Customer Reviews

Hercules in the Haunted World

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Fantoma's DVD release of Mario Bava's Hercules in the Center of the Earth ought to elevate his stature in the film world, if not as a "serious" movie director, then certainly as one of the cinema's most talented and artistic lighting cameramen/cinematographers. The story is fairly generic muscleman stuff and the acting is competent if unexceptional (although three-time Mr. Universe Reg Park definitely has a believable physical presence as Hercules); what really sets this movie apart from virtually any other peplum flick are Bava's neon-hued Technicolor visuals, which at times border on the hallucinatory. Throughout most of the movie he tosses off shot after stunning shot, many only a few seconds long, nearly every one impeccably lit, artfully composed, and accented with vibrant color. Bava's interweaving of light, shadow, color, and sometimes literal "smoke and mirrors" to define space, mood, and even character is consistently impressive, even more so after reading the liner notes describing how little he had to work with. Cool sequences and striking set-pieces abound, including Deianira rising from her sarcophagus and floating across the room (like Lon Chaney in Son of Dracula); Hercules's eerie visits with the sibyl; the psychedelic ocean vistas on the voyage to the Hesperides; Lyco (Christopher Lee) reflected in a pool of his victim's blood; the flying ghouls rising from their slimy crypts (which must have given nightmares to the kiddie matinee crowd in 1964); and the climactic showdown between Hercules and Lyco, shot in an atmospheric Roman grotto. There's almost too much to appreciate in a single viewing. While I'm not normally a huge fan of sword-and-sandal flicks (though I did watch lots of them on Saturday afternoons as a kid), and I could've done without the `comedy relief' character, I still have to strongly recommend this movie not only to fans of Bava's other movies (particularly Planet of the Vampires), but also anyone who simply appreciates breathtakingly beautiful color cinematography.
Fantoma's DVD is transferred in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and anamorphically enhanced, from a virtually pristine Technicolor print of the original Italian-language dub. There is only the lightest of speckling evident; otherwise it's crisp and clean, with lush, richly-saturated color, and excellent contrast and detail. Optional English subtitles are included, as well as the (continental) English-dubbed soundtrack. Unless you're extremely subtitle-phobic, I recommend the Italian-language soundtrack with the subtitles. The English dubbing gives the film a campier, less serious tone and often renders the dialogue much more prosaically than the subtitles (example: Hercules's final words to Deianira in the subtitled version, "Man's love is passionate, but often inconsistent. Ours will last forever"; in the English dub, "As long as Theseus steals other men's girls, I have nothing to worry about.") Unfortunately we don't get to hear Christopher Lee's actual voice in either version. The DVD also includes excellent Tim Lucas liner notes; a gallery of approximately 45 color and B&W stills, posters, and ad mats; and a comparatively rough-looking trailer, matted to about 1.66:1 and suffering from medium to heavy scratching and lining, poor color, and merely acceptable sharpness and detail. The film is broken into 16 chapter stops and the Dolby 2.0 mono sound is full and clear. The definitive edition of an unmercifully neglected film.

Most of the Italian Hercules movies made during the '60s were silly sword & sandal sagas. And so is this one. But, as directed by the great Mario Bava, it's also an atmospheric exercise in cinematic style. The photography is great, the special effects are innovative, and Bava uses colour as strikingly here as he did in Baron Blood. Christopher Lee makes a great villain, too. So what if the silly storyline wanders far afield from its mythic origins? The weird flying zombies alone are worth the price of admission.

Italian director Mario Bava (1914-1980) is one of the giants of the horror film genre. Bava's big break into the field came with his 1960 black and white classic "Black Sunday" starring Barbara Steele. This was only the beginning, as Bava churned out a series of gruesome shockers over the next seventeen years; his films always promised great style mixed with scenes of murder and mayhem. Perhaps Mario's biggest contribution to the horror genre was his 1972 picture "Twitch of the Death Nerve," also known as "Bay of Blood." It doesn't take too long to realize "Friday the 13th" shamelessly cribbed from this slasher bloodbath. At least two of the murders in the film appear almost unchanged in the first installment of the Jason Voorhees franchise. That's right-- Mario Bava gave birth to the modern slasher film. But he also dabbled in non-horror films with projects like "Four Times That Night" and this film, "Hercules in the Haunted World." After watching his contribution to the peplum genre, I have to express further admiration for this amazing filmmaker; he could make an entertaining motion picture no matter what the subject.

Bava's Hercules (played capably by Reg Park) must set out on yet another quest the results of which will have a profound effect on the residents of a Greek city. It seems that the female princess of this town is under some zombie like spell, completely unable to function beyond rambling and stumbling about. In her place, a sinister man named Lyco (Christopher Lee!) "generously" agrees to rule the city until Hercules and his buddy Theseus return from their mission. According to an oracle, Hercules must head into the depths of Hades--ruled over by the evil god Pluto--to secure a special stone that will restore the faculties of the young princess. Of course, our heroes must undertake several other minor tasks before marching into the world of the dead. In order to enter Hell, Hercules must first obtain a magical boat from some large guy who likes to draw and quarter people. Then Theseus and Hercules must sail the boat to the Hesperides, a bleak land beyond the sun where a bevy of beautiful women banished by the gods live. Once they arrive here, one of the men must climb an enormous tree in order to procure a golden apple that will allow them to enter and exit Hades safely. The underworld itself presents a host of problems, including oceans of fire, sexy but fatal mirages, and vines that groan and bleed when cut. Hercules surmounts all of the obstacles through a combination of brute strength and intelligence, arriving back at the city just in time to take on Lyco and some weird flying creatures. The final showdown is fierce, but will our man save the princess and restore the monarchy in time?

