Jess Franco's SEXO CANIBAL/EL CANIBAL/JUNGFRAU UNTER KANNIBALEN/IL CACCIATORE DI UOMINI/THE MAN HUNTER/DEVIL HUNTER/MANDINGO MANHUNTER/CHASSEUR DE L'ENFER-HELL HUNTER poses some difficult questions beyond: Why is this movie so bad?!
The "Devil" or Cannibal or Zombie hunts for the hearts of women. Listed as "Burt Altman" (a zombie) in OBSESSION: THE FILMS OF JESS FRANCO, Jess Franco revealed on the Severin DVD interview that he was actually a Portuguese athlete. An official "Video Nasty" once upon a time in the UK, traditionally dumped into the bottom tier of the director's massive filmography, even the most rabid, least selective Francophiles tend to deem it one of his worst efforts. I initially ranked it even lower than WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN/CANNIBALS/MONDO CANIBALE (also 1980).
Above: German Lobby Card.
After several decades of Jess Franco Watching I've discovered that vertical rankings when dealing with a filmography as complex and multi-tiered as this can be deceptive and counterproductive. DEVIL HUNTER was a Spanish, French (EUROCINE), German (LISA FILMS), Italian co production. The Italian lead actor in MONDO CANIBALE, Al Cliver (Pier Luigi Conti)was retained as another adventurer in search of a missing woman, this time an internationally known actress (Ursula Buchfellner) who has been kidnapped by a ruthless gang of criminals and taken to the tropical island of Puerto Santo
Lurid poster art for an admittedly lurid film.
Style usually trumps story in Franco's filmography but on first viewing there are few stylish or signature "Jess Franco" set-ups/images apparent here. The first time I saw this, on late 1980s era US VHS as MANDINGO MANHUNTER, the entire opening credits scene was covered over by anonymous credit cards (Directed by Clifford Brown; Music by Jesus Franco Manera [!]). The sound, of a woman crying out as she is tracked by cannibals through a swamp, remained. The restored Severin DVD did more than reveal the images in that sequence it allowed me to consider the film in a different context. I'll continue examining alternative ways to view this film in a series of blogs on Franco's cannibal output.
After several decades of Jess Franco Watching I've discovered that vertical rankings when dealing with a filmography as complex and multi-tiered as this can be deceptive and counterproductive. DEVIL HUNTER was a Spanish, French (EUROCINE), German (LISA FILMS), Italian co production. The Italian lead actor in MONDO CANIBALE, Al Cliver (Pier Luigi Conti)was retained as another adventurer in search of a missing woman, this time an internationally known actress (Ursula Buchfellner) who has been kidnapped by a ruthless gang of criminals and taken to the tropical island of Puerto Santo
Lurid poster art for an admittedly lurid film.
Style usually trumps story in Franco's filmography but on first viewing there are few stylish or signature "Jess Franco" set-ups/images apparent here. The first time I saw this, on late 1980s era US VHS as MANDINGO MANHUNTER, the entire opening credits scene was covered over by anonymous credit cards (Directed by Clifford Brown; Music by Jesus Franco Manera [!]). The sound, of a woman crying out as she is tracked by cannibals through a swamp, remained. The restored Severin DVD did more than reveal the images in that sequence it allowed me to consider the film in a different context. I'll continue examining alternative ways to view this film in a series of blogs on Franco's cannibal output.
4 comments:
I always enjoyed this Franco title. Sure it's not one of the better or classic Franco films, but I enjoyed it more than WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN which I didn't see until years later.
I've always enjoyed this Franco title even if it's not a classic by any means.. better than WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN.
One of Franco's better efforts. The poster art for this is incredible. Then again I'm all about the sleaze.
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I actually like Devil Hunter. For the atmospheric jungle scenes, which use similar locations to the end of Women of Cell Block 9.
Rather like the Spanish version of Oasis of the Zombies, La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes, which uses vast expanses of sand instead of the ever encroaching and uncontrollable vegetation. These films works despite themselves.
Or rather the locations themselves dominate, becoming central characters in the film and dwarfing the human protagonists.
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