Devil's Partner/Creature From The Haunted Sea – Film Masters (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1960 (Devil's Partner), USA, 1961 (Creature From The Haunted Sea)
Directors: Charles R. Rondeau (Devil's Partner), Roger Corman (Creature From The Haunted Sea)
Cast: Edgar Buchanan, Jean Allison, Richard Crane, Spencer Carlisle, Byron Foulger, Claire Carleton, Brian O'Hara, Harry Fleer, Joe Hooker, Ed Nelson (Devil's Partner), Antony Carbone, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Robert Towne, Beach Dickerson, Robert Bean, Esther Sandoval, Sonia Noemí González, Edmundo Rivera Álvarez, Blanquita Romero (Creature From The Haunted Sea)

Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 73 Minutes 53 Seconds (Devil's Partner - Both Versions), 60 Minutes 3 Seconds (Creature From The Haunted Sea - Theatrical Version), 74 Minutes 53 Seconds (Creature From The Haunted Sea - TV Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Devil's Partner - Theatrical Version, Creature From The Haunted Sea - Theatrical Version), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Devil's Partner - TV Version, Creature From The Haunted Sea - TV Version)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono English (All Films, All Versions)
Subtitles: English SDH (All Films, All Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Roger Corman and his brother Gene founded The Filmgroup to distribute their own films. Occasionally they picked up projects by other filmmakers, such as The Devil's Partner (1961), a macabre tale of an elderly man who regains his youth after making a deal with Satan. This tale of folk terror from director Charles Rondeau stars Edgar Buchanan and Jean Allison. Special Bonus Feature: Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961), Corman's spoof of crime films where a gangster knocks off his crew members, blaming their deaths on a legendary sea monster. These two were often paired as a double-feature during the summer and fall of 1961. Beware of the creature with ping-pong ball eyes!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Devil's Partner - Theatrical Version, Devil's Partner - TV Version), 3.75/5 (Creature From The Haunted Sea - Theatrical Version, Creature From The Haunted Sea - TV Version)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New Restoration from 4k scan from 35mm original archival elements".

Devil's Partner comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 20.1 GB (Theatrical Version), 20.1 GB (TV Version)

The sources used for Devil's Partner's theatrical and TV versions are in great shape; any source-related debris is very minor. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels are strong; compression is very good; and there does not appear to be any egregious grain management.

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New Restoration from 4k scan of 35mm archival elements, with supplemental 16mm".

Creature From The Haunted Sea comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.3 GB

Feature: 16.3 GB (Theatrical Version), 20.2 GB (TV Version)

The sources used for Creature From The Haunted Sea in the theatrical and TV versions are in good shape, though there are source imperfections that are minor and never intrusive. Also, though these two versions are comparable in most areas, the newly shot TV version footage looks a little better than the footage exclusive to the theatrical version. That said, image clarity is strong, black levels are strong, compression is very good, and there does not appear to be any egregious grain management. Also, it should be noted that there are a few moments where the grain looks thicker than it does for the bulk of these two transfers.

Audio: 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Devil's Partner Theatrical Version, DTS-HD Mono English - Devil's Partner TV Version), 3.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Creature From The Haunted Sea Theatrical Version, DTS-HD Mono English - Creature From The Haunted Sea TV Version)

Devil's Partner and Creature From The Haunted Sea each come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in English. For this review, I only listened to the DTS-HD mono tracks. Both films come with removable English SDH. Devil's Partner’s audio track sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Creature from the Haunted Sea has some background hiss throughout. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, both tracks are satisfactory. 

Extras:

Extras for Devil's Partner include 2024 recut trailer (1 minute 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette with filmmaker Roger Corman titled Roger Corman Remembers Filmgroup (10 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), a featurette titled Hollywood Insider: The Filmgroup Story Part One (21 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH), the TV version (73 minutes 53 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD mono English, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH), and an audio commentary with the Monster Party Podcast with optional English SDH.

