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
GenreHorror
Written byColin Higgins
Directed byJeannot Szwarc
StarringShelley Winters
Belinda Montgomery
Robert Foxworth
Jonathan Frid
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersEdward K. Milkis
Thomas L. Miller
Production locationsPacific Grove, California
Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
CinematographyJ.J. Jones
EditorRita Roland
Running time74 minutes
Production companyParamount Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 9, 1973 (1973-01-09)

It was an early screenwriting credit for Colin Higgins.[1]

Plot

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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

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Production

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The movie was filmed in Pacific Grove, California and Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California.[2]

Reception

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ OBITUARIES Colin Higgins; Creator of `Harold and Maude' Film: [Home Edition] Los Angeles Times 6 Aug 1988: 28.
  2. ^ "The Devil's Daughter (TV Movie 1973) - IMDb". IMDb.
  3. ^ TV MOVIE REVIEW: Scare Tactics in 'Devils Daughter' Murphy, Mary. Los Angeles Times 9 Jan 1973: f11.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ David Stratton, 'Colin Higgins', Cinema Papers, December 1982 p 534
  6. ^ The Producers: A Varied Bunch Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times 20 Apr 1977: e8.
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