems like the tough guy that wouldn't be too happy with not having a script to work with and not liking how Hammer was making the film. The controversy surrounding the ending that was forced on them is discussed and by the end of the documentary it really does seem that very few were happy with the final product. I personally found the film itself to be quite bad but this documentary is honest and explains why it turned out that way. This is certainly a must-see for fans of the film or just film fans in general because it gives you the perfect idea of what can go wrong on a set.

It's rare that a DVD extra is worth watching. All too often, they are too brief and have nothing particularly interesting to say. However, this one is an absolute must for anyone who watches TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER. This is because the original film started off well but became a rather incomprehensible mess towards the end. My wife and I watched the film and felt cheated and baffled by the muddled conclusion. Well, why the ending was so bad as well as all the background for the film are clearly explained in the documentary. Plus, it was reassuring to hear Christopher Lee and several of the film makers talking about how bad they, too, thought the film turned out in the end. Additionally, there were several interesting comments on the film. One was a discussion of the final days of the Hammer Film Studio and another was about what a boorish jerk Richard Widmark was during filming!

Overall, a must if you see TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER and even worth seeing if you don't. Well constructed (unlike the original film) and filled with plenty of interviews with surviving cast members and crew--most of which were alive when the documentary was completed.

Included on Anchor Bay's "To the Devil...A Daughter" is this barely thirty minute documentary on not just the aforementioned film, but also Author Dennis Wheatley, "the Devil Rides out" and the demise of Hammer as well. It's a pretty interesting half hour.

My Grade: B-

Easter Egg Alert: Since I didn't find it until after I finished my "To the Devil...a daughter" review, there's a couple amusing antedotes from regular Hammer Stunt man Eddie Powell as a hidden egg. Go to the extras menu & go down to where 'Talent Bios' is highlighted and then push left, this will highlight a star, just press enter and enjoy.

Its not common to find a DVD extra that really tells you something.

This one is strange in how cheesy its production is and at the same time how informative. It sent me to find the "100 years of Horror" series which was produced in something of the same way, but will less value.

Here we discover why this movie turned out so rotten. Why the ending was so slapdash; the original ending was deemed too similar to an earlier one. We don't discover much about Ms Kinski, and the way her body became the point of the film. But we do hear the tantalizing bit that they hoped to get both father and daughter, but the father couldn't guarantee more than a week or so drugfree.

I replayed this entire film in my head with him in it, as one of the three male roles: the nun's father, the satanic priest, the investigative journalist. Actually I could see him playing all three roles with significant ambiguity. Oh what a rich thing that would have been, and in fact simply imagining it makes this a better experience than many movies I paid for this year.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.