Extras for Creature From The Haunted Sea include original 16mm trailer (1 minute, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), 2024 recut trailer (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a before-and-after restoration video for Creature From The Haunted Sea (2 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), the extended TV version (74 minutes 53 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, DTS-HD mono English, Dolby Digital mono English with removable English SDH), and an audio commentary with Tom Weaver for the theatrical version with optional English SDH. This audio commentary track also features audio recordings from the cast and crew who worked with Roger Corman.

Other extras include a 24-page booklet with an essay titled The Devil’s Partner written by Mark McGee, and an essay titled Creature From The Haunted Sea written by Tom Weaver.

Summary:

It makes sense to pair these two films for this release since they were originally paired as a double feature for their theatrical releases.

Devil's Partner: An old man makes a pact with the devil in which he is able to regain his youth.

Directed by Charles R. Rondeau, a filmmaker who primarily worked in television. He only directed five feature films.

The premise takes on an all-too-familiar scenario: a protagonist who makes a Faustian bargain with the devil. Wanting to obtain his youth now that he's an elderly man in the late stages of his life, the devil makes him an offer he couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, offers like the one the devil is offering always come at a price, and when the time comes for the devil to collect, the seller of the soul realizes too late.

Though the devil and the occult all play a role in Devil’s Partner, it is not a horror film as much as it is a morality tale. Despite there being an abundance of atmosphere, there are no really scary moments. Fortunaltey there are a few eerie moments that are greatly aided by the aforementioned atmosphere.

From a production standpoint, Devil’s Partner is a surprisingly well-made, low-budget affair that does a great job maximizing its anemic resources. The premise is well executed, and the narrative’s pacing does a good job moving things forward to a strong conclusion. The most surprising aspects of Devil’s Partner are the performances, especially by Ed Nelson (A Bucket of Blood) in the dual roles of Pete Jenson, the man who made the deal with the devil, and Nick Richards, his youthful alter ego. Ultimately, Devil’s Partner is a solid B-movie that exceeds the sum of its parts.

Creature From The Haunted Sea: A yacht is used to steal Cuban treasure stolen by a general and his men fleeing the country after the revolution.

Directed by Roger Corman, a maverick filmmaker who would direct 53 films in just under two decades. Notably, a series of films based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe He is also a prolific producer who, over the years, has formed multiple film distribution companies.

Roger Corman has the most interesting filmography out of any filmmaker I have ever come across. Where most filmmakers have a distinct style or have themes that they are drawn to, Roger Corman’s films bear neither of these two traits.

By the time he directed a film like Creature from the Haunted Sea, he had already begun his Poe cycle of films, which are arguably his greatest achievements as a filmmaker. So going from a film like House of Usher to a film like Creature From The Haunted Sea, the drop in quality is astonishing.

Something that is noticeable about the films that Roger Corman made independently for his company Filmgroup versus the films that he made for American International Pictures is how freewheeling the films he made for the former were. Instead of confining a film to one genre, he would often mix genres; in the case of Creature From The Haunted Sea, it is a horror film, a spy film, and a crime film all wrapped into one.

It is clear very early on that Creature from the Haunted Sea is a mess of film. Its non-existent budget and five-day shooting schedule obviously played a role in the final product. When it comes to the creature, things are even worse, as it looks ridiculous with ping-pong eyes and is clearly just a man in a crude-looking monster suit.

When released for television, Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop) would be brought in to direct about 14 additional minutes of footage. This footage was done to flesh out the Sparks Moran (aka Agent XK150) character, and it does not enhance the narrative at all. Besides new footage being spread throughout the narrative, the largest area of additions is a newly shot six-minute pre-credits sequence.

With so many things going against it, one would think that Creature from the Haunted Sea would be a chore to sit through. On the contrary, it's an absurd premise in which anything can or will happen, and enthusiastic performances ensure that there is rarely a dull moment. That said, the moments where the creature is on screen are the most entertaining. Ultimately, Creature From The Haunted Sea is a so-bad-its-good horror film that fans of 1950s creature features should enjoy.

Devil's Partner and Creature From The Haunted Sea get a first-rate release from Film Masters that gives both films strong audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer