Bloody Moon & Devil Hunter d. Jess Franco, coming to DVD by Severin

I don't know why Euro cult folk aren't shouting from the rooftops about these two upcoming releaes I spotted on an old 9th April page on the Severin site.
Bloody Moon & The Devil Hunter. Is it just that, so far, nobody except Severin and I (and those of you out there hopefully) think these are some of the gretaest European Cult Cinema items? Full of video nasty history in the UK, maybe these are just more special to folk who were around England at that time.

Anyhow, in my opinion, these are long overdue DVD upgrades - Devil Hunter from the shoddy German language Blood Edition label which seems to be PAL and NTSC (standards converted) sourced material mixed up and the recent Tales From The Hood label release apparently using a Japanese VHS with the area containing the subs entirely blacked out on the bottom of the screen (I kid you not), and Bloody Moon from a 'zoomed in' (to the top and bottom of the widescreen matting - and thus cropping side information too) Dutch DVD in English. They at least were both uncut, but not much of a step up from any rare VHS one might own.

I don't wanna rain on your parade (these titles are great announcements, no doubt about it), but I just don't get excited over EuroCult release dates anymore. I will happily eat my words, but I'll be shocked if those are out on July 29. More like September-October, if I had to ballpark it. That's just how they roll.

It'll be great when they DO appear.

I just finished comparing several different versions of DEVIL HUNTER for Severin, and am pleased to report that the transfer provided to them by Eurocine appears to be definitive. It's in French (which seems to match the actors' lip movements), with Spanish credits (onscreen title: EL CANNIBAL), runs 98m 2s at 25 fps, and contains several scenes that aren't in any other edition.

Good news, Brad!

I really hope that Severin can go with the uncut print, but overlaying as much English language on the audio track (as available) and subtitling any remaining non-english language portions. I am used to watching the film in dubbed English, as is most of the rest of the World, from the various VHS releases in Holland Greece, UK, USA and Japan - it is those voices which make the film 'mine' to watch. Ditto for Bloody Moon.

If there is enough disc space and folk should want an additional audio track of just French (with English subtitles) that would be cool, but I personally wouldn't watch that.

Let's hope it dosn't end up like Shriek Show's DVD of Franco's Faceless, where you get all the way to the end of the film and suddenly Telly Savalas utters his last lines of the film in French - when his original English language audio was always available!

By that logic, you might as well claim that Severin should release a cut transfer, since that's the version you and most of the rest of the world are used to watching.

Yes! Why not! There could be seamless branching to a version with the newly inclusive additional scenes (in French with English subtitles). That actually would be my preference - to watch it with a choice. Hope that makes it clear.

edit: I like my Deep Red as the shorter International version too, and the recent Japanese and UK DVDs provide the shorter English language version as well as the longer domestic Italian cut. There was also a recent UK DVD with Opera having English on the longer cut (at least the 'extended' end scene). So don't go thinking that there may not be English available for those extra scenes that are on Devil Hunter (as presently delivered in French as you said), I don't know, but am always hopeful!

This post has been edited by Andrew King on Jun 21 2008, 10:01 AM

There's a big difference between these two films: OPERA was actually made in English, whereas DEVIL HUNTER was made in French.

Incidentally, most of the scenes unique to Eurocine's new transfer of DEVIL HUNTER do not contain dialogue. Perhaps none of them contain dialogue - I'd have to check.

I guess these 'extra' integral scenes would only be available in English if they were present at the time of the English dub being recorded (and actually requiring any dialogue ), and I have no idea where that was done nor when back in the day. But the main export version of this film is seemingly the English language version, so I am concerned at any spectre of a French language only version even being possibly considered at the exclusion of an English language version. It would possibly be confused with laziness rather than preservation of the original shooting language.

If there are now improved picture elements to work from it would seem a shame to not 'create' the best possible 'original dubbing' English language version (with any additional scenes) in my opinion - regardless of the fact the film was shot in French.

This is just silly. The fact that DEVIL HUNTER was widely distributed in an English-dubbed version does not mean that version is preferable to the original...it's not as if anybody in the film is actually speaking English! The first time I saw LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, it was dubbed into English, and I can assure you I have absolutely no desire to see that version again. Perhaps you think that 'exploitation' films should be held to a different (lower) standard.

This post has been edited by Brad Stevens on Jun 22 2008, 05:46 AM

Well Brad, I can of course accept a difference of opinion of what is 'preferable', and have severally tried to argue for the reasons I have already proposed, but you actuallly seem against having an English language option, which clearly dumbfounds me...

