Ignored by the critics and despised by the literati, one-time wine merchant Dennis Yeats Wheatley was one of those authors like Alexandre Dumas, Anthony Hope, Edgar Wallace, 'Sapper', Leslie Charteris and Ian Fleming, whose works, selling by the millions for decade after decade, have provided the inspiration for countless popular motion-pictures. He made his debut with a story of espionage in Soviet Russia, Forbidden Territory, first published in 1933 and filmed a couple of years later. There followed more than sixty titles - historical and secret service adventures, political thrillers, autobiography and the highly innovative 'crime mystery dossiers' such as Murder Off Miami and Who Killed Robert Prentice? Wheatley also struck a rich vein in popular diabolism with books like The Devil Rides Out and To the Devil a Daughter, which were made into films in 1967 and 1975 respectively. In both works, the type of supernatural thriller pioneered by writers like Aleister Crowley and Charles Williams was infused with a strong element of James Bond-type action (an influence underlined in the latter film by the appearance of Honor Goldfinger Blackman among the early victims).
Like its predecessor, To the Devil a Daughter is concerned with the struggle for a young girl Catherine (Nastassja Kinski) between the forces of Darkness and those of Light. The former are represented by the unfrocked priest 'Father' Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee) and his Satanist devotees and dupes, who are opposed by the girl's father, her lover and the American novelist and authority on the occult John Verney (Richard Widmark). In pursuit of his dastardly designs to restore the rule of Ashtaroth on earth 'Father' Michael does not shrink from kidnapping and murder, and is even prepared to violate the innermost sanctum of the august British Museum to possess himself of the Grimoire of Ashtaroth. As the film draws towards its climax immense occult forces are brought into play and the lives of all his companions are at stake before Verney contrives to turn the supernatural powers against the Satanists who have summoned them, and to come to an appropriately sticky end as a duly exercised Catherine is led away to safety.

JACK IBBERSON