20 R-Rated Ultraviolent & Adult Sword And Sorcery Movies That Will Blow Your Mind - Explored

[@archibaldcavendish5918]

Highlander and Conan are still 2 of my favorite movies of all time.

[@fyrchmyrddin1937]

Comparison of those (as well as Excalibur) with "The Barbarians" is insane. That's perhaps the only movie I ever walked out on.

[@lopa-u9f]

Excalibur as well

[@marcobahon]

These three, Excalibur, Conan and Highlander are great movies that transcend the genre and become classics.

[@BarbarosaAlexander]

Same here.

[@wavingdragon]

The 20 films are : Conan the Barbarian 1982 Flesh+Blood 1985 Excalibur 1981 Highlander 1986 The Sword and the Sorcerer 1982 The Barbarians 1987 Deathstalker 1983 Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans 1987 The Warrior and the Sorceress 1984 The Sword of the Barbarians 1982 Hearts and Armour 1983 Conquest 1983 Amazons 1986 Sorceress 1982 Barbarian Queen 1985 Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back 1990 Warrior Queen 1987 Hundra 1983 Thor the Conqueror 1983 Wizards of the Demon Sword 1991

[@bruceli9094]

MYTHICAL.

[@TimothyJ.Lochhead]

Thank you!

[@MaDPuPPeTgames]

I thought I'd seen all the 1980s sword and sorcery movies but I have only seen half of those.

[@llothar68]

Man the 80s really rocked the movies. Was great to see most of them as a teenager in cinema.

[@meangreenmememachine2890]

based list scribe!

[@fuseblower8128]

These movies sure gave Boris Vallejo a lot of work doing movie posters 😁

[@dr0fdarb]

I have all those posters, I noticed the worse the movie the better the poster

[@ghosthand8119]

You noticed that too :)

[@Hyperguyver2]

Frazetta and Casero as well

[@outinthesticks1035]

Having a Vallejo poster gets as many tickets sales as 100 times as many dollars in set, talent, filming , promo .

[@DOI_ARTS]

Vallejo and Ken Kelly

[@nordattack]

Excalibur is actually a magnificent and spiritual film. It is way deeper than most people perceive. One of my favorite films of all time.

[@joebauers3746]

Unbelieveable that early on he has part of it playing while he is saying "b grade campy copy". It is one of the best sword and sorcery movies of all time. I can't take anything he says seriously now and I am just 28 seconds in.

[@nordattack]

@@joebauers3746 Agreed, one of the best ever. Someday maybe it will be in 4K.

[@theelder4797]

Was my Dad's favorite film 👍

[@Crispvs1]

That is because Excalibur is entirely based on Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory, and although Malory himself was a highly disreputable character, he still infused his work with the normal depth of spiritual content you would expect to find in any medieval work. Almost everything in it has some significance or deeper meaning and even casual comments or apparently insignificant events will often be seen to have some significance later. Medieval literature can often be flowery, but there is never any padding.

[@marcobahon]

One of the most accurate Arthurian movies true to the canon matter of Britannia texts

[@bobnix3240]

Conan the Barbarian is a WAY smarter film that most people give it credit for, not just in terms of brilliant minimalist storytelling, but all the tiny touches that speak so believably to the actual ancient world, along with the little references to Howard's work. Yes, the character is EXTREMELY different from Howard's Conan, but damn if they didn't do something fantastic with him.

[@StrigoiVampire]

The soundtrack is also fantastic and timeless.

[@secularnevrosis]

It's a truly remarkable film imho. As a history buff I do appreciate that much of the props actually have historical references. All jumbled together over the time span of millennia ofc...but still! The film is very unapologetic and as mentioned "minimalist". But the acting talks for it self when the sparse dialogue goes not. It really feels genuine.

[@PandaPanda-ud4ne]

It was written by two Geniuses, Oliver Stone and John Milius, it HAD to be good.

[@richardaaron4454]

I thought the story was great!

[@Don-ol8ze]

Absolutely. Poledouris' music makes it like watching a Wagnerian opera with sparse dialogue. Too, the symbolism and themes are profound and timeless.

[@LGB007]

Excalibur was freaking fantastic. The Sword and Sorcerer was the basis for all our D&D games from then on.

[@fyrchmyrddin1937]

Concur... I mean, getting it on wearing full plate armor?

[@jayeasley2050]

And it pre-dates Conan.

