Ercole al centro della Terra
Tags: good versus evil, violence

Plot synopsis:
The great, muscle-warrior Hercules (Reg Park) returns to his homeland in Icalia, where he is confronted by several hired assasins. But he defeats them with the help of his loyal friend Thesius. Upon arrival in the city, Hercules is distraught after hearing that his love Daianara (Leonora Ruffo) has lost her senses. He visits her, and is emotionally crushed when she no longer recognizes him. The evil King Lico (Christopher Lee), an amoral nobleman, is actually planning to sacrifice Daianara he can attain immortality. Posing as Daianara's concerned uncle, Lico suggests to Hercules that the oracle Medea might be able to help him.Upon meeting with Medea, she tells Hercules that in order to save Daianara from total memory loss and even death, he must retrieve her memories with the stone of forgetfulness from the realm of Hades. However, to gain access to the underworld, he will have to retrieve the mysterious golden apple from the Land of the Hesperides. As a sign of his complete devotion to Dianara, Hercules returns his gift of immortality and super-human strength to the gods. In this way, he is forced to fight for her as a man, and not with any special abilities.His mission set, Hercules sets out immediately on his quest, stopping first to enlist the aid of Thesius. At his point, Hercules also meets Telemachus, who happens to be the fiancé of one of Thesius many girlfriends. Telemachus volunteers to help out his friend Thesius as well as Hercules to find the golden apple, although Telemaches soon proves to be more of a hindrance then a help.The first leg of the journey finds Hercules and his two cohorts in a vast seascape as they sail by boat towards the edge of the world, against the backdrop of a blood-red sky. Suddenly, the three men become sleepy and the temptation to rest becomes too strong. When they wake up, the find that they have reached the Land of the Hesperides who are being punished for sins of their ancestors. Hercules accomplishes his goal of retrieving the golden apple from the top of a monstrous tall tree that stretches into the black, stormy sky with little difficulty. His combination of physical and mental strength comes in handy. After a failed attempt at scaling the tree trunk, he simply hurls a rock at the tree, and a prayer to the gods results in a direct hit, and the golden apple comes tumbling down.But before the mission can continue, Procrustes, a bloodthirsty stone demon who enslaves the women of the island and has been forcing them to sacrifice all intruders to him, captures both Thesius and Telemaches. Procrusted ties Thesius to a long stone bed, while Telemaches is tied to a smaller stone bed. Porcrusted decides to stretch Thesius on a rack to fill the entire length of the bed, while Telemaches is planed to be reduced in size to fit the other stone bed. Hercules comes to their rescue, and using his intellect to stop the stone monster, he hurls the creature into a stone wall, smashing it to pieces. The muscle-bound hero receives an added bonus when the stone wall collapses, revealing a pathway that descends to Hades.Hercules and Thesius leave Telemaches behind so he can watch their boat to guard the golden apple while the two of them venture into Hades to retrieve the stone. During the journey through Hades, Hercules and Thesius have to cross a wooden plank way across a huge lava bed. The pathway collapses, and Thesius is apparently killed when he falls into the lava. Hercules is forced to go on alone where he finally discover the magical stone and retrieves it from its altar. But Thesius is not dead for he later revives in the arms of the beautiful Persephone, a young woman who has been imprisoned in Hades by her father, the god Pluto. Thesius falls madly in love with Persephone and plots to smuggle her out of hell and back to the world with him. Upon meeting with Hercules again, Thesius fibs a little about Persephones origins and persuades Hercules to let her accompany them back to the world. With their mission accomplished, the three men and one woman sail for home.However, during the voyage home, a violent sea storm threatens to sink their boat, which calls for another divine intervention from Persephone, who finally reveals that she is a demi-god and that her father, Pluto, is angered that she is leaving Hades for the world. Upon arrival back home, Hercules tries to persuade Thesius to send Persephone back to Hades to avoid angering the gods more. But Thesisus is too consumed by his love for Persephone to agree.Hercules brings the magical stone to Daianara who responds to the quick power of the stone. When Lico attempts to carry on his plans, he is unmasked by Hercules as the real villain of the story all along. Lico seals himself and Dianara in a secret chamber where he calls forth an army of the dead to prepare for the ritual sacrifice during a lunar eclipse to slay her and drink her blood to become immortal. Hercules breaks into the chamber and engages in a vicious sword fight with the demons, slaying all of them. Hercules and Lico engage in a long swordfight of their own before Hercules manages to get the upper hand and stabs Lico, who then loses his powers and is set afire by his own magical energy.In the epilogue, Persephone reluctantly decides to give up her love for Thesius which has been so opposed by the gods so she can return to Hades, leaving Thesius heartbroken. However, Hercules with Daianara tell Thesius that he will find his true love someday, the awkward Telemaches makes a move into another local woman, who slaps him, and she instead turns her sights on Thesius standing nearby.

