Hercules in the Haunted World

Mario Bava

Fantoma

R1 DVD

Hercules in the Haunted World (aka Hercules in the Center of the Earth) is the first release on DVD of the original uncut European edition of this film by Mario Bava. Better known as the master of Italian Gothic horror, Bava decided to handle the ever popular “Sword and Sandal” market and created this rather impressive film back in 1961. Bava and his writers, including future Spaghetti Western director Duccio Tessari, turned this into a series of confrontations with monsters, human and otherwise, and in many ways moved the “Sword and Sandal” market into a new direction. This is Hercules with a decidedly Gothic twist.

Hercules (Reg Park) returns to Ecalia to find his love Deinira (Eleonora Ruffo) in a state of hypnotic trace from which she cannot be awakened. Unbeknown to Hercules she is actually under the control of the evil Lord Lico (Christopher Lee), who is a servant of the Lord of Evil, Pluto. He is informed by the oracle that the key to freeing her lies with a Golden Apple only found on the island of the Hesperides, a strange world of women banished by the Gods and in a long and perilous journey to the underworld. He must gain the golden apple on the island and proceed to obtain a white magical stone from the world of the dead.

Hercules in the Haunted World is a superb and moody Hercules film, while it begins with the normal fights and male bravado, when they reach Hesperides and ultimately Hades, the film takes a very gothic turn with lots of strange lights, distorted colours, mists, fogs and evocative environments.

The restoration of this film has been especially impressive; the clarity of the picture is very quite astounding. The film is presented on the DVD in English or Italian.  The Italian language, English subtitled option is preferred as it avoids the banality of the dubbed edition. The rather grand original score of Maestro Armando Trovajoli is also to be noted.

Extras include the original trailer and liner notes by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas, who also was Mario Bava's biographer. There is also a gallery of production materials and rare stills from the studio.