[@andrijapfc]

Excalibur doesn't fit with all the other movies on the list. It's a different category

[@LGB007]

@@andrijapfc But its R rated sword and sorcery. So yes it does fit the category.

[@argentorangeok6224]

No Red Sonja, Krull, Beastmaster, or Conan the Destroyer? Dang.

[@verigone2677]

Conan was the only good movie on the list, they also mistakenly credit Conan as inspiration for movies that obviously could not have been inspired by Conan given the production cycle of even shit movies back then and ignoring that nearly all of the movies on this list are DIRECTLY inspired by Barbarella and have very little to do with Movies that are actually trying to tell a coherent story more than show some tits.

[@RecklessFables]

This was also just a list of R rated movies

[@neilmick7746]

@@verigone2677 Um, agree to disagree. Highlander rocked. As did Excalibur.

[@terrysbarker1]

missed Ladyhawk as well

[@dustinasher9643]

​@@neilmick7746 Agreed!!

[@TheAmc1971]

Conan Barbarian and Excalibur are masterpieces with magnificent music score...

[@richardaaron4454]

100%

[@ThePrader]

I saw both while at sea aboard a CV, (USS Independence, CV62). The Navy wanted only the best for us sailors.

[@jenstanggaard9746]

Highlander has the the best music score among these movies by far.

[@greggonzalez661]

Excalibur is so good. One of my all time favorites.

[@lesleyrussell8200]

yea and forme better than conan

[@JayEvans-n8e]

By far the best movie on this list.

[@OneAndOnlyMe]

Excalibur is a far superior movie. How dare they call it B grade. It came out before all those other movies.

[@lesleyrussell8200]

@@OneAndOnlyMe absolutely

[@Goon94]

Love Excalibur. Rewatched years later and realized it had Patrick Stewart and a young Liam Neeson in it. I would love to see a modern remake with lots of practical effects and not much CGI.

[@sethraelthebard5459]

Can we all just take a moment and express our appreciation for the Divine-tier talent of Frank Frazzetta? I mean...the man is practically his own genre of high fantasy art. No one could ever come close to how amazing he made the fantasy world look. Big dudes, scary monsters, and scantily clad, incredibly hot babes. Thanks Frank!

[@toomanyaccounts]

don't forget Boris Vallejo

[@Iilolian]

and Chris Achilleos

[@charliecoe3631]

Frank's art work embodied fantasy and mythological themes.A true genius!

[@zimriel]

"Fire and Ice" is a full-on Frazetta *movie* which didn't make the cut here. Maybe because it was animated. Although - since it is rotoscoped, shouldn't that count as partially live action...?

[@ChrisAlbertH47]

Yes, he's amazing. But in the early 90's I was quite into Boris Vallejo as well.

[@tls5669]

Excalibur was great

[@highlanderknight]

a-nal nathrak, uthvas bethud, do che-ol di-enve.

[@nickoD509]

Jean-Luc Picard was good in this one! hehe, I couldn't resist.

[@dennisii2066]

It also predates Conan the Barbarian, it's an adaptation of Le' Morte de Arthur

[@thomashiggins9320]

It remains my favorite adaptation of my favorite myth.

[@drunkbillygoat]

*is great. Fixed that for you.

[@daniellichtenstein7541]

The nerve of implying that Excalibur is a copy cat of Conan! The audacity!

[@consonaadversapars]

Yea, total bollocks.

[@jv-lk7bc]

the ignorance

[@cauchysintegral3713]

Excalibur was awesome. It's worth watching even if just for Nicol WIlliamson's Merlin, but the whole movie is just a lot of fun.

[@toddkes5890]

Ah Excalibur. Where every day is plate mail day.

[@thomasjoseph5876]

Excalibur had some really poor editing on the version that got made shorter. The original movie was over 2 hours, I think it was almost 2 1/2 hours and then they did an edited version for TV and there were parts where if you hadn't watched the original, you were going like, "huh, what is going on??? When you look at all of the "young" stars of that movie it is amazing. NIgel Terry was Arthur Helen Mirren was Morgana Paul Geoffrey was Perceval Nicol Williamson was Merlin Robert Addie was Mordred and did a ton of Fantasy type movies but died in his 40s Liam Neeson was Gawain Patrick Stewart was Leondegrance John Boorman who was the Director literally had his entire family either in the movie or as crew for the movie LOL. It started off as a silly movie but kept getting stronger as it went on. Back when it was made it was really a standout movie for its time. I originally saw it at the Drive-In Movie Screen a dozen or so times as it was ALWAYS like the 3rd movie of the night for the entire summer and then it was on HBO back in the early days of HBO. Excaliber, Highlander, and Conan are really the only movies worth seeing on this list LOL. There are a lot of other good movies not on this list because they weren't "R" Rated like Beastmaster, Red Sonja, Conan the Destroyer, and several others as well as some silly ones like Krull, Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time,

[@mosespray4510]

I was shocked that the clips didn't include any shots of Merlin and his amazing silver headpiece.