Review: 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.
The sets, costumes, special effects and camera work are a joy to behold and director Mario Bava's distinctive style is very much to the fore.
Bava specialized in the creation of surreal and subtly sinister atmospherics and there's plenty of that.Reg Park had a vibrant and attractive screen presence and turned in a convincing performance as the muscle bound super hero.
And there are enough suspenseful moments along the way to keep the sandman at bay.You could never say that "Hercules in the Haunted World" moves along at a cracking pace.
I have read on and off over the years that this Hercules film by Mario Bava was supposedly the best one of all and after finally getting a copy, sat down to watch it and was truly knocked out by the visuals.
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.
Terror-Muscleman epic with a magnificent villainous , Christopher Lee and professionally directed by the master Mario Bava.
This second film by Mario Bava is also known like ¨Hercules in the haunted world¨ or ¨Hercules vs.
Hercules taking on king Lycos (Christopher Lee in similar acting his recent ¨Drácula¨ by Terence Fisher , though his voice was dubbed by another actor for the English-language version) has abducted his sweet-girl, Deianera (Leonora Ruffo) and she has lost her ordinary condition as well as senses .
Hercules vs Christopher Lee. Not being a big fan of other Hercules films from the '60s I had seen, I wasn't excited to watch this one.
The reasons for why it is good can be attributed to director Mario Bava, who takes a flimsy story and brings it to life with rich visuals and an otherworldly atmosphere.
This film is a stylish and fun piece of entertainment for people who enjoy escapist fantasy movies.
Mario Bava's atmospheric peplum gets first-rate treatment on a new Fantoma DVD..
Sword-and-sandal afficionados will be happy to hear that this lush Mario Bava-helmed Hercules movie is getting a widescreen treatment on DVD.
It's one of the more atmospheric Italian schlock epics, full of the imaginative and colorful set pieces distinctive to the renowned Italian filmmaker, Mario Bava.
Hercules literally goes to Hell to defeat satanic villain Christopher Lee in this engaging muscleman movie, a definite kitsch classic of it's kind, now being made available in it's once-glorious Super Technirama format on videodisc..
Christopher Lee is the villainous Lyco, a sort of vampire/evil force in one of his best performances of the Sixties.
There is some annoying comedy relief involving Hercules' partners and some living stone creatures but overall this is second only to the two Steve Reeves films HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED (Bava also worked behind-the-scenes on these).
HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD was directed by Mario Bava.
Some scenes are beautiful and the whole golden apple moment was excellent, and the living dead attacking Hercules was equally fun but there's simply nothing much going on here to warrant this much attention.
The problem with HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD is that, for an action film, it's very static.
One only has to look at other Peplums, including those with Reg Park, and see how those film actually fit the bill as action films.
HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN, though somewhat more cheesy than this Bava flick, was more fun to watch because it moved like a serial of yore.
Mario Bava is a unique director, with a unique style, who was just not suited for action films..
Hercules In The Haunted World (Mario Bava, 1961) ***.
The mythological character of Hercules was among the most popular heroes of the peplum (sword-and-sandal) genre within Italian cinema; in fact, its heyday was largely heralded by the unprecedented success of HERCULES (1957), with Steve Reeves – on which the director of this one had actually served as cinematographer!
Having watched (and suffered through) quite a few of these low-brow entries over the years, it transpires that only a handful were truly worthy of attention; the film under review being certainly one of them, with another being Vittorio Cottafavi's HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961), both of which just happened to feature the same leading man (Reg Park).
At his best an unparalleled purveyor of atmosphere, Bava was ideal for helming the muscle-bound demi-God's adventures in the Netherworld, letting rip his imagination to conceive a color scheme and special effects that would transcend budgetary constraints – and, at the same time, make up for narrative shortcomings (notably such obligatory conventions as youthful romance and comedy relief); however, another definitive trump-card here is the presence of an imposing villain in Christopher Lee (his first of two satisfying collaborations with Bava).
