The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 7, 2020

Jean Brismée's "The Devil's Nightmare" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth; video interview with the director; and more. In English or French, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

The seductress

Welcome to castle Von Runberg, says the creepy butler (Maurice De Groote), and immediately after that a very loud noise sends chills down the guests’ spines. After a short moment of silence, the butler then adds, Don’t be frightened. The castle is full of traps. What? This is exactly when any sane person would immediately turn around and exit the place, but for some reason the guests agree that it is a good idea to spend the night there.

Okay, let’s pause.

The butler’s words come very early into the film, so if things already look too weird to you don’t waste your time with it because from this point forward everything becomes even weirder. In what way? Here are couple of samples: There is a sequence in which the butler introduces the guests to their rooms and it turns out that they all have some bizarre defects, like windows filled with bricks and giant visible marks from ancient tragedies. In another sequence, the host, Baron Von Runberg (Jean Servais), welcomes the guests to a big dining room and then reluctantly reveals how in the twelfth century his ancestor, Siegfried Von Runberg, made a pact with the Devil -- in exchange for his services, the Devil demanded that the eldest daughter of every Von Runberg generation becomes a succubus. Shortly after, a very beautiful stranger (Erika Blanc) enters the castle and joins the guests. In another sequence, Father Sorel (Jacques Monseau) returns to his room, locks the door and begins reading his bible, but the beautiful stranger repeatedly appears before him -- in a very, very provocative outfit.

The Devil’s Nightmare is the one and only feature film that Jean Brismee directed. It blends equal parts Gothic horror and erotica and then presents the final product in a way that very much reminds of Jean Rollin’s work, which means that it is essentially a hybrid project that takes its atmosphere a lot more seriously than its narrative.

Quite predictably, the film is broken into multiple episodes that rarely work in sync and as part of a gradual buildup toward a dramatic resolution. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it often makes it difficult to guess what comes next, but it most certainly erodes the integrity of the ‘strange’ experiences the guests have once they enter the castle. The first sexual sequence with the two girls, for instance, is completely random. They enter their room, take off their clothes, and begin exploring their bodies. Why? The sequence isn’t attached to any meaningful development, it just pops up out of the blue, and the girls look like they are hypnotized. Very bizarre. (Rollin’s films are full of such ‘random’ material, which is why many critics struggle to rationalize them).

Of course, the curse that the host mentions eventually does provide a decent context for the fun in the castle, but at that point it is largely irrelevant because it is already perfectly clear that thematic coherence was never of importance to Brismee. More than likely Brismee simply followed his instincts and shot the ‘right’ material that would strengthen the atmosphere of his film, regardless of how it would fit in or be understood by the audience.

*The Devil is played by Daniel Emilfork, a legendary actor with an incredible face and very unique French accent, who appeared in countless films that are now considered cult and genre classics.

The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Devil's Nightmare arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Mondo Macabro.

The master that was used to source the release is very nice. It has a very uneven spots, but the entire film has a good organic appearance. My guess is that after the scanning was completed only minimal work was done to ensure that there are no serious anomalies and then the master was put together. This is why some minor scratches and color pulsations remain, and occasionally you would notice extremely light movement within the frame. In darker areas shadow definition isn't optimal, but it seems like plenty of aging has occurred which is where the inconsistencies come from. The color grading job is good. However, ideally the primaries and the supporting nuances should be expanded. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit. Optional English subtitles are provided for the French track.

I viewed the film with the English track and its quality is what made me speculate that the element that was used to produce the current master for this film has aged quite a bit. Indeed, the audio has got some obvious thinning in some parts, plus elsewhere it is quite easy to hear that the upper register is struggling to remain stable. On top of this some of the dubbing that was done for the English track was likely completed on very average equipment because during transitions the balance can fluctuate quite a bit. You will still be able to view the film without distractions, but expect to hear some fluctuations in all major areas. My score is 3.25/5.00.

The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers -
  
  1. U.S. Trailer One
  2. U.S. Trailer Two
  3. U.S. TV Spot
  4. UK Trailer

• Interview with Director Jean Brismee - in this recent video interview, director Jean Brismee discusses the conception of The Devil's Nightmare, the casting process, the special effects, the film's reception, etc. Also, there are some very interesting observations about Belgium's unique cultural landscape and the emergence of a national film school that reflects its diversity. In French, with optional English subtitles. (33 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Assistant Director Robert Lombaerts - in this video interview, assistant director Robert Lombaerts discusses his work in the film industry and contribution to The Devil's Nightmare. In French, with optional English subtitles. (24 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Filmmaker Roland Lethem - in this video interview, filmmaker Roland Lethem recalls how many years ago he found himself on the set of The Devil's Nightmare. There are some good comments about Jean Brismee's working methods as well. In English. (30 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, author and critic Troy Howarth offers his interpretation of The Devil's Nightmare and discusses the evolution of European cult cinema.

The Devil's Nightmare Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I had never heard of this film before and was quite curious to see it because a few big European actors contributed to it. It's not bad. It could easily fit between Daughters of Darkness and The Shiver of the Vampires, particularly in terms of atmosphere, which is its greatest strength. If it was a bit more coherent it probably would have turned out to be pretty special, but I think that it still offers enough thrills to excite folks that have a soft spot for Eurosleaze horror. RECOMMENDED.