The fact that most people would want to have a film in the best quality version available we are in agreement with obviously, otherwise why bother releasing these old films to what I assume would be a limited niche market. But why deny folk what they want in recreating a close facsimile or even an extended version of Devil Hunter (in English)? Or to put it another way, what they actually remember the film as being when they viewed it and the reason they might want to revisit it? Thus, you are not claiming that the majority of the world viewed this film in French, and so I propose that an 'original' French language version of Devil Hunter (at the exclusion of a best attempt English language track) would at best be considered an interesting footnote in the release history of the film.

Not at all - dub the film into Icelandic for all I care. My problem is with the implication that the original soundtrack is of merely incidental interest, a curiosity to be included only if (to use your words) "there is enough disc space".

Great news, Brad. Looking forward to the DVD...

Looking forward to both of these in their original languages. Will be buying both for sure, these guys deserve the support.

Andrew? I'm curious.....and please don't take this the wrong way.....
I don't know how to put this, but, here's my best shot....

Are you the kind of person that watches these films because you really like them, or the kind that watches them to laugh at the (usually terrible) dubbing?

Hope my question doesn't offend, I'm just seriously curious.




This post has been edited by Sean Borg on Jun 23 2008, 09:05 AM

I obviously have a pathological hatred of the French language when used for original guide vocal tracks when it comes to Devil Hunter

Hey - I grew up on English dubbed Japanese cartoons (Astroboy, Gigantor, etc) TV action dramas (Phantom Agents, Monkey) and movies (Godzilla etc). I used to go into Chinatown and watch subtitled prints of Hong Kong films and was not averse to their original language, and often dislike the English dubbing (although, for example, I like the English dub for Five Element Ninjas). Watching Spaghetti Westerns and Italian Horror/Comedy/Action etc in English is a must for me, and I love recognising some of the voice artists.

So no, I don't ever watch these films for 'bad dubbing laffs' intentionally - although sometimes or otherwise it does sneak up on you, and we all accept it has become a modern parlance of the view of many of these english dubbed films when pastiched in comedy or advertising, for example. On the contrary I am an advocate of trying to preserve the dubbed English language option for these films as I believe that those artists work adds to the flavour of the film, and may be the 'original' in many folk's hearts. I was clearly taken aback by many of the comments above , and have tried to counter any difference of opinion with an explanation of the need to preserve the 'original experience', natch?

I see validity in Andrew's opinion, as well as Brad's. I'm always for preserving the original language track of any film - that's definitely a main priority in film preservation, but has ANYONE on here ever seen a French-language version of DEVIL HUNTER (or MANHUNTER or MANDINGO MANHUNTER or whatever other titles the English version has been known as all these years?). If this truly is the original version in French, shouldn't the DVD release have a French title instead of using the English title of a supposedly illegitimate English-dubbed version? And if the print has a Spanish title of "El Cannibal", then what is that about? It all just makes the language/version topic all the more gray. Maybe French is the original language and that's all cool, but then at least sell it that way. I also feel that the English version of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES should have been released as "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" to differentiate it from the original French-language version. That should be the case here as well. To totally ruin my argument, I do have to say I will only wattch GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER as I have no interest in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH in Japanese. So what the hell do I know anyway.

In any event, I really want this DVD in whatever language it offers so I'm not complaining. If it's in French and that's the original source, so be it! I do wonder, though, if all the cannibal man's grunting-noises throughout the film will be the English-dubbed grunts we all know and love or the original French grunts.

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff.

I believe we've had just about enough of your insane LA CAGE AUX FOLLES vs. BIRDS OF A FEATHER rants. Your mad ravings on the title issue are so much merde - to coin a French phrase which needs no English translation - and are almost as bad as which audio version of Suspiria does the film justice.

Enough, ... already!

Suspiria? What the hell is that? Another stupid French cannibal movie?!? Never heard of it.

It's a Belgian Waffle Western! Duh!

Thanks for the honesty Andrew, and for (hopefully) not being too annoyed at my question.

I grew up with the english language versions of many of these films as well (SUPER NINJAS included lol) but find I have trouble going back to them after seeing the original language versions. That would include SUPER NINJAS, but not INFRAMAN. I can watch either version for that one, and still enjoy it. A film like Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE is one exaple where I can watch ONLY the english version, but really appreciate the Italian audio options just to see the snippets of dialogue not present in the english version....ok, I'm going on and on....sorry. Good thing I didn't get started on some of those horrible Naschy dubs....lol!