A Museum of Artistic Accomplishment in Cinema (M.A.A.C.) Review
Hercules in the Haunted World / Director: Mario Bava / Career Catalog #15 / Review #0005
5/10
Mario Bava's entry in the sword-and-sandal genre is not exactly traditional to say the least. Hercules must travel down into Hades and steal the Stone of Forgetfulness to save a supernaturally cursed Deianira from being overtaken by madness. I've always been a fan of Bava's work, but I've found some of his non-horror pieces to be a little suspect. Let's face facts here, the film opens with a fight sequence that makes anything out of "Xena: Warrior Princess" look like an epic five star brawl and Hercules tossing an oversized hay cart has to be one of the most laughably bad special effects this side of "Manos: The Hands of Fate." At least the battle on the beach between Theseus and Sunis that follows fairly soon after fares a bit better in the action department. Fortunately we don't have many more fight scenes after that.
Italian filmmakers have always had good cinematographic eyes for natural landscapes, so it's no surprise that the outdoor sequences are masterfully shot. However, the best visuals come from some of the darker moments in the film, particularly within the chambers of the oracle, the garden of the Hesperides, and the tombs in Re Lico's private quarters. Hades itself seems a little bright and inviting by comparison.
I genuinely believe that too many peplum presentations take themselves too seriously. This is not a problem from which "Hercules in the Haunted World" suffers. Not only does it not take itself too seriously, sometimes it feels like it's intentionally playing up its absurdities, particularly when one witnesses the goofy Procrustes who looks like a rejected monster idea from the Jon Pertwee era of "Doctor Who." Theseus's womanizing exploits are also mildly amusing, most notably when he unwittingly pulls Persephone, favorite daughter of Pluto himself, out of Hades in a fit of puppy love.
Every opportunity one has to see the outstanding Christopher Lee on screen is a welcome one. I only wish he had more screen time in this film . . . and that he would have done his own dubbing for the English language edition. Overall, this is a fun little entrant in the "Hercules" franchise but it's slightly clunky and ultimately forgettable when placed alongside some of the timeless masterpieces of terror the director crafted elsewhere.
©2018 berringercrossreviews
Hercules in the Haunted World / Director: Mario Bava / Career Catalog #15 / Review #0005
5/10
Mario Bava's entry in the sword-and-sandal genre is not exactly traditional to say the least. Hercules must travel down into Hades and steal the Stone of Forgetfulness to save a supernaturally cursed Deianira from being overtaken by madness. I've always been a fan of Bava's work, but I've found some of his non-horror pieces to be a little suspect. Let's face facts here, the film opens with a fight sequence that makes anything out of "Xena: Warrior Princess" look like an epic five star brawl and Hercules tossing an oversized hay cart has to be one of the most laughably bad special effects this side of "Manos: The Hands of Fate." At least the battle on the beach between Theseus and Sunis that follows fairly soon after fares a bit better in the action department. Fortunately we don't have many more fight scenes after that.
Italian filmmakers have always had good cinematographic eyes for natural landscapes, so it's no surprise that the outdoor sequences are masterfully shot. However, the best visuals come from some of the darker moments in the film, particularly within the chambers of the oracle, the garden of the Hesperides, and the tombs in Re Lico's private quarters. Hades itself seems a little bright and inviting by comparison.
I genuinely believe that too many peplum presentations take themselves too seriously. This is not a problem from which "Hercules in the Haunted World" suffers. Not only does it not take itself too seriously, sometimes it feels like it's intentionally playing up its absurdities, particularly when one witnesses the goofy Procrustes who looks like a rejected monster idea from the Jon Pertwee era of "Doctor Who." Theseus's womanizing exploits are also mildly amusing, most notably when he unwittingly pulls Persephone, favorite daughter of Pluto himself, out of Hades in a fit of puppy love.
Every opportunity one has to see the outstanding Christopher Lee on screen is a welcome one. I only wish he had more screen time in this film . . . and that he would have done his own dubbing for the English language edition. Overall, this is a fun little entrant in the "Hercules" franchise but it's slightly clunky and ultimately forgettable when placed alongside some of the timeless masterpieces of terror the director crafted elsewhere.
©2018 berringercrossreviews