User reviews

Vic Diaz was so good in The Big Bird Cage that I just had to see him again to see if he was as funny in all his films. He was in 112 films and is considered the jolly evil fat man of Filipino exploitation cinema. It may take a while to track them all down.

As a bonus, this is Tom Selleck's (Magnum P.I., Blue Bloods, Jesse Stone series) third film. He even has a mustache then.

Jim (Selleck) finds a painting of a witch burning, and the with looks like a dead ringer for his wife Chris (Barra Grant). Suspicious things start occurring. She blurts out the exact date of the burning, and a dog in the painting disappears after she sees it for real. Things just get stranger from there.

It's all about revenge for a 16th century crime. Very interesting.

"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.

Tom Selleck(in an early role) plays James Robertson, who purchases an old painting of a witch burning that intrigues him. His wife Chris realizes that James looks like the witch-burner, but he just dismisses this as a coincidence, but when each of the three witches begins disappearing from the painting, he begins to suspect something supernatural may be going on, and that it involves his wife...

Despite a good premise and atmosphere, this is squandered on a cheap exploitation film(consider the opening sequence...) that takes too long to tell its story, and ultimately leads to an unsatisfying and downbeat conclusion; looks like an R-Rated version of the "Night Gallery" TV series, which was on the air at this time, though Rod Serling is nowhere to be found!

Early Tom Selleck film where he and his wife encounter a coven of witches. The coven think that Selleck's wife is a reincarnated witch from a painting. It is always good to see the great character actor Vic Diaz but even he can't help with the fact that the material here just isn't that compelling. Some good exploitation like when Barra Grant as his wife is strapped down naked and whipped. But there are too many slow scenes that drag on agonizingly and I think the film could have been boosted with more shots of the exotic Philippine locale. Not terrible but story needed some sort of adrenaline shot somewhere in the middle.

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.

I'd never heard of this 70's horror movie until the other night when TCM had a late night airing. I've always liked Tom Selleck and even in this effective but somewhat cheesy scare-fest he does an awesome acting job! For the time and plot, this movie does include some chilling suspense and eerie music and/or chanting--the freaky calling out of the wife's name in the middle of the night was a perfect tool to get you on the edge of your seat!

However, the ending was really stupid in my opinion! I don't want to say what happens, as I don't want to really include a "spoiler." But, with all the build-up and suspense, the way the film concludes was a total let-down and ridiculous! To me no matter how awesome or superb a movie was...if the end is terrible then it ruins the rest of it as well.

I would not recommend bothering with this...unless you're a die-hard Selleck fan, or a 70's cult-horror film collector (that doesn't care how films play out or end). However, if you like Selleck...stick with "Magnum, p.i.!"

A very rarely seen little oddity this but I like it. The unusual location of the Philippines is pleasing and there a couple of very creepy sequences. The Robertsons seem positively crazy about each other which is a sure sign she'll end up doing very nasty things to him, but they were both quite believeable and the supporting cast were all adequate. The painting that is the centre of the whole mystery is very chilling, especially in the scenes where Jim meets the new housekeeper and then glances at the picture and sees her in it. The death of the Doctor is very eerie but best of all has to be the very simple scene of Chris lying in bed and hearing a voice in the night calling out "Christina..." Very creepy especially if you are watching this movie for the first time on late night television and wonder if the sound is on the screen or not! There is also an extraordinary sequence where Jim sees movement outside the house at night and investigates only to be attacked. When he returns to the house the incident is almost forgotten in his bemusement..just like a sort of "was it a dream?" sleepy kind of unreality. My main reason for liking this movie is that compared to what Hammer were churning out it is different and scary, unlike most of Hammer's films, and doesn't need to rely on gore. It also predates The Omen and The Exorcist and yet deals with the subject matter intelligently, so in a sense it is ahead of it's time. Good stuff...not exactly the greatest movie ever made but effective and successful in its clearly limited ambitions.

After buying a strange painting at a sale, a man begins to suspect something sinister is occurring after noticing his wife's resemblance to a figure in the painting and comes to realize that a coven of witches are involved and tries to stop them before he becomes a victim of their wrath.

