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This is probably the first "Peplum" movie I ever saw, so I'm pretty biased about it, but even considering that, it's very entertaining. As one reviewer on another site points out, it's a revenge story (an unusual thing for this category of film), and one that's surprisingly violent at the beginning. And also that the requisite little kid sidekick isn't squeezed edgewise into scenes, but used in a pretty clever way. Along with that, it has plenty of good "formula" things - the harem girls, a pretty good supernatural monster, a "villainess" (albeit the kind who changes sides - I prefer the "unrepentant" kind), and (as many posters have pointed out) the "Blue Man Group." Gordon Scott always fit so easily into these movies (I might be the only one on earth who thinks that "Danger : Deathray" is okay, thanks largely to him), as did the Italian actors in this one.

I don't know what possessed me to pick up this movie from the video store, but it turned out to be an interesting, and enjoyable, flick. I think I would have enjoyed it much more, if the video transfer hadn't been of such poor quality. This otherwise routine sword-and-sandal film is livened up the truly bizarre villain and some excellent music. One tune in particular, which plays while a slave girl dances, wouldn't sound out of place on a Ventures album, or a compilation of surf tunes.

The story concerns Goliath's attempt to rescue the women of his village who were kidnapped as part of a diabolical scheme by the wizard Kobrak. The villain wants to use their blood to power his army of robots. (In this movie, robots run on human blood.) In the final scene, Kobrak changes into Goliath's shape. Goliath must then do battle with himself.

Due to the potential horror elements inherent in the title, I had been intrigued since childhood by a one-page still from this film in a large book about "Epics" owned by my father's showing Gordon Scott grappling with an unseen assailant; only in hindsight do I realize he was battling 'himself' (22 years before SUPERMAN III!) by way of some amusingly modern wrestling tactics! Therefore, I was glad to finally get to watch this via a faded, English-dubbed print available on a "You Tube" channel dedicated to peplums...since, strangely enough, the film has never been shown on Italian TV or available on VHS in my neck of the woods! After donning Tarzan's loincloth 6 times, it was a natural step, I suppose, for American muscleman Scott to go to Italy and incarnate their household mythological hero Maciste (although Mark Forrest had already done so before him) – albeit ludicrously redubbed with the Biblical moniker of Goliath for U.S. export! – a role he would officially repeat twice more later on in the decade.

Speaking of the film's title, the American one also misleadingly hyped up the number of horrific villains in it by going for the plural word "vampires" rather than the more accurate singular one of the original; in fact, the vampire attacks here are nothing more than the collection of blood from sword or claw wounds suffered by the victims of the vampire's acolytes, which is then apparently used to revive the master villain Kobrak's desiccated wax-like warriors (described as "robots with blood"!) stored in his red-lit (netherworld?) cave; disappointingly, Kobrak's true skeletal visage is only really ever seen towards the film's closing moments! Maciste starts out as a village farmer but he is soon pelting soldiers with uprooted trees and stone columns or piles of chains! The biggest laugh-out loud moments are when Maciste slaps an assailant and literally sends him flying to the roof and when he is shown standing around whirling his arms into people like one of those gladiatorial training contraptions!

Thankfully, however, the film delivers aplenty in the atmosphere department and, all in all, this is yet another satisfying work from prolific and versatile Italian director Gentilomo – assisted here by future Spaghetti Western expert Corbucci. Indeed, GOLIATH AND THE VAMPIRES emerges as one of the most bizarre and entertaining peplums ever, punctuated as it is by lively action sequences (a protracted market place scuffle early on is a particular highlight) but also an atypically grim countenance (not only are there no dwarfish comic relief figures but the characters of Maciste's mother and the little brother of Maciste's fiancée end up dead! But, wait, there is more: the prerequisite Arabian-style dance routine is anachronistically accompanied by modern-day jazzy sounds and goofy crab-like creatures lurk in the villain's pit! Besides, it turns out to be surprisingly blood-thirsty for what is traditionally kiddie fare with an arrow shot at point-blank range right into a villager's eye during the initial attack, another slides off a pole and ends up impaled on spikes, Kobrak's ominous threat of torturing Maciste by the use of sound-waves is nothing more ingenious than slipping him inside a giant bell and having his men clang the hell out of it(!) and, hilariously enough, old women are thrown to the sharks off of a slave ship (so what was the point of abducting them in the first place?). Actually, with all of this going on, the film still manages to lose some momentum in the build-up to the climactic attack on Kobrak's cave!

