It’s been a while since I watched a Hercules flick. It’s also been ages since I watched a Mario Bava movie. Heck, I can’t even remember the last Christopher Lee film I saw. Because of that, I decided to watch Hercules in the Haunted World. What better way to kill three birds with one cinematic stone?
Reg Park stars as Hercules in this sequel to Hercules and the Captive Women. Herc returns home from a quest to find his true love in a trancelike state. The only way to wake her from her slumber is to journey into the underworld and retrieve a magic apple. Of course, evil Christopher Lee isn’t about to let that happen.
Since it’s a Mario Bava movie, Hercules and the Haunted World is brimming with beautiful colors and gorgeous compositions. Most Italian peplum suffer from an ugly, washed-out, half-assed Technicolor look. This one is often quite visually stunning. It’s also funny hearing Lee’s unmistakable voice being dubbed by someone else. (He’s also dubbed in Italian during the opening scene that no one bothered to translate into English.) Oh, and because it’s a Bava and/or Lee movie, it inexplicably turns into a vampire flick in the third act. That’s just another way of saying it’s awesome.
Most Hercules movies of the era have their moments but wear out their welcome fast. Hercules in the Haunted World gives us a glimpse at what a Hercules flick would look like with a cinematic genius like Bava at the helm. Sure, Hercules still does all the things you’d want to see him do in a Hercules picture. He performs tremendous feats of strength, falls asleep at inopportune times, and beats up a lot of guys in togas. However, this one also gives us shit like Herc tangling with a rock monster and fighting a horde of flying zombies, which I have to say is right up my alley.
In short, this is the best Hercules movie ever made.
AKA: Hercules vs. the Vampire. AKA: The Vampires vs. Hercules. AKA: With Hercules to the Center of the Earth. AKA: Sword and Sandal. AKA: Hercules in the Center of the Earth.
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