This was an admittedly fun witchcraft movie, though it does has a few minor areas of improvement to really work itself out of it's overall hum-drum feel. That's the main fault of the pacing in this one feeling just so dreary that nothing really exciting happens, with everyone tending to talk about the proceedings since the film plays it off as a mystery about painting and the reincarnation which can be fun but overall it tends to just drag the pace out. That said, the mystery angle here is actually inviting due to being a rather creepy mystery surrounding the painting, the few action scenes are rather well-done and it's certainly got enough horror elements to keep it enjoyable. Plus, any film that opens with topless female whipping definitely has it's head in the right direction. Overall, not bad but has some problems.

Rated R: Violence, Language and Nudity.

James Robertson (Tom Selleck) buys a painting depicting witches being burned at the stake, one of whom bears an uncanny resemblance to his wife (Barra Grant).

This is Tom Selleck before "Magnum PI", but still with the same great mustache... much, much better than the film "Runaway". Some of the stunts are pretty cool (like flipping over a horse). I would like to believe Selleck did them himself, but I am not so gullible.

The film opens with a pretty intense scene, possibly a sacrifice, and soon after we are treated to a story of a satanic knife... definitely a solid start to a movie.

Director Hollingsworth Morse worked almost exclusively in television, and it shows, though not in a bad way. The quality is television quality, but the story really holds strong for the full length.

The film takes place in the Philippines... and it makes me wonder: was this a decision because of the plot (which does revolve around Spanish conquistadors) or because of budget? The Philippines were a notorious hotspot for low budget films... curious.

This film was so awful it provoked laughter rather than shudders. Tom Selleck is the major reason to see the film, done at the beginning of his career. Fortunately it did not end his career. Along with everything else in the film, he also is awful, and that is probably because the script was so bad and the direction was probably nonexistent.

The first 15-20 minutes were terribly slow, and I was tempted to stop watching. But then, it suddenly became totally absurd. And enjoyable. Such as an unmotivated chase on foot through Manila. And Selleck and his wife visit a picturesque picnic spot and she finds a ceremonial dagger in the picnic basket, and while Selleck has his back to her and is talking about how scenic the place is, she makes to stab him, only to quickly hide the knife each time he turns to look at her. Hilarious.

There is a scene in which Tom's pink shirt matches the pink shade on a desk lamp. And there was a red and white typewriter on the desk (it's a sad comment when you spend time admiring the details of the set decoration.) There is a scene where a woman Selleck meets at their shrink's funeral invites him over for a post-funeral drink (without his wife), and she invites him into her bedroom to check a painting, and again, he is talking about the painting with his back turned to his hostess, and when he turns to her she has removed all her clothes. He continues the conversation as though nothing had happened.

The witches all belong to the "Manila Assembly of Lucifer." That is actually in the dialogue. And probably they're also listed in the Manila Yellow Pages, under "Churches-Satanic." Many of the actresses seem like they were found in porn films: substandard acting but exceptional breasts. And there's an invisible dog, a mortician who photographs naked female corpses, and so many other completely insane touches.

Personally, I really enjoyed the film. But I can't give it more than three stars, because objectively it is rather bad. And if Tom Selleck had not been in it, but another actor giving exactly the same performance, I'd probably give it a 2.

Low budget shot-in-the-Phillipines quickie has Tom Selleck being pursued by his suddenly homocidal wife and two other women. Seems that Tom is the descendant of a Spanish Inquisition witch hunter who burned a certain trio of accused women to death and was cursed by the dying women that their spirits would kill all of his descendants. The spirits have possessed the wife and two other women(an American jet-setter and and RN from Manila)to do the deed. Enjoyable pap with future MAGNUM PI star, directed by Hollingsworth Morse, who usually directed TV shows like FAMILY AFFAIR and H.R. PUFNSTUF!It's a long, long way from Living Island!