[@thomasjoseph5876]

@@mosespray4510 He did rock that Chrome Dome lol. The "Shiny Chrome" represented everyone who was "good" in the movie and since Merlin doesn't wear armor or a crown, they gave him that Shiny Chrome Dome LOL. If you noticed after Lancelot had sex with Guinevere, his armor "dulled" and then he removed it and never wore it again in the movie. Even when he came to aid King Arthur in the final battle. But as Lancelot was dying, the metal on his leather armor began to shine and he was also surrounded by "Shiny Chrome Armor" behind him when he asked King Arthur to allow him to die as a Knight of the Round Table. The Shiny Chrome was really used as a focal point in this movie, especially during that final battle against Mordred and Company.

[@cauchysintegral3713]

@@thomasjoseph5876 Spot on! Lots of early career actors in there including Gabriel Byrne (Uther). I first saw it on HBO back in the 80's. ...as an aside, you have great taste in movies -- Krull has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. :)

[@Sam-pb8ym]

This was such a nostalgia trip! I love the 80s and early 90s sword and sorcery art. I didn't even realize I had seen some of these late night on TBS. Lots of homework for the ones I missed. This is a treasure, thanks!

[@stiftarcory4364]

The posters and box art were the greatest in the 80’s

[@gern7535]

Nekkid women is what made 80s sword and sorcerer movies worth watching.

[@crhu319]

FIT women that looked like they came from some culture that values fitness. The 50s to 70s treated fitness like a cult or joke rather than something admirable in everyone.

[@mikespearwood3914]

Which movies had the nekkid women though?

[@fbomb7184]

@@mikespearwood3914More like which didn’t? It was the 80’s if it was R rated, for sure you were seeing boobs 👀

[@westower7898]

@@mikespearwood3914 Conan the Barbarian, Highlander, Beastmaster, Sword & the Sorcerer, & Excalibur all definitely had nude scenes in their original releases.

[@pike100]

​@@mikespearwood3914 Also, The Warrior and the Sorceress starring David Carradine and Maria Socas. Maria spends the entire film topless. ❤

[@probationbird9786]

having grown up in the 70's and 80's, the majority of my formative years were spent watching each and every one of these movies! I have seen them all. Thank you for this amazing rampage down sword and sorcery lane. Simply excellent.

[@tikidino]

Loved Conan!!!! Saw it a dozen times. Excalibur, Highlander were awesome and I’ll admit a guilty pleasure in The Sword and The Sorcerer.

[@andyappleton3353]

Just watched "Conan The Destroyer" on the big screen at an NYC cinema two weeks ago! Awwnold 4 LIFE!!!!!!!

[@kpj9535]

I always wanted Lee Horsley to be Batman b4 there was a movie

[@MaDPuPPeTgames]

I love sword and the sorcerer. Definately my top 4 are Conan, Highlander, Excalibur and Sword and the Sorcerer. They all stand up very well today. The rest are pretty B-Grade but can stil be fun.

[@pike100]

Very good choices, @tikidino

[@Valkanna.Nublet]

Excalibur is a great film and has one of the most fun versions of Merlin. I still regularly watch it.

[@ChakraOver9k]

1982 was definitely the era of the barbarian ⚔️🗡️

[@christianmontagx8461]

"Screw your freedom" 😂

[@ChakraOver9k]

@@christianmontagx8461 we all know you don't like arnold lol.

[@thenarrator1984]

​@@ChakraOver9khe's got a point. Arnold and DeNiro are prime examples of leftist losers with no morals and no clue about real world events.

[@accessyourinnerlight971]

1982 was huge for fantasy films in general: the Dark Crystal, the Secret of Nimh, E.T., Tron, Barbarosa, the Beastmaster, the Sword and the Sorcerer, the Last Unicorn

[@1999fxdx]

Conan ruled. I first read REH in 1963 - what a storyteller!

