Ercole Al Centro Della Terra (aka Hercules In The Haunted World) (1961)

In order to save the life of the woman (Leonora Ruffo) he loves, Hercules (Reg Park) must descend into the underworld of Hades and retrieve a stone with magical powers. Photographed and directed by Mario Bava (LISA AND THE DEVIL), this slice of peplum wasn't released in the U.S. until 1964. The storyline is a typical sword and sandal narrative. What distinguishes it from most of the Italian Hercules/Samson/Goliath movies is its visual look and style. Bava disguises the usual cheesy look of the genre with vivid colors and filters, shadows and fog. This gives the film a magical aura (or mythological if you prefer) and atmosphere to the movie to make it (seem) out of the ordinary. I watched an Italian language transfer of the film (with subtitles). I imagine watching an English dub would be quite a different experience. With Christopher Lee as the blood drinking villain, George Ardisson, Marisa Belli, Ida Galli and Franco Giacobini, who provides some ill conceived comic relief.