88 Films, out now

A Vietnam vet travels to an island to rescue a kidnapped actress from cannibals and their bug-eyed god.

Ah, Jess Franco, king of the exploitation movie, of whom possibly 5 to 10% of his 160 movies are worth watching, what treat do you have for us here? This 1980 effort is one of three Franco films that made it to the infamous 1982 Video Nasties list, but this affords it a certain notoriety that it really doesn’t deserve.

Some hardened souls see the Video Nasties list as a bucket list of the most extreme movies available in the early 80s, and I would assume that 88 Films’ UK Blu-Ray release is aimed at that crowd, because all other viewers will struggle with this tedious 100 minutes. It’s a gruelling experience, but not because of its extreme nature; it’s just boring, lazy and amateur.

Right from the opening shot of German Ursula Buchfellner as model Laura Crawford, narcissistically posing to unimpressed onlookers, intercut with a naked native woman being chased down by ‘savages’, you have the measure of the very low bar set for this potboiler. Al (Zombie Flesh Eaters) Cliver is the would-be Indiana Jones/Magnum PI substitute, and to his credit he does rescue the girl.

He also has to fight a naked god with veiny ping pong ball eyes – the hilarious final confrontation is inept beyond words. The natives are clearly Spanish locals, clueless as to what they should be doing, with Franco more interested in crash zooms into pubic hair or gyrating bottoms. Oh, and all the ladies in this film are very clean – they spend most of their screen time bathing, showering, being washed and oiled down, typically by other naked ladies. How hygienic!

The disc gains an extra mark for the inclusion of Franco-philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick, a fascinating 48-minutes review of the director’s vast body of work by apologists, fans and academics.

Verdict: As with so many of the movies on the Video Nasties list, Devil Hunter doesn’t deserve any plaudits for its exploitation credentials. Forgettable, tawdry and not so much Franco on autopilot as Franco in his sleep. For Franco and Video Nasty completists only. 4/10

Nick Joy