Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)

Hercules must journey in Hades itself to retrieve the magic stone that will free his love from the powers of darkness.

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Sandro Continenza (story and screenplay) (as Alessandro Continenza), Mario Bava (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Reg Park, Christopher Lee, Leonora Ruffo

Cast

Cast overview:
Reg Park	...	Ercole
Christopher Lee	...	Re Lico
Leonora Ruffo	...	Principessa Deianira
George Ardisson	...	Teseo (as Giorgio Ardisson)
Marisa Belli	...	Aretusa
Evelyn Stewart	...	Persefone (as Ida Galli)
Franco Giacobini	...	Telemaco
Mino Doro	...	Keros
Rosalba Neri	...	Elena (as Rosalba Neri c.s.c.) (credit only)
Ely Drago	...	Giocasta (as Ely Dracò)
Gaia Germani	...	Medea
Raf Baldassarre	...	Un mercenario
Elisabetta Pavan	...	Tamar
Aldo Pedinotti	...	Sunis (as Aldo Padinotti)
Claudio Marzulli

Storyline

Upon his return from battle in the previous film, the great warrior Hercules learns that his lover, Daianara, has lost her senses. Acording of 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.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male bondage | muscleman | hades | greece | ancient greece | 

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Taglines:

An eerie journey into suspense and adventure!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy West Germany

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

April 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hercules in the Haunted World

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

SpA Cinematografica, Omnia Deutsche Film Export

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Opera Theater Oregon commissioned composer Patrick Morganelli to write a companion piece to the film, Hercules vs. Vampires, which premiered in Portland in 2010. In April 2015 the work was staged by the Los Angeles Opera.

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Goofs

Persephone is described in this movie as "Pluto's Daughter." In Roman mythology, she is known as Proserpina and is the unwilling wife of Pluto, not his daughter. (In Greek mythology, Persephone is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter.) No doubt that the producers made a conscious decision to avoid the adultery aspect of the story with this change in relationship between Pluto and Persephone.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Medea: This is Italia, a kingdom city of ancient Greece in an age of myth and legend. It is a time when Olympian gods and demigods rule over the elements of nature and control the destinies of men.

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Connections

Featured in Midnight Movie Madness: 50 Movie Mega Pack (2016)

User Reviews

Down in the depths

British bodybuilder Reg Park stars as Hercules and he's gone visitng Pluto's aka Hades realm of the underworld. His mission to rsue his true love Princess Dainera where she's been sent to sample the waters of forgetfulness.

It's all part of a big plan to take Dainera away by King Ligos. And playing Ligos is the main reason you shoud see this particular peplum film, Christopher Lee.

Of course Lee brings the same brand of double dyed villainy to this part as he does to any of his famous Hammer horror roles. He plays the role of the evil king completely straight without a hint of spoof.

That and Park's pecs are reason enough to see this film.