DVD Release
Severin Films serve up some more Euro-trash from the ever dependable, Jess Franco. Devil Hunter is his second, and to date final, entry into the popular eighties cannibal cycle; after the dribble that was Cannibals. Luckily for us, Uncle Jess has been given a little (and I mean A LITTLE) bit of money and a half-baked script to work with; one that has thankfully remembered to include a pace!
Peter Weston (Al Cliver, who was also in Franco’s Cannibals) is sent into the green inferno by a wealthy producer who’s blonde bombshell actress (Ursula Buchfellner) has been kidnapped and is being held to a six-million dollar ransom. Little do the bad guys know, the area they’ve decided to lamb-it in is property of the titular Devil Hunter! A buffed-up native, with ping-pong balls for eyes and a taste for human flesh… naked, female human flesh!
Goddamn awful in just about every facet of filmmaking, Devil Hunter is bona fide trash! As bad as it is though, it doesn’t sink to the levels of cinema atrocity that Cannibals sunk. The acting (including the dubbing), the effects, the music and just about anything else you can think of suck. With all that in mind, not to mention a few beers in hand, if you’re with a few like minded friends Devil Hunter can be quite the giggle. One segment in which Antonio Mayans’ character arrives in the jungle only to be struck by ‘Nam flashbacks moments later had me in stitches!
I think it’s safe to say that people know what they are getting into when they pick up a Franco title now, especially one of his early-eighties efforts such as this. It’s crude, rude and very silly but for those who love the man they will see the charm and enjoy it more than other genre fans. Cannibal fans will be in for disappointment though as the gut-munching is kept to a minimum and isn’t as explicit as you would expect from such a title. Approach with caution.
Devil Hunter is a mixed bag, for Franco fans it will be a worthwhile rental, for everyone else; look elsewhere for your gut-munching. Severin’s disc has a loving HD transfer, but the picture seems to have been brightened so that certain scenes are actually visible, a breast eating scene in particular. Some of the blame can no-doubt be put on the cinematography, but the contrast throughout seems to vary. Saying that, it’s a rare title and Franco fans will be thankful for Severin’s efforts in getting the title out.
