Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)

Hercules in the Haunted World (Italy, 1961) 84 min color DIR-DOP: Mario Bava. PROD: Achille Piazzi. MUSIC: Armando Trovajoli. SCR: Sandro Continenza, Mario Bava, Francesco Prosperi, Duccio Tessari. CAST: Reg Park, Christopher Lee, Leonora Ruffo, George Ardisson, Marisa Belli, Evelyn Stewart, Franco Giacobini, Gaia Germani, Raf Baldassarre. (SpA Cinematografica)

---

Although director Mario Bava may have specialized in horror films, he dabbled in several other genres. His directorial skills were utilized in sword-and-sandal epics, spaghetti westerns, a fumetto adaptation, and a really odd “sex comedy”. In the same year of his horror classic Black Sunday, which cemented his reputation, Bava made this irresistible entry in the muscleman sweepstakes. 

After the great Steve Reeves played Hercules in two films (but remained busy in other sword-and-sandal epics), a long line of beefcake actors would assume the role. Reg Park played him four times: first in Hercules and the Captive Women, before appearing in this truly wonderful popcorn picture. At times, this movie is typical of many peplum imports: exterior scenes featuring voices with obvious studio echo (at least in the English-dubbed version), rubber boulders being thrown, some ludicrous special effects (like the rock monster herein), and juvenile humour. Early on, when Herc’s buddy Theseus (George Ardisson) is making out with a lovely lady, she says she can hear music when he kisses her. Suddenly, the music on the soundtrack swells!

And yet, with a few sparse sets, and lighting in primary colours, Bava transcends this into an effective mood piece. This Hercules entry differs from most peplum pictures for its supernatural moments, and that the maestro directed it as though it were a horror film. It helps too, that Christopher Lee is in the cast, as Hercules’ “friend”, Lico. Once Hercules’ girlfriend Deianira (Leonora Ruffo) is in a catatonic state, he learns from Medea the Oracle (Gaia Germani) to retrieve the Stone of Forgetfulness from Hades to cure her. To do this however, he first must get the Golden Apple which will gain him entrance into the Underworld. With the aid of Theseus, and the “comic relief” of bumbling Telemachus (Franco Giacobini), the strong man begins a series of strange adventures.

It is here where Hercules in the Haunted World ceases becoming a standard issue muscleman flick and Bava begins to get interested in the material. He also served as cinematographer, which explains the film’s often startling visual beauty: images (like the interesting lighting for Medea, the masked Oracle) are as breathtaking as anything in Blood and Black Lace. Mario Bava expertly camouflages the cheap sets (and the weak script) with his characteristic red and marine baths of light, and white-blue dry ice: he is happier creating a world than telling a story. (It’s always amusing to see three or more screenwriters credited to low-budget Italian genre pictures.)

The series of vignettes in the Underworld are great fun: the ship which sails by itself, the fight with the rock man (considering the crummy special effects), and the amusing ways in which these immortals constantly have their senses tantalized in Sin Central down under. They are lured by a chain-clad woman, but Hercules sees through the illusion. Theseus once and for all has his libido taken to task, for this time the poor guy falls in love with Persephone, who is only the daughter of Pluto, God of the Underworld!

Alas, this toiling soon ends and Hercules returns to Earth battle with the traitorous Lico, who after all, wanted Deianira for his own diabolical purposes. He wants to sacrifice her to the gods so he can gain immortality! In the climactic scene, Lico calls forth the dead. The cobwebbed zombies begin to rise from their coffins in a sequence that is truly arresting. It belongs alongside any of Bava’s best supernatural sequences in Black Sunday or Planet of the Vampires. 

As much as this film is a visual feast, there is whoever a surprising amount of character development. Reg Park looks great as Hercules, but he also is seen to have good humour (all things considered). It is always amusing to see how Theseus’ amorous adventures always get him into trouble.

Hercules in the Haunted World transcends the conventions of sword-and-sandal flicks, and delivers a visually splendid treat that is equally fitting for a Saturday matinee or a Friday fright night. Twenty or more years after his death, the work of Mario Bava is thankfully getting restored to its original intentions (as his films were often edited for North American releases). As of this writing, someone is planning to release this film in its longer European version in its original aspect ratio, which will no doubt make the movie even more worth seeing.

---

Originally published in Vol. #1, Issue #6, “The Second Annual Summer Drive-In Issue”. 

UPDATE! This review was based from viewing the Rhino VHS. It was presented in a chalky 4×3 print, but that’s what we had in those days, and as such was still perfectly serviceable, as Bava’s visual splendour shone through. It had since been released to DVD, but the 2019 Kino Blu-ray release (from which the above screen captures were taken) will likely remain the definitive edition. (The two-disc set features three different release versions!)