Hercules in the Haunted World

"An All New Height in Fright and Might!"

1961 1h 26m IT

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 84

AdventureHorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Upon his return from battle in the previous film, the great warrior Hercules learns that his lover, Daianara, has lost her senses. According to the oracle Medea, Dianara's only hope is the Stone of Forgetfulness which lies deep in the realm of Hades. Hercules, with two companions, Theseus and Telemachus, embarks on a dangerous quest for the stone, while he is unaware that Dianara's guardian, King Lico, is the one responsible for her condition and plots to have the girl for himself as his bride upon her revival.

“An All New Height in Fright and Might!”

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Cast

Reg Park
Hercules (Ercole)
Christopher Lee
King Lico (Licos)
Leonora Ruffo
Princess Deianira
George Ardisson
Thesus (Teseo)
Marisa Belli
Aretusa
Ida Galli
Persephone
Franco Giacobini
Telemachus (Telemaco)
Mino Doro
Keros

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mario Bava
Writers: Mario Bava, Sandro Continenza, Duccio Tessari
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Hercules (Reg Park) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mario Bava, shot by Mario Bava. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Armando Trovajoli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Reg Park and Christopher Lee and Leonora Ruffo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mario Bava directs. Mario Bava behind the camera. Armando Trovajoli scores. Mario Serandrei cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, Germany. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3International production across 2 countries: Italy, Germany.
4Part of the "Hercules (Reg Park) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Mario Bava, shot by Mario Bava. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Armando Trovajoli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Reg Park and Christopher Lee and Leonora Ruffo carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "An All New Height in Fright and Might!".
10IMDB entry: tt0054850 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 84 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mario Bava
Original score: Armando Trovajoli
Editing: Mario Serandrei
Production design: Franco Lolli
Costume design: Mario Giorsi
Makeup / hair: Renzo Francioni
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
IMDB: Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)

Part of

Hercules (Reg Park) Collection

The adventures of Hercules starring Reg Park.

Also by

Mario Bava

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-14
★ 6/10
Christopher Lee looks like he'd raided Laurence Olivier's dressing room as he donned the bowl-cut wig and took on the role of the manipulative "Lico". He's got it into his head that he can marry the princess "Deianira" (Leonora Ruffo) and usurp the throne. Thing is, though, she is the love of the legendary "Hercules" (Reg Park) so he has to put her under a magic spell that will necessitate her hero heading to the depths of the Underworld to retrieve the "Apple of the Hesperides" to help restore her to her senses. Accompanied by his two friends "Theseus" (George Ardisson) and "Telemachus" (Franco Giacobini) off they set on a series of adventures set deep within the bowels of the Earth. Needless to say, the valiant warriors who keep the apple aren't just going to give it to him, and then there are lava rivers, stone monsters and of course Pluto himself to contend with too as they traverse his dark and treacherous realm. Will they make it back to daylight? This is nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. Although none of the acting merits mention at all, nor does the very staccato script, the studio-set scenarios have seen some effort put into them and the story is quite decently structured to mix mythology with a vehicle for Reg Park's high-protein diet. That mythology does confuse it's Roman and it's Greek a little, but that doesn't matter as the hammy Lee, the rent-a-grin Ruffo and the light relief coming from Giacobini keep it rolling along quite entertainingly for eighty minutes. Not great, no, but if you like the genre then it's actually quite watchable.

Production companies