The Devil’s Nightmare: Limited Red Case Edition – Mondo Macabro (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Belgium/Italy, 1971
Director: Jean Brismée
Writers: Pierre-Claude Garnier, Patrice Rhomm, Jean Brismée, Vertunnio De Angelis
Cast: Erika Blanc, Jean Servais, Daniel Emilfork, Jacques Monseau, Lucien Raimbourg, Colette Emmanuelle, Ivana Novak, Shirley Corrigan, Frédérique Hender, Lorenzo Terzon, Christian Maillet, Maurice De Groote, Yvonne Garden

Release Date: March 24th, 2026
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 54 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $35.00

"A busload of tourists on holiday discover that they are going on an unscheduled trip… a trip into the macabre. They find themselves lost and in need of food and shelter. A gloomy castle ahead seems to be the refuge that have been seeking. What they don’t know is that Baron von Runberg, the castle’s owner, lives under an ancient family curse – one that will draw the unsuspecting guests into a terrifying game of death. As they enjoy a splendid meal at the Baron’s table, a beautiful stranger arrives at the castle. And the nightmare begins..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “2160p presentation of the film from a new 4K scan of the OCN."

The Devil’s Nightmare comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 79 GB

Feature: 51.2 GB

Although some very minor source imperfections still remain, the result is a marked improvement over their 2019 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look correct; colors are nicely saturated; contrast, black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid; and the image always retains an organic appearance.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono French), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The French track sounds excellent; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. While the English track has instances where background noise is noticeable, dialog still comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, the French track is more robust than the English track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include US TV Spots (9 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), US theatrical trailer (3 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), English-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), French-language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), French title sequence (1 minute 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French, no subtitles), an interview with avant-garde filmmaker and Belgian cinema insider  Roland Lethem (28 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with assistant director/second-unit director Robert Lombaerts (23 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Jean Brismée (32 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Erika Blanc (16 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a video essay profiling actor Daniel Emilfork by Christophe Bier (51 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with author and film critic Troy Howarth, a short film titled Mr Plateau directed by Jean Brismee (19 minutes 27 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and a slipcover.

Summary:

The Devil’s Nightmare holds a unique place in Euro-Cult cinema. It was Belgium’s first horror film, a country that has made only a few horror films.

Although other 1970s Euro-Cult films were pushing the boundaries when it came to nudity and violence, The Devil’s Nightmare is tame in these two areas. Apart from a gratuitous lesbian love scene, The Devil's Nightmare only features a few moments where Erika Blanc teases nudity. A guillotine decapitation and an Iron Maiden impalement are The Devil's Nightmare's most graphic moments.

The seven deadly sins inspired the premise of The Devil's Nightmare, and each character in the story commits a sin. There is a gluttonous man whose obsession with food leads to his demise; there is a woman whose greed ultimately consumes her alive; and a succubus puts a priest’s desires to the test. These are just a few of the seven sins featured in The Devil's Nightmare.

Without a doubt, The Devil’s Nightmare's greatest asset is Erika Blanc’s (The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) portrayal of the succubus. She delivers a seductive performance that steals every moment that she is in. Other notable performances are Jean Servais' (Rififi) portrayal of a cursed baron and Daniel Emilfork’s (La Belle Captive) sinister portrayal of Satan.

The visuals greatly enhance the story at hand; they are overflowing with atmosphere, and nowhere is this clearer than how they take full advantage of the castle location. Standout moments visually include a black-and-white opening sequence that lacks the foundation for what is about to happen, the succubus’s arrival at the castle, and this film’s ending, which provides a satisfying conclusion.

From a production standpoint, The Devil’s Nightmare has more positives than negatives. One cannot ignore what is arguably the most noticeable shortcoming. The first half of the narrative is a series of moments where the characters interact as they wander around the castle. Fortunately, by the latter half of the narrative, things do pick up considerably. Ultimately, The Devil’s Nightmare is a film that fans of 1970s Eurocult cinema should enjoy.

The Devil’s Nightmare gets a solid release from Mondo Macabro that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras. Highly Recommended.

Note: This edition is limited to 1200 copies.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer