This ends Halloween week. Hope you enjoyed it. I couldn't cover all the movies, like MACISTE IN HELL (above with Kirk Morris; 1962) or PERSEUS THE INVINCIBLE (1963). It's amazing how the horror genre fits so well with the PEPLUM genre.
Have a spooky Halloween!
Traditionally, it's the horror elements that are often best remembered from works of fantasy, like the Conan stories or even the gentler Tolkien cycle of stories. Conan's "dad" Robert E Howard was a master at this, with the dog-sized spider in "The Tower of the Elephant", the almost human ape in "Rogues In the House", or the Lovecraftian Thaug emerging from the royal palace at the end of "A Witch Shall Be Born." Not to mention the almost overwhelming horror elements in stories featuring his other heroes Bran Mak Morn or Solomon Kane. Similarly, In Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring" the shudder of despair that goes through everyone, including the Elven Legolas and the mighty Gandalf, when the Balrog appears is even more palpable in the book than in the movie, as is the horror of the giant spider Shelob.
ReplyDeleteIn the peplums, I think when the hero goes up against a truly terrifying obstacle, the stakes suddenly do feel very high indeed and it makes the character even more sympathetic.