Bernard Launois

Known for

Directing

Born

April 8, 1930

Died

March 3, 2026

Birthplace

Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes, France

Bernard Launois is a French exploitation film director, screenwriter and actor. As an actor, he sometimes used the pseudonym Bob Gary. He was born in Mézières , France. Having studied pharmacology for two years in the university, he sought a career in the film industry instead. He worked as a trainee editor and then as an assistant director. In 1953, he was employed by Paramount 's programming department in Paris. [ 2 ] During the 1960s, he worked for several film distribution and production companies, such as Parafrance ( fr ) and Les Films Copernic ( fr ). In 1979, he founded his own company, Lancaster Film, to finance the films he wrote and directed. He also edited film trailers and played minor roles as an actor. His debut film as director, Unleash the Bitches ( lit. ' Unleash the Bitches ' , released in 1972), was an improvised work that he wrote in three days. He founded Delta Films and bought a four-theater multiplex in 1987. He retired from the filmmaking business at the end of the 1980s. Devil Story, his seventh and last feature film, has gained a cult following because of its reputation as one of the worst films in history. It was restored in 4K resolution from its 35mm original camera negative and released on Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome, an American home video distribution company, in 2021.