Apart from Scott, the cast includes genre stalwarts like Gianna Maria Canale (as Astra, ostensibly The King's favorite slave but truly Kobrak's servant), Leonora Ruffo (as Maciste's girl) and Jacques Sernas (rather than playing the obligatory romantic second lead, he plays an ambiguous alchemist leading a rebel army of Blue Men)! While I could tell the female lead here was an attractive blonde. I did not associate her with the stunning brunette from THE QUEEN OF SHEBA (1952); looking over her filmography, I realize that I have already seen her in 5 other movies and have another one (her last, Fernando Di Leo's BURN, BOY, BURN released in 1969) in my unwatched pile!

Introducing non-traditional elements into the standard sword-and-sandal formula can be risky. The results often collapse into confusion and absurdity. Here, however, the merging of horror-movie with mythic- strongman motifs results in a "peplum" which stands a notch or two above its competitors. There are, of course, the standard but always-welcome virtues: a lively brawl in a town square and again in a tavern, a hoochy-koochy dance number inside the Sultan's palace, a beefcake-bondage scene in which our sweaty, bare-chested hero struggles with a wooden yoke bound across his brawny shoulders and outstretched arms, etc. Then there are the spooky, supernatural vampire elements -- not as hokey as you'd fear -- and a memorable fight which pits our hero against none other than his clone. Thrown in for good measure is an ear-drum torture scene carried out inside a giant bell which conjures up memories of similar moments in MGM's "The Mask of Fu Manchu" and Rory Calhoun's "Colossus of Rhodes." Finally, a word of approval must be given to this movie's refusal to use the boy, Ciro, for the comic relief usually provided by those annoying Italian midgets.

There are, not surprisingly, weaknesses. Leonora Ruffo isn't given much to do as the heroine and, as a result, seems pale, lifeless, and forgettable, especially when compared to the vibrant, dark-haired "bad girl," Gianna Maria Canale. Secondly, the role of the Sultan is so poorly developed that the political situation inside Salmanak remains needlessly muddled. What's more, not enough is done with the character played by Jacques Sernas -- somewhat surprising considering Sernas' star-power.

Assets clearly outweigh detriments, however, and towering over everything is the impressive figure of Gordon Scott, an underrated screen presence who was somehow more than just a glorious physique.

Bizarre plot, hokey dialogue, primitive effects, tame action scenes. Believe me, you'll be anxious for this movie to end long before it finally does. Strictly for women who want to admire Gordon Scott's impressive physique; they'll get an extra bonus in the end, when the villainous monster takes his form and he gets to fight himself (!) in the movie's only memorable sequence. (*1/2)

From the mid 1950s' too the mid 60s' there was a Tsunami of 'Sword and Sandal' films. In their native Italy they were referred too as 'pepla/peplum'. Heroic strongmen bestrode the land defeating Monsters, Evil Tyrants and rescuing Damsels In Distress (D.I.D.). They went under many names. Hercules, Maciste, Ursus, Samson, Goliath and even 'The Son's of Hercules'. Which had a catchy tune in the intro and exit of the film.

Most of these films had either a brief appearance at the 'Drive-In' or went directly to T.V. in the U.S.A. Production values were not the equivalent of a film like SPARTACUS (1960) nor the star power. Though occasionally a name Actor needing a quick cash fix made a appearance, like BRODERICK CRAWFORD or ORSON WELLES. Most times the lead was played either by a Italian 'Body-Builder' with a Americanized name or a American such as STEEVE REEVES, MARK FORREST or in this film GORDON SCOTT.

