Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Hercules in the Haunted World Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining action-adventure in a gothic style

Hercules in the Haunted World (also known as Hercules in the Center of the Earth) is an action-packed adventure with Gothic-filmmaking undertones from the legendary horror director Mario Bava (A Bay of Blood, Blood and Black Lace). The film was produced by Achille Piazzi (Vengeance of Hercules, Hercules Conquers Atlantis). Featuring a highly unusual spin on the classic Hercules mythology, the film offers a distinctly original take on the beloved hero and his legendary journey.

Hercules (Reg Park) is the hero of the (supernatural!) story. With gigantic muscles practically pulsating out of his arms and legs, Hercules is faced with his latest mission: saving his gorgeous lover Deianira (Leonora Ruffo). The beautiful woman of Hercules dreams might meet her own ill-fate if he cannot protect her from the perils of a spell.

It is up to Hercules and his bumbling side-kicks Theseus (George Ardisson) and Telemachus (Franco Giacobini) to journey across uncharted territories to find a magical stone which has the power to heal Deianira. Along the journey, the trio must face down the despicable villain, King Lico (Christopher Lee) and battle vampires and zombies while going towards the underworld. Traveling towards the center of the earth, the trio face an unknown destination and all of the many perils which accompany their odyssey.

A haunted world... in the center of the Earth!

While the performances by the cast can feel hokey at times, the production itself has a number of great elements. The film has an incredible score by composer Armando Trovajoli (Scent of a Woman, Long Days of Vengeance) which pulls one into the fantastic underworld with ample gusto. The music provides a haunting undercurrent to the action and dramatics that helps shape the film.

Both the production design and art direction are credited to Franco Lolli (The Sword and the Cross, Spartacus the Gladiator) and its clear that his contributions to the filmmaking helped aid the great visual aesthetic on display. The scenery feels epic in scope and scale (with some truly impressive special effects which are far ahead of their time). The larger-than-life scope of the production (impressively realized) combines well with the cinematography by Bava. Throughout the entire film there is an impressive visual quality which casts haunting imagery.

The screenplay was written by director Mario Bava along with co-screenwriters Sandro Continenza (Gladiators 7, Valley of the Lions), Francesco Prosperi (Hired Killer, Every Man Is My Enemy), and Duccio Tessari (The Return of Ringo, Samson vs. the Vampires). The story is sensational and rather outlandish. It's nothing special when it comes to dialogue or characterization. There's so much more which could have been done with regards to crafting a truly epic story out of the concept.

Yet the film manages to find a way to charm throughout the delightful absurdity of it all: where else can one find a film which features Hercules fighting down zombies? The film is a first-rate B-movie which suffers from a weak story but makes up for it with its visuals. Mario Bava is an iconic director for a reason and the filmmaking on display showcases his talent behind the camera. The epic scope of the film makes it worth seeking out. There is some truly breathtaking imagery which feels distinctive and far different from a typical adventure film from the 1960's. While this might not be a masterpiece, it's a well-crafted genre experience.

Hercules in the Haunted World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hercules in the Haunted World (aka Hercules in the Center of the Earth) arrives on Blu-ray from distributor Kino Lorber with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation. The release was sourced from a new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. The film is presented in the original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. This is an excellent presentation of the film that will please both established fans and newcomers.

Each of the cuts included on the release have similar appearances but the bit-rate seems higher on the Italian version when compared to the U.K. version (which is listed only under the "extras" section of that disc). This is a remarkably impressive scan that was used for the restoration. Detail is excellent with good color reproduction and overall depth to the image. The scan is free from obtrusive specks of dirt, debris, scratches, and other print deficiencies. The haunting imagery of Mario Bava looks tremendous here and the highly evocative imagery is well-preserved with the new scan. The image is consistently stable and naturally filmic (with fine film grain left intact).

Please Note: Screenshots #1-#10 are from the Italian version. Screenshots #11-#15 are from the US version. Screenshots #16-#20 are from the U.K. version.

Hercules in the Haunted World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the video, the separate versions of Hercules in the Haunted World have more varied results when it comes to the audio tracks provided. Each of the three presentations includes a lossless mono audio track in uncompressed PCM (encoded in 16 bit depth). Even though each version has a lossless audio encode, the materials for the presentations vary in regards to the source quality (which should come as no surprise given the various dubbed versions).

The US dubbed version sounds worse than the other options. The opening of the US audio track sounds downright awful with terrible hiss, static, and crackling. It's downright unbearable at the start and was rather grating on my nerves. Later in the presentation, the quality of the audio track evens out more and is not so disastrous sounding but to have it kick-off with such a poor-quality recording was a substantial disappointment and completely removed me from the experience.

The mono Italian language version sounds significantly better than the US version and features crisp clarity throughout the entire presentation. Dialogue reproduction is exceptional for the entire encode. Music comes through with excellent fidelity given the age of the source elements. There is still some minor but audible hiss on the track. However, the hiss on the track is so slight it is hardly an issue and won't distract from enjoyment. Lastly, the English dub for the United Kingdom version also has some audible hiss and crackle (which is not present on the Italian version). While the downsides to the audio are a bit more pronounced on the dub produced for the UK, it's not a deal-breaker.

The Italian language version is presented with optional English subtitles (which default to being on for the presentation unless toggled off). Optional SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are also provided. The subtitles are excellent and are free from distracting spelling or grammatical errors.

Hercules in the Haunted World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release arrives as a two-disc special edition which includes three distinctive presentations of the film. Each version which is included on the release is presented with its own separate encoding and none of the transfers are presented by seamless branching. The US version (known as Hercules in the Haunted World) has its own Blu-ray disc altogether. On a second disc, viewers will find the other two cuts of the film included: the Italian language European release version known as Hercules in the Center of the Earth (Vampire gegen Herakles or Ercole al centro della terra) and the United Kingdom release version which goes by the same name (and which features English dubbing).

As an aside, it would have been nice for Kino Lorber to provide alternative reversible cover-art so that viewers can pick their favorite cover with the alternative-title as an option. Kino should take note for future releases which present multiple cuts under different titles.

Disc One Supplements:

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:33)

Disc Two Supplements:

Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas (the author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark) provides viewers with information on the film and its place in the pantheon of Mario Bava's filmography. The commentary is included on the European cut of the film and is not accessible on either the US version or alternative U.K version. Lucas also talks about the various minor differences between the versions of the film.

Interview with actor George Ardisson (SD, 25:57) is an interesting supplement. Though the extra only mentions Ardisson as a participant, the piece actually includes an interview with film historian Fabio Melelli as well. Both of these gentlemen provide some fascinating tidbits of information about the production of Hercules in the Haunted World, it's various versions (and substantially different names), and what each thought of the filmmaking and director Mario Bava.

U.S. Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:35)

U.K. Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3:07)

Hercules in the Haunted World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are three different presentations of the film included on the new Kino Lorber special edition Blu-ray release but audiences may wish to simply opt for the original Italian language version known as Hercules in the Center of the Earth. It's the version that makes this release worth recommending.

Though it's certainly a nice bonus to have three distinct versions on the release, the presentations are not identical. There is a higher bit-rate on the Italian cut (while the U.K. version on the same disc is merely presented as an option under the supplemental features) and the English Hercules in the Haunted World presentation is far from being equal: it's obvious from the beginning of that presentation that the audio does not fare as well.

Considering the Blu-ray release has a strong presentation of the Italian language presentation, two alternative versions (even if the presentations are not quite identical), and some nice supplemental features (including a great interview), fans of the film and director Bava will find this to be a nice package worth picking up. Come for Hercules and stay for Mario Bava's incredible photography. Recommended.