The Slave and the Sorcerer

HUZZAH!!!

Hex Studios has done it again! This time 'Romeo Franco' (still Lawrie Brewster 😉) has taken the helm at director for this amazing independent fantasy horror film with a nod to Albert Pyun and inspiration taken from Frank Frazetta's artwork, along with 'Deathstalker' and 'Conan the Barbarian'.

With an amazing cast of characters. Chris Black was amazing in all that baby oil as Tyrol the Slave (em 😨... Tyrol the Warrior) Chris Capaldi as Laram: an arrogant warrior set to prove himself. Lawrie Brewster as Arlo: A ferocious, malevolent torturer with a vendetta against Tyrol. Richard Pete as King Gerind: a very stand-offish king with a passive Queen (played by Richard's wife: Jeannie Tatum Pete) Stephen Kerr as Ryhn Grey: a clever thief. Jonathan Hansler as Akaris: an evil sorcerer. Briony Monroe as Princess Meyra. My personal favorite was Nemain: a powerful (and beautiful) sorceress played by Megan Tremethick.

All in all it was great independent filmmaking magic with a great hats off to the glamorous 80s and fantasy films we've all grown up with with just a dash of horror, monsters, and manly screams!

The Slave & The Sorcerer is a fun movie in the style of 80s fantasy epics such as Beastmaster or Deathstalker. Given that the entire movie was crowdfunded, Hex Studios was able to put together a great tribute to the era that looks absolutely beautiful. The color palette is great along with fun animatronics and CGI monsters that fit right in such as giant spiders and even a couple of arial dragon fights.

As might be expected for a tribute to 80s fantasy, the main hero, Tyrol, is a well oiled barbarian type character, overacted (intentionally) by Chris Black. It is also filled with scantily clad women such as the sorceress Nemain played by Megan Tremethick or Princess Meyra played by Briony Monroe.

If you are looking for something politically correct, you are definitely in the wrong place as this movie pays true homage to the genre and sexist attitudes of the era. However, it is an absolutely enjoyable nod to the classic 80s fantasy trope.

Jonathan Hansler, who plays the evil sorcerer Akaris puts on a truly menacing performance and steals most scenes in which he appears. He clearly very much enjoys his power!

There were a few minor issues. It was a bit loose and contrived how the main party came together to try to rescue the princess. I feel the thief/rogue character did not really get given much chance to show off their skillset. An odd choice was also made for the accent of the king which just sounded really off. I'm not sure what they were going for but, assuredly, that was not it.

On the other hand, they made excellent use of blue / green screen and in most cases it was not apparent they had done so. As was typical of the genre they also used matte paintings as backdrops which was particularly cool such as inside a giant cave with huge pillars they were trying to navigate. The fight choreography was also pretty good except for a couple of shots where an attacker clearly missed their target but they fell over anyway. However, that is the charm of this genre. The ability to bond while having a good laugh at the same time.

In spite of a few warts, this movie really stands well as a testament to the 80s era and, had it been filmed at the same time, would definitely have gained the same cult status. Indeed, it might do that yet because it truly is a fun, colorful, gory, overacted romp of a sword and sorcery movie. Two thumbs way up!

I grew up in the 80s watching so many of the fantasy films of the era. Conan, Beast Master, the various works of Corman, etc...

This film captures the atmosphere perfectly. The costumes are wonderful, our hero is the muscular he man that we saw in all of the sword and sandal movies of the era. The women are gorgeous, showing off their assets.

I love good practical effects and this movie has that in spades. There are wonderful death scenes, at least two caused me and my friends to yell out appreciation as they happened.

The acting ranges from okay to actually pretty good.

The CGI effects are decent, if not awesome. Then again, I've seen movies with much higher budgets not do as much with their CGI budget.

In short, if you like the fantasy movies of the 80s you'll enjoy this.

If you are after low budget cheese with a fun soundtrack this is for you and absolutely fun blast of a film, also the VHS copy is well worth it. Great performances from the cast even a bit of homage too, which I am sure you will spot easily.

Hex studios has really grown from strength to strength since lord of tears, and this latest film is no different from that trend, special mention to lawrie Brewster who is also in the film for short but very memorable appearances. So get yourself a copy grab some snacks turn of the lights and delve into the magical fantasy horror of the slave and the sorcerer.

You know, I honestly didn't expect much from this. As far as I knew when I first heard of this film, I thought everyone involved was purely out to make a fan project riffing on classic sword and sorcery movies of the 1980s. Now I finally got to see it, and... OK, yes, this is not a Hollywood blockbuster, but this is certainly not an amateur production either. Let's tackle the bad parts first. First, the soundtrack was just too intense in very strange places. Rousing battle music is great when there is actually a battle, but not when the characters are just walking down a dungeon corridor. Decaf, man. It would have been so much more effective to just switch to ambient soundtrack of dripping water at times. Contrasting moods make each of them stand out more. Second, there's... that wig, man. The main character spots long, obviously fake hair that was distracting. I mean, I guess we weren't supposed to take it seriously, but the rest of the make up and costuming is so good that buying a fright wig off of a Spirit Halloween discount rack just doesn't seem right. OK, that's an exaggeration, but it could have been better. Lastly, there were some parts where the acting or special effects were so cheesy it was crazy. But then, thinking about the classic films in this genre, like Hawk the Slayer and The Sword and the Sorcerer, those had over-the-top ham-fisted villains and oh so bad special effects This film got bad, yes, but never as bad as the original films routinely got away with. A lot can be forgiven if the film delivers on the more important parts. Which leads us to the good things: The monsters are varied, the dungeon traps are suitably trippy, the magic is flashy, the main cast seems straight out of the classic fantasy adventure, and the women characters are both attractive and well-written. This won't win any Oscars, but it's a lot of fun. And that's what you want out of a movie like this. I know I watched the whole thing with a smile on my face.