Peplum films often rate high on the cheese scale. Bava's film is no exception, but (and this is a big but) "Hercules in the Haunted World" is an enormously entertaining and beautifully made film guaranteed to provide a good time. Sure, some of the miniatures looked schlocky. Sure, the comic relief sidekick Theseus and Hercules take along with them is more of an annoyance than a boon. Sure, Christopher Lee sports a funny Prince Valiant haircut and doesn't really do much. Yes, many scenes and characters in Bava's film possess a decidedly cheesy quality, but the movie succeeds wildly despite these flaws. Just check out the performances. I thought Reg Park made an excellent Hercules; the guy could actually act and really looks the part. Moreover, there are more babes in this film than I remember seeing in 1950s and 1960s cheese flicks. The girl who plays Persephone, the woman Theseus rescues from Hades, looks eerily similar to a young Sophia Loren. In fact, all of the female roles have beautiful women in them, something I greatly appreciated when watching the film.

If you don't want to waste time watching the actors and actresses (dubbed, by the way, since the film was shot in Italian), you can appreciate how Bava overcame a tight budget to create a truly bizarre world. When Theseus, Hercules, and the sidekick sail across the ocean to the Hesperides, the horizon takes on a weird, almost psychedelic tone of red, yellow, and black that is very well done. Just as neat is the desolate landscapes of Hades, a world of smoke, styrofoam rocks, and lava pits that swallow up the unwary. As Hercules and Theseus move through the blasted terrain of Pluto's domain, the camera often draws way back to show the two men from afar jumping off cliffs and climbing hand over hand on a vine rope. Again, it does look a bit cheesy, but it also works in an inexplicable way. The scenes where Hercules talks to the oracle and where he battles Lyco and his undead minions are, without doubt, simply wonderful to look at and stylish as all get out. "Hercules in the Haunted World" is a prime cut of peplum that even a non-fan of the genre can appreciate.

I was surprised to see Franco Prosperi had a hand in making this film; he went on to worldwide fame as one of the co-creators of the notorious "Mondo Cane" series. I suspect, however, that Bava was primarily responsible for the technical brilliance of the movie. Thanks to Fantoma for bringing us the film in a beautifully restored DVD version with a trailer and stills as extras. Bava completists simply must pick up "Hercules in the Haunted World" as quickly as they can. Even non-fans would do well to invest an hour and a half of their time with this one; you're unlikely to see another peplum film as entertaining as this one.

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.

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.

As you can imagine, Mario Bava's Hercules film has lots of psychedelic red/blue/green color splashed around and is misty and foggy as well. Well, Bava's flair for the visuals makes this a rather unique entry in the Italian Sword and Sandal genre. In this film, Hercules goes to the city of his fiancee, but she's under the spell of some wacky evil, as is the whole town. The town is ruled by Christopher Lee, and even a blind man could see that he has a hand in the evil goings on, but Hercules was never known for his intelligence. So he goes on a quest to retrieve a magic stone from the god, Pluto. This journey leads him to the "haunted world" of the title, which is actually Hades, the land of the dead. Along with his buddy, Theseus, and some unneeded comic relief character, they brave the horrors of Hades to retrieve the stone. Before they get to Hades, however, they need to stop at an island to get a golden apple from a tall tree. The apple will enable them to pass through to the land of the dead. When the doofus Hercules falls from the tree, what does he do? Why tear the tree down of course!!
Will Hercules make it out of Hades alive, save the city, defeat Christopher Lee and get his girl back????
Well of course you know he does, but it's a fun journey if you dig this kinda pulpy action. Or if you like Bava's style.
Herculean highlights here include a hilarious and underused rock creature that wants to use Theseus as a Stretch Armstrong figure, a very funny Christopher Lee demise, and a very cool and creepy climax with floating zombies that get smashed to smithereens.

HERCULES IN THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (1961), better known as HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD, was acclaimed horror director Mario Bava's first color film, and it is regarded as one of the best in the "sword and sandal" genre.

The plot concerns Hercules' (Reg Park) adventures in Hades as he tries to secure a golden apple and a living stone which will aid him in rescuing his beloved (Leonora Ruffo) from the evil Lyco (Christopher Lee).

Bava's brilliant ability to make low-budget films look like expensively mounted productions is evident throughout. The eye-popping color design is one of the first examples of the psychedelic style for which Bava would later become famous. The climax, with Hercules fending off hordes of flying demons, is genuinely creepy. The sequence takes place in a sparse, spacious setting with mist swirling around silhouetted figures, looking like some unholy version of Calvary - the staccato editing heightening the suspense.

Park cuts a good figure as Hercules, hitting just the right note of heroism and nobility. Of course Lee, draped in black with a page-boy haircut, is perfect as the Lucifer-like Lyco.

Fantoma gives us a beautiful DVD transferred from the widescreen, original cut of the film, so its visual splendor is finally fully intact. This edition has both the original Italian language and English dubbed versions. A nice batch of extras - liner notes by Tim Lucas, the theatrical trailer and a stills and poster gallery - wrap up a highly entertaining package.

I have Sinister Cinema's DVD of this film, which is from a pretty bad print: tons of scratches and the colors washed out until everything is a pinkish-purple. One poster says this version is from a really good print. Do you agree?

Forgive me for posting a question where I should post a review, but I don't know where else to get it answered. Thanks!!

Reg Park didn't have to lose weight for his role like Reeves did. See a real hercules in his prime.

i purchased Hercules in a Haunted world, because I remembered seeing some Reg Park movies on tv as a kid. Little did I know that this copy was in black and white, with parts of the soundtrack missing.Anyway you get what you pay for and I didnt pay much.