Daughters of Satan (1972)

An Exercise In Nonsense

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Manila-based art-buyer James Robertson (Tom Selleck) purchases a fugly old painting depicting the burning of three witches in 1592, after which his wife, Chris (Barra Grant), becomes possessed by the spirit of one of the witches and attempts to kill her husband, who just happens to be a descendant of the inquisitor who condemned the satanic trio to death.Could Daughters of Satan have influenced the creators of classic series Magnum, P.I.? Not only does this cheesy Filipino B-movie feature an early starring role for future TV private eye Selleck, but his character drives a red sports car (albeit not a Ferrari), while the name of the film's writer, John C. Higgins, is uncannily similar to that of Magnum's stuffy superior, John Q. Higgins. If all of this is a coincidence, then it's certainly spookier than anything that happens in Daughters of Satan, which completely fails to delivers the chills.Director Hollingsworth Morse worked primarily in television, and his uninspired visuals, coupled with predictable editing, a weak script and cheap special effects, means that Daughters of Satan definitely has the look and feel of a bad TV movie, and as such offers very little in the way of genuine horror. What just about saves the film from being a total waste of time is some good old-fashioned gratuitous nudity (Barra Grant's splendid rack making up for her 'constantly surprised' eyebrows), a reasonably fun chase scene that features a couple of decent stunts, and a welcome cameo from Filipino character actor Vic Diaz, who sports a really strange hairdo.3.5 out of 10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.

"Daughters of Satan" is a cheesy but fun piece of low-budget occult Horror starring 27-year-old Tom Selleck in his first leading role. Directed by Hollingsworth Morse (nice name, buddy), "Daughters of Satan" was obviously shot on a very low budget, and while the plot is cheesy and messy and often lacks logic, the film is undeniably entertaining. Selleck plays the American arts expert James Robinson, who has recently moved to the Phillipines with his beautiful wife Christina (Barra Grant). In an obscure art gallery, he stumbles across a painting which shows a witch-burning in 1592 Spain. And one of the burned witches happens to be the spitting image of his wife! Fascinated with the coincidence, he buys the painting and brings it home; henceforth, mysterious things begin to happen... As mentioned above, logic isn't the strongest point of the film (why would anyone keep the painting when it's clear that it's causing trouble), and the plot is often messy. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable film that might appeal to many of my fellow fans of low-budget Horror and Exploitation. There are some really cool scenes, in particular the sleazy opening sequence, and one fantastic creepy scene involving a painting, which I don't want to give away. Interestingly, Selleck's role here has some resemblance to the role of Magnum P.I., for which he would later get famous. Barra Grant, who plays his wife, has a very presentable rack, and the film includes a variety of eccentric characters. You haven't missed anything if you decide to skip "Daughters of Satan". However, it is definitely entertaining, and a film that most of my fellow fans of B-Movies and low-budget Horror in particular might enjoy.

"Daughters of Satan" is a movie about three women who are actually reincarnated witches, re-born to take revenge on the man who burned them at the stake. It's a slow-paced bad dream that holds together much better than most old horror movies. Tom Selleck stars as a man who buys a strange painting of a woman who looks like his wife… when he gives it to her she starts to "remember" her past, and so begins the violence and nudity.This is one of those good "bad" horror movies that isn't just about moving from one violent bloodbath to the next... you get to breathe with the characters and ponder the outlandish situation in which they find themselves, which only makes it all the more believable. It's like that realization during a nightmare that you're having a nightmare, when you try to wake yourself up but you just can't come out of it."Daughters Of Satan" is not a great movie by any means, but it has it's own illogical occult madness that somehow winds up making sense. I'm prejudiced because I saw the last 40 minutes on late-night TV and spent five years tracking it down to see the entire movie. It was worth it, for me anyway...GRADE: B-

Daughters of Satan (1972) stars Tom Selleck before he was a star. The basic story: Selleck buys a painting depicting the burning of three witches. One of the witches bears a striking resemblance to his wife. Soon, she and two other women begin behaving in a very strange fashion. Selleck is sure that his wife and the other women are the spirits of the witches from the painting reincarnated. He must find a way to save not only his wife, but himself as well.While most of the movie isn't very good, some scenes work. There are even a few creepy moments. My personal favorite is when Selleck's wife is awoken in bed by a voice whispering her name. Another good scene is when the wife as a witch is stripped and whipped. Very well done. But, there are moments in the movie where nothing happens. It's almost as if the writers had no idea of what to do next, so we get to see exciting scenes like the wife staring at a window for 30 or so seconds.Most of the acting is forgettable. Selleck is okay, just a little green around the edges. Most of the rest of the cast is really bad. The housekeeper is especially bad. Most of her delivery is just so unnatural.The most annoying thing about the movie is the soundtrack. It has some of the most inappropriate music you'll likely encounter. The music never seems to fit the action happening on the screen.