The Devil's Daughter (1973) (TV)

"Hail Diane - Princess of Darkness", 24 February 2008

After her mother's untimely and violent death, Diane Shaw (Belinda Montgomery) meets a woman named Lilith Malone (Shelley Winters) who claims to be one of her mother's old friends. Lilith invites Diane to stay with her for a while. At first things seem almost ideal, but a series of strange events soon puts a different spin on things. Diane decides to leave Lilith's house, but can't seem to escape her control. Is Lilith who and what she claims to be? Or is she the devil in disguise?

I just love watching Shelley Winters in a movie like this. Although she's in control most of the time, there's at least one scene where Winters loses it that's too much fun. I don't think her turn in The Devil's Daughter is anywhere near her best, but she always a joy. The rest of the cast is good. Jonathan Frid, Abe Vigoda, Diane Ladd, and Joseph Cotton are all good in their respective roles.

I also love these 1970s made-for-TV movies. As I wrote in a comment to another Movie of the Week, young people today would be surprised at how much we enjoyed watching these movies. And if it was horror or horror related, it was something we really looked forward to. Movies like Satan's School for Girls, Gargoyles, and The Night Stalker were the highlights of the television schedule. The Devil's Daughter is another fine example of made-for-TV horror. It's not the best of the bunch, but it is effectively creepy in spots. A few of the scenes, like the party Diane attends where she discovers her titular birthright, are eerily reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. Overall, it's an enjoyable little film – not great by any stretch of the imagination – just enjoyable. I would rate it even higher if the screenplay weren't so predictable. I defy anyone who has seen more than a handful of horror to find many surprises in the plot. But even as predictable as the film's climax may be, it's still a trip to watch unfold.

7/10