'Maciste contro il vampiro' (1961) made its appearance in the U.S.A. in 1964 as GOLIATH AND THE VAMPIRES or THE VAMPIRES. My Brother and I saw it on T.V. in a double feature of such movies that ran Saturday's during the Fall/Winter', circa 1966. Great Stuff! Our Hero 'Maciste' now 'Goliath' played by GORDON SCOTT was up too our expectations. As well as the Evil Villain, 'Kobrak' the Vampire. 'Goliath's' mission, save the abducted Women (D.I.D.) of his village. Restore the rightful ruler of Salmenak to the throne, 'Kurtik', JACQUES (Jack) SERNAS and rid the World of 'Kobrak' and his minions. Mission accomplished in a entertaining ninety-one (91") minutes.

These films have a certain charm and nostalgic appeal, particularly for those who grew up with them. I remember them fondly and particularly my Mother's home made Pizza we were treated too while watching for lunch. Many are a pleasant surprise like this one which is credibly done. Rewatching this film and seeing JACQUES SERNAS was in itself a surprise. Remembering him from HELEN OF TROY (1956), IMDb********Eight. The main problem with these films is obtaining quality copies. In the U.S.A. most of the DVD's come from non-source material and that is reflected in their poor condition. If you can get by that you will find many worthwhile.

I am a peplum fan, especially in its original form. Did American International executives really think that they were improving Italian pepla by shortening and dubbing them, changing the Greco-Roman characters' names for those of Philistine and Jewish men from the Bible, and replacing the original scores with Lex Baxter's pastiches? The American version of this highly enjoyable wide-screen production is a fine example of the cheapening effect their strategy had. Starting with the substitution of the name Maciste, perhaps the father of all strong men in films since 1914 (when "Cabiria" was released), they had no idea of anything, just as well as Baxter with his atrocious pop cue for a belly dance in a tavern. Nevertheless, the good news is that Maciste is in good shape and in the very good and capable hands of American star Gordon Scott. He goes this time after a vampire tyrant called Kobrak, who is helped by a slave witch called Astra. Maciste lives many adventures with the assistance of Kurtik, a rebel fighter, and his not-very efficient army of blue men. But Maciste is Maciste and you know that he will win. Scott is helped by a fine cast that includes Jacques Sernas, Gianna Maria Canale and Leonora Ruffo. Hope one day someone will release the original version in Italian.

1961's "Goliath and the Vampires" marked the transitional period when Gordon Scott left the Tarzan series (six films) for the Italian 'peplum' series, which began with the 1957 "Hercules," featuring Steve Reeves in the title role. The connection is made even clearer by the sultry presence of "Hercules" actress Gianna Maria Canale, here cast as the evil one's consort, quite an edge over Leonora Ruffo, just as lifeless in similar hapless heroine mode in Mario Bava's "Hercules in the Haunted World," which followed this release in Italy by three months, boasting a villain essayed by Christopher Lee. While not as fanciful as the masterful Bava's take, this remains one of the finest examples of the muscleman entries, the barrel chested Scott already a veteran actor capable of greater emotion than most, and an excellent man of action performing his own stunts (called 'Maciste' in the original Italian version). The opening raid on Goliath's village features an arrow through the eye, and the women kidnapped to supply blood for a fiendish creature known as Kobrak, the sole 'vampire' on display, more a hideous sorcerer who appears transparent at will, at other times corporeal when slashing its victims' throats. In fact, there are no guarantees for any of the good guys save Goliath, and no obvious comic relief (unlike one painful character in Bava's feature), making for a stronger dramatic take filled with plentiful action. Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater aired this title on three occasions, offering up other peplums like Gordon Mitchell's "The Giant of Metropolis" and John Drew Barrymore's "War of the Zombies."

