Dragonslayer (1981)

Set in the sixth century, a small village is being terrorized by a 400 year old dragon. To appease the monster, the villagers sacrifice a virgin selected by lottery twice a year. A group of villagers travel  far in search of a sorcerer (Ralph Richardson) to help rid themselves of the deadly dragon. Co-written and directed by Matthew Robbins (BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED). This is a wonderful dark and magical fantasy with a realistic rustic look to it. Curiously, the movie (co-produced by Paramount and Disney) was a box office flop! The special effects are excellent but the film is clever enough to also focus on the human element rather than concentrate solely on the fantasy components. The dragon is awesome and the film is aided immeasurably the Oscar nominated Alex North score. Pauline Kael, who rarely discussed film music called North's score a beauty. With Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Albert Salmi, John Hallam and Chloe Salaman.