Hercule contre les vampires

Definitely one of the better Hercules films with British born bodybuilder Reg Park (the man who trained Arnold Schwarzenegger) a better Hercules than most. Another thing that puts this one above most of the rest is the presence of British villain Christopher Lee, who's about three inches taller than Reg Park.

In this one Hercules literally goes to Hell so that he can retrieve a magical rock thing that will save his girlfriend. From there he battles the usual assortment of monsters against a backdrop of atmospheric sets. This one's good for Halloween or any dark, misty night by the fireplace.

I find this one quite fun! Hercules is clever and remembers what he is told about Hades: "Don't believe everything you see here". And what our hero is doing in Pluto's underworld, Hades, is to find a magic stone from there in order to free his lady love from evil.

Surreal and eerie imagery in this particular film - it is set in Hades. This film there isn't much in the way listen to but a whole lot to see... sure there is dialogue but as long as you know why Hercules is in Hades you really don't have to listen - just veg out and watch the film - dig on the cool imagery. LOL. The story is OK enough though.

What is weird: Seeing Christopher Lee's face and hearing another actor dub his voice into English. I guess Lee had other things going on so he couldn't dub his own voice back into English(?) - guessing.

This film is just a fun fantasy adventure - one to kick back and enjoy! 8/10

In terms of story and plot, this HERCULES film is arguably every bit as good as(and quite often better than)many others. The main flaw being the common solution Hercules uses for every problem he faces.

Still this movie is great fun to watch in either language(as the dub isn't too bad--only its too bad Christopher Lee didn't do his own) and features lots of terrific haunting color visuals from a master-Mario Bava. Any Gothic Horror fan will find much to enjoy here.

To save his beloved Deianira (Leonora Ruffo, the sexy starship captain in 'Star Pilot' (1966)), the mighty Hercules (a convincingly massive Reg Park) descends into a Hades to obtain a sacred stone. Directed by Mario Bava, the film has a colourful, surreal look that belies its low budget (similar to the director's sci-fi cult-fav 'Planet of the Vampires (1965)) and motors along at a brisk pace to a delirious finale involving flying daemons and a wicked vampire king (a dubbed and somewhat wasted Christopher Lee). As 60s Italian 'sword and sandal' epics go, this one is pretty good: Park makes a good bulky hero, Franco Giacobini doesn't overdo his goofy comic-relief shtick as Telemachus, and the vivid cinematography is striking, especially the colour-drenched Hell scenes. The special effects are surprisingly good at times (especially the 'distance' shots of characters crossing the sea of lava) although the wires holding up the 'flying' daemons at the end are painfully apparent. A fun, entertaining time-passer with memorable imagery.

Directed by Mario Bava, HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD stars Reg Park as the human steam engine of the title. It also has the one and only Christopher Lee as the eeevil King Lico!

Big H is given the opportunity, almost immediately, to toss a hay wagon at some of Lico's warriors. His glistening, gleaming physique barely straining in the process!

Soon enough, Herc must embark on a quest to end a curse and rescue a princess. Along with his comrade, Theseus (George Ardisson), he must locate a magical object, and enter Hades itself!

Due to Bava's involvement, this is an exceptional example of its sub-genre, with the Director's flair evident throughout. Park is quite good in his bulging role, adding a certain amount of pathos to the character. For his part, Lee does what he does best, by being as wicked as possible!

The story is effective, complete with a big twist. There are some nice touches along the way, including the talking, robotic rock man, the bleeding vines- containing the souls of the damned, and the molten lava beds. The finale is also great, with a battle against the undead and Lico himself!

Fans of these films need to watch this one right now!...