Those incredible Sword and Sandal movies freely based on Greek mythology always thrilled me, mystical tales on ancient world, primitive civilizations, modulated the popular imagery by the producers who found an attractive business niche as the Italians did on profound form and create a new genre, this movies are my guilty pleasure, this kind are cheaper, cheese, camp or whatever, but has their enchants, this one we have the strong American star Gordon Scott as Maciste (Goliath) who wants a revenge against the Salmanak's kidnappers who impose a heavy massacre in his village, killing and burning including his beloved mother and kidnapping his girl, arriving in the island he will faces an weird villain a sort of vampire, amazing adventure on Salmanak's underground, mixing mysticism and chemistry, also having these famous Italian legends as Duccio Tessari and Bruno Corbucci as writer and director, on the cast the gorgeous Gianna Maria Canale, Leonora Ruffo and Jacques Sernas!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 6

I happen to like these cheap made in Italy spectacles. When I was I kid growing up in the sixties they were constantly on TV. So the appeal of these films to me is primarily nostalgia. However, I must admit most these films, in fact just about all these films are pretty bad. These films were the "kung fu" cheapies of there day. No I would never say that this film is good, but as far these films go, this one is not bad.At least its got a rather bizarre plot with its evil vampire bent on enslaving man kind. The bluemen are also kind of strange. The film is well paced and there is lots of action. Many of these spear and sandal epics are talky and static. Also from watching this film one can at least see that Gorden Scott din't get to fat to play Tarzan!

Proficient capable adventure just some dull parts in a sandstorm/wandering or near the Kobrac's castle wandering but otherwise, pretty above the usual of these type of adventures. There is clever spots and interesting things particularly the main guy is believable.

After playing Tarzan six times, muscleman Gordon Scott joins the Italian peplum brigade, and does a charismatic as well as athletic turn as Ancient strongman Goliath. When his village has been sacked by aggressors who have all their young women, including his fiancée, kidnapped, Goliath tracks the attackers and their victims to a city terrorized by the evil Kobrak (Guido Celano), who lives on human blood and plans to conquer the world with an army of prisoners turned into faceless zombies. With the help of an underground race of rebels called the Blue Men, Goliath takes on Kobrak's forces.

Scott is a wrecking ball as he takes on an army in the town square, pushes pillars, breaks a yoke as easy as snapping a toothpick - there's plenty of action interspersed between the spooky atmosphere. There's a strong horror theme, the sense of doom is played out well. For its time it can be gory- an arrow in the eye, man falls on spikes and an attempt to deafen Goliath with a large bell is made. It's creaky at times, slightly meanders in the middle, and can be bizarre ( like the sixties pop music intermingling with eastern sounds), but I wouldn't call this trash at all. It's not a classic, but a well-made peplum that competently mixes in with the horror genre:

This is another horror movie that I had never heard from 1961. Being that I was celebrating Italian horror month along with the 22 Shots of Moodz and Horror back in November, I decided to find all the movies from this year that are from Italy and check out them as part of my Odyssey through the Ones. This looked to be another sword and sandal/sorcery type film which is under seen by me. I do enjoy quite a bit though.

Synopsis: Goliath (Gordon Scott) must save the kidnapped women of his village from an evil zombie leader who needs their blood to feed his soldiers.

For this movie we start with Goliath as he is plowing his field. He finds a large rock or tree stump to which he must remove before continuing. He then hears a commotion about someone drowning. He jumps from a cliff to save Ciro (Rocco Vidolazzi). He saves this person and decides to take him back to their village. Ciro is the younger brother to Goliath's fiancée, Guja (Leonora Ruffo). The two of them notice smoke in the distance.

It is from an attack on their village. It is led by Amahil (Vanoye Aikens). Those that fight back are killed and the women taken hostage. This includes Guja and Magda (Annabelle Incontrera). They are taken to a ship and they set sail. Something isn't right about this though. Amahil and his men take blood from some of the prisoners and bring it to their leader, Kobrak (Guido Celano). At this time, we only see his arm which is monstrous and even Amahil is scared. There is commotion in the prisoner hold during this as Amahil decides to take Guja from the rest.

Goliath learns of where this ship is going and heads for the town. The women are being sold into slavery there. There is a man who is interested in the proceedings of Kurtik (Jacques Sernas). When Goliath shows up, he sees an ally in him as they have a common enemy. The leader of this town is Sultan Abdul (Mario Feliciani). He is concerned with his people turning on him due to the cruelty of Kobrak. Astra (Gianna Maria Canale), a slave in his service, tries to convince him that is not the case. Kobrak is helping him. We see though that she isn't to be trusted as she is a servant of this evil master.