To get back to the film's fantasy elements, Hercules consults with a masked clairvoyant throughout (to determine the fate of his beloved, held for the longest time under the spell of Lee's malevolent influence) and combats a flying legion of the undead at the climax (their 'costume' would actually be borrowed by Bava himself for a later sci-fi effort, the equally fine PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES [1965]!); as expected, the action is plentiful, if a bit overly vigorous and obviously artificial: however, instead of destroying the illusion, this rather lends the whole added charm (at one point, Hercules amusingly disarms a throng of pursuers by effortlessly hurling a cart at them - just as he would dispatch the undead with an array of flying boulders)!
Despite being best-known in the English-speaking world with the title at the top of this review, the opening credits of the print I watched (presumably culled from the Fantoma DVD) sports a literal translation of the original Italian one i.e. HERCULES IN THE CENTER OF THE EARTH!.
HAUNTED WORLD is, hands down, the best of the hundreds of Hercules films churned out in Italy in the 1960's (if you think Hollywood today is an assembly line -- look at all the Hercules/ James Bond flicks done in Italy in the 60's -- there are more than stars in the sky, literally.) HAUNTED WORLD is all about Bava ...
He's the difference between this and any of the other hundreds of Hercules films -- some very good, some decent, some appalling -- and it's a prime example of why Mario Bava was, arguably, the greatest pulp director, ever.
He, through sheer force of visual genius (and I'm not kidding -- watch a bunch of other cut-rate fantasy/sci-fi films and you'll go back to Bava every time) -- well, he elevates this into something like psychedelic poetry, dammit.
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.
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.
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!
Hercules in a Haunted Gothic Hades - Mario Bava, We Worship Thee!.
Mario Bava is one of the greatest directors who ever lived, in my opinion, not only in Italian Horror cinema, but regardless of country and genre.
Like no other Horror director, Bava 's wonderful repertoire includes such a wide variety of brilliant gems that it is hard to pick favorites.
However, his filmography includes a variety of other true masterpieces that range among Horror's all-time greatest, such as the brilliant anthology "I Tre Volti Della Paura" ("Black Sabbath" / "The Three Faces of Fear", 1963), the unspeakably eerie "Operazione Paura" ("Kill Baby Kill", 1966), the incredibly beautiful "La Frusta E Il Corpo" ("The Whip and the Body", 1963), or the proto-Gialli "La Ragazza Che Sappeva Troppo" ("The Girl Who Knew Too Much", 1963) and "Sei Donne Per L'Assassino" ("Blood and Black Lace", 1964) with which Bava single-handedly created the wonderful Giallo-sub-genre.
title in order to cash in on Bava's Horror fame, is a Sword and Sandal film.
However, it is a Sword and Sandal film by Mario Bava, and therefore has more to offer than the usual heroism, muscle-men, and beautiful nymphs in despair.
"Hercules in the Haunted World" sends the eponymous Greek demigod (played by muscle-man Reg Park) to Hades.
And who would be more predestined to bring the Greek underworld, the 'haunted' world of the dead to screen than Bava?
The almighty Christopher Lee, another great man whom I could praise forever, plays the villain in this film, but unfortunately has very little screen time.
Overall, "Hercules in the Haunted World" is obviously a lot cheesier than Bava's Horror films, and certainly not his most remarkable creation.
Then first time director Mario Bava pulled out the stops to give the thing as lurid a look as possible - out-Hammering Hammer House in this regard, no small feat.
All In a Days Work for the Son of a God. This is a cute little Italian movie about Hercules, the strongest man on the earth.
I won't go into Greek mythology to discuss the origins of Hercules though, but rather look at this film.Hercules' beloved it dying and the only way to save her is to travel into Hades and get a rock.
Hercules (Reg Park) must journey in Hades itself to retrieve the magic stone that will free his love from the powers of darkness.I was drawn to this film because it has Christopher Lee and is directed by Mario Bava.
While a lot of the Hercules films play better in Italian this one doesn't.
Hercules in the Haunted World (1961) *** (out of 4) In order to save his love, Hercules (Reg Park) must travel to Hell and bring back a magical stone but even after returning he has another bad guy to face (played by Christopher Lee).
The atmosphere is very rich and beautiful to look out and there are plenty of great scenes including the dead rising at the end to stop Hercules.
Park is pretty good in his role but I was bored by the supporting cast and that includes Lee who just comes off bland and not too much fun..
He often said that he cared nothing at all for his famous monster flicks like 'Black Sunday'(One of the most overrated films in the horror genre), dismissing the critical analysis of his film's thematic content, and said that his true interests in horror lied with the concept of someone alone in a room; facing the darkest aspects of themselves(He would've loved Clive Barker), and in a sense, he never got to make that kind of film, so in a way, his films really were purely style over substance.So it is ironic that perhaps his most rich film, in terms of style AND substance, would be a Sword & Sandle film about Hercules.
