Hercules in the Haunted World
Hercules in the Haunted World | |
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Directed by | Mario Bava |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Mario Bava[1] |
Produced by | Achille Piazzi[1] |
Starring |
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Cinematography |
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Edited by | Mario Serandrei[1] |
Music by | Armando Trovajoli[1] |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | SpA Cinematografica[3] |
Distributed by | Imperialcine[4] Woolner Brothers (US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes[3] |
Country | Italy[3] |
Language | Italian |
Box office | ₤398 million[5] |
Hercules in the Haunted World (
Plot
Upon his return to Italy from his many adventures, the great warrior Hercules learns that his lover, Princess Deianira, has lost her senses. According to the oracle Medea (Gaia Germani), Daianara's only hope is the Stone of Forgetfulness which lies deep in the realm of Hades. Hercules, with two companions, Theseus and Telemachus, embarks on a dangerous quest for the stone, while he is unaware that Deianira's guardian, King Lico, is the one responsible for her condition and plots to have the girl for himself as his bride upon her revival. Lico is in fact in league with the dark forces of the underworld, and it is up to Hercules to stop him.
The climax has Hercules smashing Lico with a giant boulder and throwing similarly large rocks at an army of zombies.
Cast
- Reg Park as Hercules
- Christopher Lee as King Lico
- Leonora Ruffo as Deianira
- George Ardisson as Theseus
- Marisa Belli as Aretusa
- Ida Galli as Meiazotide
- Mino Doro as Keros
- Gaia Germani as Medea
- Franco Giacobini as Telemachus
- Rosalba Neri as Helena
- Ely Drago as Giocasta
Release
Hercules in the Haunted World was released in Italy on November 16, 1961.[3] It received a theatrical release in the United States in April 1964.[3] Christopher Lee's voice was dubbed by another actor for the English-language version of the film.[6] Meiazotide was renamed Persephone for this version.
Critical reception
In a contemporary review, The Globe and Mail referred to the film as a "particularly awful Italian movie", specifying Reg Parks' acting and the film plays "havoc with the mythology".[7] The review also noted the English dub which was described as "corny almost beyond belief".[7]
From retrospective reviews, the
Legacy
The film started a short-living subgenre of films trying to combine the
The Opera Theater Oregon commissioned composer Patrick Morganelli to write a companion piece to the film, Hercules vs. Vampires, which premiered in Portland in 2010.[11] In April 2015 the work was staged by the Los Angeles Opera.[12]
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 89.
- ^ Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 53, no. 624. British Film Institute. 1986. p. 17.
- ^ a b c d e Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 90.
- ^ "Ercole al centro della terra (1961)". Archivo del Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ Pohle, Hart & Pohle Baldwin 2017, p. 109.
- ^ a b Hughes 2011, p. 8f.
- ^ a b Morriss, Frank (September 10, 1964). "Castle of Blood Fraying To Nerves". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. p. 11.
- Allmovie. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ Paul 2005, p. 22.
- ^ Paul 2005, p. 23.
- ^ James McQuillen (May 17, 2010). "Opera review: 'Hercules vs. Vampires' shines light on link to low-budget film genre". The Oregonian.
- ^ Simon Williams (April 25, 2015). "Hercules vs. Vampires: Los Angeles Opera". Opera News.
Sources
- Hughes, Howard (2011). Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult. London - New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-608-0.
- Johnson, Tom; Miller, Mark A. (2009). The Christopher Lee Filmography: All Theatrical Releases, 1948–2003. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476608969.
- Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476662916.
- Paul, Louis (2005). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8749-3.
- Pohle, Robert W. Jr.; Hart, Douglas C.; Pohle Baldwin, Rita (2017). The Christopher Lee Film Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810892705.