When Goliath tries to save the women from his town, this draws the attention of Abdul. He demands his capture. Kurtik reveals himself to Goliath and Ciro, informing them they can be helpful to each other. The goal is to defeat Korbrak, who appears to be supernatural as the synopsis states. Magda is taken reading a scroll on how to defeat him and Amahil is hunted for having Goliath's fiancée. Goliath will need to trust Kurtik if they're to save these women and those who have fallen victim to this powerful villain.

That will be where I leave my recap for the movie. Where I want to start is when searching for this movie, I realized that this seems to part of a series of films where Goliath would fight different villains, both natural and supernatural. Looking at the original title, his name is Maciste. Doing a quick search, this looks like a name that is associated with Hercules in mythology. These would be retitled to that name along with Goliath and Samson in other countries. The goal is to capitalize on people seeing this by giving them a familiar name. The idea is that he is physically larger than most people and of great strength. This is my first foray into a Goliath film, but I have seen an Italian Hercules film recently.

With that out of the way, this movie has an interesting story here. I'm not sure about where they got the mythology. The synopsis states that Kobrak is the king of the zombies. That makes sense as he is creating mindless entities that follow him. This movie calls them robots with blood. He is credited as a vampire as well. What is interesting is that he fits closer to Eastern take on this creature than the more Gothic version. His enemies in this from the lore are these 'blue men'. Their leader is Kurtik. I'm not sure who they are supposed to be. It has me intrigued, but I can't seem to find out additional information. I'll give it to them for coming up with something creative.

What I wasn't expecting here was a bit of social commentary that works today. We have this small community that is most likely fishers and farmers. They are attacked by these raiders. They feel like Vikings. Their captain is Amahil who has allegiance to Kobrak. These Vikings take their slaves to sell in this town that is run by Abdul. This Sultan is also under the fear of Kobrak. We are seeing that everyone is living under the fear of something greater than them. It is taking those that are being trampled to rise and defeat the villains at the top, running things. This eerily sounds like corrupt capitalism.

To shift over to a negative, this movie runs a bit too long for me. If there was more fleshing out of the some of the story elements, I'd be on board with that. Instead, we get a couple of dancing numbers that feel like filler and don't amount too much. Are the women dancing good looking? Of course, but with a movie like this I want more fighting or as I said, fill in a bit more of the legends that we are getting set up here.

Then to get back to a positive, the acting is solid. Scott has a good look for this character of Goliath. His acting isn't bad either. It is interesting that he is fighting people with weapons and just knocks them around. What I did like though is we see him in peril. He is arrested a couple of times. He can get out due to his strength, but I like seeing him at least fail. Ruffo is attractive in her role. The same can be said with Canale and Incontrera. Something else I like deals with Astra and how villainous she is. Sernas is solid in his mysterious way. Vidolazzi is fine as a boy. Feliciani is interesting as the sultan since he is a pawn like the citizens underneath him. I did like seeing that. Then the last person to give credit to would be Celano. I thought he fit well as this villainous creature. The acting overall worked.

The last things to go into would be the effects, cinematography and the soundtrack. For the former, I like that they make things look heavy so when Goliath picks them up, it makes him look stronger. Things were done practical here, which is good. I could tell where things would break intentionally, but this movie is from 1961. I'm not going to hold it against it. We did get ghostly things that are done with superimposing. That worked for me. I liked the look of Kobrak along with his soldiers. The blue men looked fine. Some of the fight scenes don't look great, but again, that is the era. The cinematography was solid enough. Other than that, the soundtrack fit for what was needed. The best part is the theme they use for Kobrak when he would appear. It is violin heavy and adds a creepy vibe.