Sad, as not only is this my favorite Bava film, but easily one of the finest fantasy films ever made.The plot is quite convoluted, so pay attention: Hercules learns that his betrothed, Princess Deianara of Icalia has become stricken with an apparent mental illness where she is slowly dying, in order to save her, Hercules departs to Hades, first to win the Golden(it looks bronze)Apple that will see him through Hades, and then to find a power stone that will keep Deianara from dying, he departs with his horn dog best friend Theseus(!!??) and comedy relief warrior Telemachus(!!!??
It would seem obvious to appease them by making Persephone leave, after all, Theseus goes through relationships like fundies through logic so it won't bother him, but wait a minute, this time he HAS found a perfect relationship, and he's not going to give her up without a fight, even against his best friend......The film features all of Bava's themes; illusion of beauty, doomed romance, incest and the theme of the shattered family and friendship, and despite the juvenile inclinations of the genre, he handles them more maturely than anywhere else.
But this isn't just some profound statement on the human condition, oh no, it still has more than it's fair share of mindless spectacle and fun; including two moments of sheer superhero badassery, such as when Hercules ties a boulder to a long whip in order to knock down the branch with the Golden Apple, then repeats the same trick in Hades with, get ready; TREE ROOTS OF THE VEINS OF ALL THE SOULS OF THE DAMNED STILL FILLED WITH BLOOD THAT SHRIEK WHEN THEY ARE CUT to cross a LAVA PIT.
*WHEW*It also has plenty of sword fights and an unconvincing but awesomely designed Rock monster too.As impressive as the quest is, the film really hits it's stride after our heroes leave Hades, only to find Icalia ravaged by the vengeful gods, with the mentally unstable(and incestuous) King Lico becoming more and more warped, to the point he feels he needs to commit a sacrifice.
It's visually stunning from start to finish; undeniably Bava's best looking film.
Using some of the same sets from Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis, Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace, Black Sunday) created a masterpiece with this film.
Featuring Reg Park (who appeared in four Hercules films and was considered a mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Christopher Lee (The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Wicker Man, everything good and right about horror movies), this would influence every sword and sandal movie that would follow, as well as films like Flash Gordon.Despite the size of the budget and the cheapness of the sets, Bava crafts a totally unique world, filled with rich colors and billowing smoke.
And with Lee as King Lico, there's finally a villain that feels worthy of Hercules' bold heroics.As Hercules returns from many adventures, he discovers that the love of his life, Princess Deianira, has lost her memory.
I'll take one Hercules in the Haunted World over every movie that will play in moviehouses this year..
This is a Hercules film made by Italian master Mario Bava, starring Christoper Lee!
Bava luckily just piles on the crazy special effects until we just roll with the film instead of trying to figure out what's going on.Herc gets his ship, gets to the Aiedes, makes a massive slingshot and gets his golden apple!
Mario Bava's distinctive touch is obvious in HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD; the beautifully-lit sets (and miniatures) literally shine.
(As do Reg Park's glistening pair of pecs, for that matter.) This is my second-favorite Bava film- a close second to PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (which likewise boasts eerily-but-beautifully-lit sets).
A bit slow at times, perhaps, but a good Bava film nonetheless..
Hercules must journey on sea to Hades to bring back a certain stone that'll remove the curse of anemia from his beloved Queen Deianira(Leonora Ruffo) caused by her evil uncle King Lyco(Christopher Lee)whose eyes are on her throne.
Along with Herc are pals Theseus(George Ardisson)and Telemachus(Franco Giacobini, a weakling slapstick foil who provides the film's supposed comedy relief)..they must first find a specific golden apple in the land of Hermides before entering god Pluto's Hades to retrieve the special powerful stone.
This is about directors Mario Bava and Franco Prosperi creating colorful, surreal fantasy worlds.
The film works as an adventure fantasy for children and one might could say it allowed Bava to evolve and mature as an artist/filmmaker honing his craft for future Gothic horror that would make him a legend.
Christopher Lee is, as always, just fine as the villain of the film at first sending Herc on a wild goose chase when his King Lyco was the actual fiend behind the horrors of the Queen and the village.
Reg Park Provides the muscular physique needed to represent the Hercules character..and the directors do let him toss boulders.
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.
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.
In order to save his beloved "Princess Deianira" (Leonora Ruffo) from a delusional trance "Hercules" (Reg Park) must venture through the land of the Hesperides and into Hades itself in order to retrieve a sacred stone which will revive her sanity.