Tuesday, January 6, 2026

HD Alert!


Sybil Danning and Donald Pleasance in WARRIOR QUEEN (1987)

I got this HD copy a couple of years ago but never got to write about it. It's one of those Sex & Sandals movies from the 1980s, ala CALIGULA (1979), but on a much smaller budget. Joe D'Amato is credited so if you know you know. The movie is sorta listless and there's very little acting to be found. There are two versions, a shorter one with less explicit stuff and a longer version with more explicit stuff. Personally, I like it not because it's good (it's not) but this is the closest to a PEPLUM movie from the Golden Era made in the 1980s. Incidentally, the movie, which is set in Pompeii, has a lot of scenes from old PEPLUM movies, mostly from THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1959), the Steve Reeves one. I love watching this back and forth switch. The HD copy I have is the shorter version and the image is surprisingly nice. The story centres around slaves sold to bored and lustful people who try to have their way with the women and men. There's even a character named Goliath but he's a bad guy. I'll post a clip from it soon. I don't remember what's the source of the print.

Added to the List of PEPLUM movies in HD permanent page.

 

Rick Hill and Tally Chanel.



Yes, there's gladiatorial action in it...so I'm watching it. 😂

Vintage Article

I posted this article years ago but it was incomplete. Here's the completed introduction.



 

Wandisa Guida and Samson Burke.




French article on Samson Burke on the filming of VENGEANCE OF URSUS. The title translates as: Yes, the first world war of muscle has been declared. 

The article starts with Wandisa Guida commenting on Burke's wide shoulders.


Monday, January 5, 2026

Musings!


Anne Heywood, as Fulvia, is about to be sacrificed in CARTHAGE IN FLAMES (1960)

This scene is way too short in the movie. The poster art of most posters for this movie feature the sacrificial offering scene but it happens so fast, you blink and you might miss it. It's one of the many frustrating things about this super-production. Her sacrifice is the pivotal point in the relationship dynamic between the main lead characters. She loves a man who doesn't love her, etc. The direction of the scene is very simple. In 5 shots or so. The direction is not bad but at times it feel like a rough cut, and not the final cut. In the versions I have, Anne appears very briefly topless. I don't know if it's the same in the US version. Anne's real name is Violet Pretty.

Blog's banner and a forum for 2026?

As you might have noticed, I changed the blog's banner for a new one. It's the poster art of HEAD OF A TYRANT (1959). For 2026, I want to change the banner every week! Instead of having just one banner for the entire year, to switch things up and have a new one on a weekly basis. 

Do you like the idea? Or prefer one banner for the whole year?

To make it more fun, I'll show two or different banners and people can vote on which one they prefer. The one that gets the most votes will be the banner for next week!

So let's start now. For next week's banner, which one do you prefer? 

Sylva Koscina in SIEGE OF SYRACUSE or Brad Harris in SAMSON?



If the weekly change for a banner fizzles out, I'll create one for the year. I'd like to do a weekly banner because it features movies that will never get featured otherwise in a banner.

And now about a forum...

Many have stated they wished there was a forum for the blog or on the PEPLUM genre. If I create one, will you post there? As I stated before, I actually created two forums in the blog's 15 years and no one posted anything.

I have to find a decent blog creator. It's quite different than how it was years ago.

PEPLUM Movie Poster


Japanese poster of THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII (1959) 

I usually find Japanese posters of PEPLUM movies amazing. This one is rather ordinary. It doesn't help that the image of Steve they used is not flattering at all. 😂 It's good but not wow good.

BY THE GODS! issue no 4

Thank you to all of those who bought the latest issue of BY THE GODS! magazine no 4, DISASTER HITS! The more of you buy, the greater chance the magazine will keep being published. Sales have been good. Someone bought all 4 issues. Thank you whoever you are! I'm currently working on the next Spring/Summer issue. 

Check the links from time to time to see if there are discounts!

A reminder as well: I'm not responsible for the publishing and shipping of the magazine. MagCloud is.