In conclusion, this is a solid enough movie. I'm still new to this subgenre of the Italian Sword and Sandal films. I do like that we're getting a supernatural twist here with Kobrak the vampire. The acting I thought was good across the board. There is some filler, but for the most part, the story works well enough for me. If anything, there is a bit more that could have been fleshed out. The effects aren't great, but I'm not going to hold it against the movie due to the era. Cinematography was fine and the soundtrack was about the same. The theme for the villain though was on point. I'd say that this is an above average movie for me. I'd recommend it if you're into these type of flicks for sure.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

This is a late night trash-o-rama joy. Its about a vampire that steals woman and Goliath who goes to get them back. This is one of those so goofy its great movies that hooks you and makes you watch all the way to then when you realize that its made no sense what so ever but which you've enjoyed more than some of the good for you films people gush over. Its got weird monsters, good fights, great pacing, decent sets and a bunch of Blue Men that make me wonder if the Blue Man Group ever saw this movie. If you're in the mood for silly fun give it a shot.

Peplum Goliath and the Vampires (original title: Maciste contro il vampiro) feels like a serial that has been compiled into a film, comprising of a series of fun escapades/cliffhangers, muscleman Maciste/Goliath (Gordon Scott) traveling to the island of Salmanak to rescue his fiancée Guja (Leonora Ruffo) from the clutches of Kobrak, the evil vampire overlord. Adding to the old serial atmosphere are some ridiculous Flash Gordon style costumes and the introduction of a silly race of people (The Kingdom of the Blue Men).

The film opens with Kobrak's raiders attacking Goliath's village while he is busy rescuing young Ciro (Rocco Vidolazzi) from the sea; Goliath arrives home to find that the men have been slaughtered and the women abducted. Together with Ciro, our hero embarks on a mission to rescue his woman and take revenge on the vampire.

I may be in the minority, but I think that Goliath and the Vampires is superior to Mario Bava's more acclaimed Hercules in the Haunted World from the same year. Director Giacomo Gentilomo (with help from an uncredited Sergio Corbucci) concentrates on delivering lots of entertaining action and maintaining a rollicking pace (instead of focusing on a gaudy colour scheme) and while Gordon Scott might not be as physically impressive as Reg Park, he handles the hero role wonderfully, with an energetic performance that sees him laying waste to his enemies with ease, using whatever heavy objects are laying around as weapons.

Standout scenes include the opening attack on the village, Maciste battling soldiers in a town square, a swashbuckling fight in a tavern, the discovery of the blue men's cavern during a sandstorm, Kobrak's slave Astra (Gianna Maria Canale) being lowered into a pit of hilarious bug creatures, and a superb fight between Goliath and himself (Kobrak having assumed Goliath's form to try and fool the blue men). Bonus points are awarded for having the cajones to kill off the child character!

6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Leave your brain at home and give this a chance! Sheer fun, and how can you not love a film where in just the first three minutes a guy gets (very bogusly) nailed in the eye with an arrow? Yes, most of these sword and sandal "epics" really bit the big one, but this one has Gordon Scott kicking ass on all manner of monsters and bad guys. CHECK IT OUT!

Goliath rules this non-stop action movie with lots of monsters and bizarre characters throughout. Most of these type of films are based on some mythological legend. This one just makes up stuff as it goes along. Far too weird for words. Many have wondered at the final battle where Gordon Scott appears to fight himself. How did they edit that so precisely that it was totally believable. Aside from the great acting by Scott and editing, they had to find a DOUBLE that had the same body style as Gordon Scott. When I interviewed Gordon Scott he told me it was actor/stunt double GIOVANNI GIANFIGLIA. For years, since I first saw this movie, I always thought it was Steve Reeves doing Scott a personal favor, after all they were good friends. It is definitely Giovanni who later made movies using the name KEN WOOD. So there, enjoy the movie as it is one of the best.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Giacomo Gentilomo; Produced by Paolo Moffa; Executive Producer: Dino De Laurentiis, released in America as "Goliath and the Vampires" by American-International Pictures. Screenplay by Sergio Corbucci and Duccio Tessari; Photography by Alvaro Mancori; Edited by Eraldo Da Roma; Music by Les Baxter. Starring: Gordon Scott, Leonora Raffa, Jacques Sernas and Gianna Maria Canale.

