The superiority of the Shout! Factory comes in the supplements. It also includes the the 19-minute 'Dark Arts: Inside To the Devil a Daughter' with Jonathan Rigby (author of English Gothic), Alan Barnes (author of The Hammer Story: The Authorised History of Hammer Films), Kevin Lyons (Documentation Editor at the BFI) and John J. Johnston discussing the film, writer Wheatley's strong dislike of the film, it's box-office success, how it, surprisingly, passed BBFC ratings and much more. It's very good - shot by Marcus Hearn - and generally describes the film as Hammer's move within the similar occult films of the times - despite diverging from the traditional Hammer style and format of the past. Additionally is a new commentary with Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr who are experts in the genre and Hammer. So they talk about the film's strengths and weaknesses, the similar devil-worshipping films at the time, the violence, that Nastassja Kinski was actually only 14 (although was reported, at the time, as being 17) and, hence, the virtual child-pornography of the production which she has commented, in other areas, on the abusive experience. These guys are great at the discussion and how To the Devil a Daughter takes some narrative chances - for some these don't pay off. Also included is a 2002, 24-minute, documentary short "To The Devil – The Death Of Hammer" by David Gregory. It has Honor Blackman, Marcus Hearn, Christopher Lee and others discussing the studios final film, Lee's part in bringing the novel to the Hammer, Klaus Kinski's drug use which kept him out of the film, negative stories on Widmark's participation and other details.

The negatives cast a very dark shadow over the production of To the Devil a Daughter from Kinski to Widmark and these haunt the film's enjoyment. It has become an odd curiosity -  an intensely creepy and subversive Satan-worshiping film. To the Devil a Daughter's value is in its separation from Hammer's more innocent Gothic roots. Shout! Factory have the definitive Blu-ray with the new commentary and 2002 documentary which both shed light on the production's pluses and fatal minuses. Completists will want to own this package.  

***

ADDITION: Studio Canal Blu-ray - March 18': Studio Canal's transfer of Hammer Studio's 'devil worshiping' foray To the Devil a Daughter looks strong - an undamaged source, a competent dual-layered HD rendering with a high bitrate shows pleasing grain and a solid, consistent image in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Colors aren't overly exuberant and detail is notable in the film's many close-ups - the 1080P presentation seems very authentic to its theatrical roots. 

DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel (24-bit) lossless audio in the original English language with some effective aggressive in a few sequences exporting impacting depth but it's the score by Paul Glass (Bunny Lake is Missing, Overlord, Lady in a Cage) that is remarkable - a very UN-Hammer-like effort using experimental chords with ordinary instruments and voices in a very non-traditional way. It sounds piercing at times and accurate in the lossless transfer. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles - see sample - and the Blu-ray disc is Region 'B' - locked.

Extras include a trailer and the 19-minute 'Dark Arts: Inside To the Devil a Daughter' with Jonathan Rigby (author of English Gothic), Alan Barnes (author of The Hammer Story: The Authorised History of Hammer Films), Kevin Lyons (Documentation Editor at the BFI) and John J. Johnston discussing the film, writer Wheatley's strong dislike of the film, it's box-office success, how it, surprisingly, passed BBFC ratings and much more. It's very good - shot by Marcus Hearn - and generally describes the film as Hammer's move within the similar occult films of the times - despite diverging from the traditional Hammer style and format of the past.

1) Studio Canal Region 'B' Blu-ray TOP

2) Shout! Factory Region 'A' Blu-ray BOTTOM

1) Studio Canal Region 'B' Blu-ray TOP

2) Shout! Factory Region 'A' Blu-ray BOTTOM