Devil Story

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Devil Story (French: Il était une fois... le diable) is a 1986 French horror film written and directed by Bernard Launois, his seventh and last feature. It mixes slasher and Euro-gothic elements and was largely criticized for an incoherent story and clumsy production, but it has gained a cult following as one of the most infamous “worst films” ever made.

The story follows a deranged killer in a Nazi uniform with a deformed spine and pig-like face who terrorizes a rural area in Normandy, killing at random. A couple’s car breaks down, so they stay at a nearby old castle–style hotel run by an elderly man and woman. The hosts hint that the place is cursed.

Devil Story had a limited initial release in French provinces and was later shown in Paris as a double feature at Le Brady under the title Il était une fois... le diable. Critics described the film as disjointed and nonsensical, though some noted homages to John Carpenter’s The Fog. The movie has appeared on Red Letter Media’s Best of the Worst list and was even voted “best of the worst” by some viewers.

Home video and restoration: The film was released on VHS in the late 1980s by a French distributor. It was restored in 4K from the original 35mm negative and released on Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome in 2021; the restored version was shown at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, in September 2021.