A young (but still mustachioed) Tom Selleck gets top billing in this tacky United Artists thriller that begins as a devil worship tale but instead evolves into a story of ancient witchcraft coming between a present-day wife and her husband, with overtures of reincarnation and torture. An art historian in Manila visits a curiosity shop and comes across a 370-year-old painting of three witches being burned at the stake; he takes it home, hoping his wife will be delighted by the uncanny resemblance between she and one of the witches. Dumbbell opus does have some curious parallels to 1976's "The Omen": a devil dog with 666 on his spiked collar and a mysterious housekeeper who has a forceful hold over the Mrs. Playing a slow-witted sap, Selleck is fairly convincing (not exactly a compliment to the future star), while Richard LaSalle's melodramatic background score seems lifted from any number of made-for-TV movies on the same subject. *1/2 from ****

I really wanted to like this movie, based on title alone and the fact that Magnum PI himself(Tom Selleck) as the lead, I thought Daughters Of Satan would be nothing less than awesome. Minus some titties here and there and some Satanic ritual activity, this low budgeted horror flick is pretty damn boring. This snoozefest has plot holes galore with a lot of boring scenes that go nowhere. The Selleck in his early years still has an awesome mustasche. Showing up with a cool car and some Garanimal polo shirts, he still was a hit with the ladies. Overall, this was a real bummer. Don't expect something along the lines of The Devil's Rain, this is about half as good as that. I suggest skipping this one, and if you want to see Tom Selleck, just watch Magnum PI again.

Young Tom Selleck buys a painting of three witches being burnt at the stake because one of them looks like his wife. She is disturbed by the painting. Then a fierce dog disappears from the picture and reappears in real life. Then one of the witches vanishes and a lady looking like her applies for the job of housemaid. The early mystery is done well and the tension and sense of looming evil builds nicely. Some nudity to draw in young punters in those pre-internet days but more scary than gory. Not bad.

This movie "feels" like a R-Rated made for TV movie or TV episode - it doesn't "feel" like a movie that would hit movie theaters or drive-ins. It also "feels" like a cop show and not a horror movie. Speaking of cops, it's a cop-out film ending.

Laughably terrible, yet a somewhat mildly entertaining slow-moving film. Tom Selleck, I mean James Robertson, buys a painting because the woman being burned at the stake looks like his wife. She's not happy with the painting but lives with it. Over time the wife becomes the woman or witch in the painting - she's possessed with the witches spirit. More people from the painting appear to be possessing others as well. It's as if everyone from the painting is suddenly possessing people - including a dog! Funny, the painting of the dog is fading but not the rest of the people. It seems the dog can jump out of the painting but not the people. He's a witches familiar so I guess that makes him an exception LOL.

OH expect to hear 1970's "action music" in this horror film when the "action" is taking place. The music sounds like something from some action-cop type of show and not horror. I guess because pre-Magnum P.I. Tom Selleck is in it? Weird.

2/10

Tom takes a mediocre movie and makes it good just by being himself. Selleck shows the potential of a future investigator on the screen by being curious as to the whereabouts of where the strange painting is and engaging B-grade movie fans into mystery and suspense. Manila as a backdrop for the movie, with it's Marcos era steamy, bizarre, Asian developing nation oddities, fits this movie perfectly. I saw this flick in 2012 for the first time and it shows Tom playing Mr. Robertson, who, with the chance to jump into a bed without his wife, takes the decent guy approach and rejects the lusty, craving broad, keeps his marriage vows and stays on course to locate the facts of the case. So fitting for his future roles as a decent role model in the 1980's.

The movie contains disturbing scenes for some viewers but also allows nostalgia buffs of 1970's shtick with an Asian twist complete with Selleck's character in a great car. I will keep the car color a secret.

Sadism at its purest.

When travelling out and about in Manila, James Robertson finds a bit of bad Spanish Colonial art, depicting a scene of witches being burned, one of the witches has an uncanny resemblance to his wife Chris.

Another horror from the seventies that was filmed in The Philippines, I hadn't realised how many were, if love to know why so many were used, first off the location definitely adds something, I loved the building and decor, so unusual.

That is one dramatic opening sequence, it sets the tone for the remainder of the film, a torture scene, and a bit of nudity, that's always going to grab your attention. The main body of the film is perhaps a little slow, but it has a few moments of interest.

Tom Selleck in a role before he became famous for Magnum PI, he's pretty good, Robertson is well meaning if a little naive. Selleck sorting his famous moustache and definitely visually appealing, Barra Grant played the past of the haunted Christine well.

The camera work is a little clunky, and the whole thing is a little slow moving, but some of the visuals are pretty good, with some scenes having a touch of realism about them. The sequence with the car, looked good, white imaginative too.

Alright, so it's not a classic, but it's watchable.

6/10.