Typical muscleman costumer with the addition of supernatural horror elements, including a tall armored vamp who materializes occasionally and a horde of zombie-like soldiers.

A lot's happened to Goliath and Philistia since he was the giant ogre who challenged little future King David to an unfair fight in the Bible (He lost that fight, btw).

Since recovering from his humiliating defeat, and apparently being reincarnated, if you believe the accounts of his demise in I Samuel, he's reinvented himself, taken a new Italian alias, Maciste, and turned into a gorgeous Good Guy, Hometown Hero and Champion of the People against the evil Karnak, who now, from his inaccessible mountain lair, holds the Philistines under his sway, with black magical powers and in insatiable need of FAIR MAIDEN'S BLOOD (they never specify virgin, but one assumes extra-virgin is always more desirable, in blood as well as olive oil) Oddly enough Golly's new incarnation looks remarkably like Gordon Scott (it is), Tarzan in 6 movies, right down to the loincloth he wears tilling the fields in the hot sun, practical apparel that goes easily from jungle to desert, and looks just as fashionable anywhere. And to go into town incognito, all he has to do is throw a burlap scarf over his shoulder--ONE shoulder-- and somehow manages to slip unnoticed into the crowds, otherwise garbed universally in chin-to-floor caftans.

Incredibly imaginative mix of sword n sandal, fantasy and horror makes this a big winner. You really have to pay attention to the twisty turny CRAZY plot. something that will probably turn off basic no-nonsense Muscle Man movie-goers, but you sure can't beat this for all round popular entertainment: Lots of heroic daring-do from Our Hero, natch (he even channels Samson in a scene where he pulls down a column}, and Scott is REALLY athletic, and a nice, humble guy; but also: effective and scary violence and gore, pirates raping (figuratively) and pillaging (literally), 50's special effects, some good, some not, sultan's court intrigue, dancing barely-veiled harem girls, a belly dance to an anachronistically 60's Poppy little number, played by what sounds like a band of Ventures wannabes, stylish modern Italian bouffant hairdos and make-up on both courtly ladies and slave girls, with Scott's signature pompadour (the rest of the men wear turbans or helmets, more appropriate Italian studio costume attire), zombie soldiers, just waiting for the elusive secret potion that will reanimate them, Blue Man military troops, a femme fatale mata-hari--see what I mean? CRAZY!

Scott manages to play amazingly natural thru all the OTT hoopla and mayhem. By far the best performance comes from exquisite Gianna Maria Canale as the gorgeous and devious Astra, attempting to play good and evil against each other and ultimately falling doomed between them. Her aura and allure are of that special kind, so gratifying when achieved in such a loathsome role. Jacques Sernac is also wonderful as the mysteriously circumspect Kurtik, keeper of the zombies in hopes of bringing them back to life to fight the oppressor Karnak, while Karnak wants them to amplify his ranks of rapers and pillagers. There's even a boy to Scott's Goliath like Boy to Scott's Tarzan, except the boy in this one dies. Usually such characters are added to entertain the kiddies, but, with all the considerable violence, murder and gore (even the kid gets killed), I hope this didn't play the children's Saturday matinee. Even today i wouldn't think it appropriate for children less than 11 or 12, but of course nowadays toddlers play "Grand Theft Auto Umpteen" from the second their hands are able to grasp a gaming device.

There's a slow, "romantic" sequence where Goliath and his fiancee' are lost in a sandstorm, desperately searching for one another while being whipped about by the wailing winds. It goes on so long, just when you're sure they'll NEVER find each other, they do, thank god. And there's a stiff attack on Goliath by soldiers lined up in stiff costumes and moving so clumsily, if they had clubs, hearts or spades on their uniforms you'd think them the Queen of Hearts' squadron from Alice in Wonderland. Principal among bad effects are the ridiculous plastic "monsters", but with everything else, Ray Harryhausen. probably wasn't in the budget. Minor moments in an otherwise colorful, action-packed, very involving classic period Muscle Hero/Fantasy/Horror combo

Hercules, ya got competition here!