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Hercules in the Haunted WorldRating:
Release Date: 29 July, 2003 Retail Price: $19.98 OUR Price: $17.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Complete Cast (5 total) |
Hercules in the Haunted World Reviews
Action, terror and fantasy.
Here it is a nice and different movie from the 60's, a mixture of Sword&Sandal and terror,with astonishing special effects. Hercules (NATURAL bodybuilder Reg Park) opposes the evil and tyrannical Lyco (Christopher Lee). So Hercules must rescue his beloved princess Deianira (Leonora Rufo) from the curse that Lyco has put on her, and according to the oracle, must go down to Hades. Two friends accompany Hercules, one them is very funny. After many adventures, the hero fights a stone monster, gets a golden apple and a concoction from a flower, they return from Hell. Before the end there are some incredible, delirous and chaotic scenes in a graveyard with some creatures getting out of the tombs that become living deads and zombies and others like flying vampires all attack Hercules. Finally comes the punishment and the evil Lyco turns into dust. Sucessful color special effects by Mario Bava.
Bava is brilliant
Somewhere in the recent release of Danger: Diabolick someone points out that although Bava was given 3 million to make that film he only spent $400,000. Bava worked in that giddy realm of making do when making low-budget films. Roger Corman and his people were great at that but Bava was an artistic genius--his movies are frequently stunning, even though you might be looking at $200 in sets and props.
I love this film, almost as much as "Planet of the Vampires"-- my favorite Bava and very nearly my favorite film (Alphaville and 8 1/2 top it for me). Even the soundtrack on this Hercules flick is spectacular.
What's to like? Well, with minimal props Bava comes close to turning a cheap Hercules film into something rivaling the original "Beauty and the Beast" for sublimely weird atmosphere. One scene with Hercules and the Oracle is uncanny: I know I'm seeing two vases, some colored gels, tinsel, a mirror, and about 50 bucks in other stuff but my ever-vigilant analytical mind goes right to sleep during this bit and the magic of it never fails to overtake me. The Oracle is even wearing a mask left over from "La Dolce Vita."
When Hercules and his sidekick enter Hades the real craziness begins (as it should, considering it's Hades). Again, many stunning and surreal scenes. The film has its lumps and bumps but its amazing that it isn't solid lump, as most budget films can be. It also has Christopher Lee doing a swell job as the villain...as usual. All in all, a great and edifying film experience and I'm thrilled it was cleaned up and given to the world in such a wonderful form. I'd use this wonderful movie in any film production class to show students how art and genius can triumph over budget any day (I'd also use Guy Maddin's "Careful"--in his own Canadian way Maddin might rival Bava, in fact since his plots never force him to exceed his limitations his films are seldom lumpy).
Just released--"Danger: Diabolick" another Bava miracle I was glad to put on the shelf beside the previously mentioned films.
The most spectacular set in the film was actually painted on glass by Bava in about a day or so. It makes the sets in Bond films look weak.
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