[@christopherjenkins2373]

I actually own most of these. I was a fan of Howard’s Conan books as a kid so I just had to get these moves. I guess Excalibur will always be my favorite.

[@skippy675]

Nifty! I remember getting to watch Krull as a 7 or 8 year old at my Grandparents house. One of the Uncles had it on VHS. That flew until one of our Aunt's found us kids watching it and pulled the plug. Good times.

[@StrigoiVampire]

The 80s with the rise of video games, gothic music on the rise, films like these capture the entire essence of the 80s

[@craigs71]

I was bored and looking at movie releases by year (I was recovering from major surgery) and found that 1984 was a fantastic year for blockbusters.

[@StrigoiVampire]

@@craigs71 Watch Willow, I think you'll really like it. I hope you have recovered from the surgery

[@georgedavidson957]

Rutger Hauer is awesome no matter how bad the movie is.

[@Donathon-f6f]

Maybe the most underrated actor of his era

[@JR-zp3nw]

Damn right. He's in a list of underrated character/80s actors that includes Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown, Ron Pearlman, and Richard Lynch.

[@benjaminboyle7329]

Also Highlander won the academy award for "Best Movie Ever".

[@whenpigsfly8178]

What a shame that it had no sequels. Still, it really was complete enough to be satisfying.

[@ad2000]

@@whenpigsfly8178 Err. I think it had a few, although they all are rubbish. The Queen soundtrack is what really made the film standout.

[@lesleyrussell8200]

@@ad2000 princes of the universe its great for the opening, but the others songs and precisely who wants to life forever doesnt do nothing good in it along with that long scene

[@bermudabeachbum3582]

@@ad2000 I think he was being facetious. A lot of fans ignore the sequels as not being true to the original.

[@spiralofhope]

@@ad2000 You are mistaken, there are no sequels.

[@solowolf7418]

Conan the Barbarian is my favorite. I also enjoyed Excalibur, Amazons, Barbarian Queen and Highlander very much

[@lachrymalquietus]

00:00 Introduction 01:02 Conan the Barbarian (1982) 02:25 Flesh + Blood (1985) 03:59 Excalibur (1981) 05:20 Highlander (1986) 06:33 The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) 07:33 The Barbarians (1987) 08:56 Deathstalker (1983) 10:06 Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987) 11:16 The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) 12:36 The Sword of the Barbarians (1982) 13:12 Hearts and Armour (1983) 14:10 Conquest (1983) 15:04 Amazons (1986) 16:09 Sorceress (1982) 17:13 Barbarian Queen (1985) 18:16 Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back (1990) 19:28 Warrior Queen (1987) 20:41 Hundra (1983) 21:41 Thor the Conqueror (1983) 22:34 Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991) 23:49 Conclusion

[@Wolfie713]

New list of movies to watch... lol

[@NILBOG13]

Conan is one of the best fantasy movies ever, the simplicity is what makes it so good. When Subutai and Conan are talking about what Gods they pray to is a great scene, also, every character is memorable.

[@jdheryos4910]

Highlander was a big hit across Europe, Australia & New Zealand. Also did well in Canada. Made a decent profit. Get it right.

[@ericswain70]

Basil Poledouris did the sandtrack for Conan and Flesh + Blood.

[@sillybunny6753]

Still to this day in my playlist from the Conan OST, I play "The kitchen/orgy" very "Wagnerian" Very under rated soundtrack.

[@danahlongley]

The Sword and the Sorcerer is fantastic! Also, Rifftrax does a great sendup of it.

[@PiratePrincessYuki]

Even though I was born in 82, I have a brother who is 18 years older than me. I grew up watching his video tapes of these movies and can honestly say I’ve seen most of these movies, not all but most.

[@zimriel]

I can't even imagine growing up like this. Like, I'm 8 and playing with Barbie and then the 26 year old brother shows up waving "Barbarian Queen II" at me. Lolwut?

[@PiratePrincessYuki]

@@zimriel I was closer to a teen…

[@thematrixwillfindyou]

Há , the 80s! Lots of topless beauties , cheesy dialogues and fighting scenes . As a 1981 born kid , who grew up watching most of these movies , I have no complaints. Watched Conan The Barbarian first time back in 86 when I was 5.. alongside my uncle(RIP) and mother , such memories . Watched it probably hundreds of times and still do front time to time and did the same thing by watching it with my 5 years old daughter and she absolutely loved it.

[@wolfx073]

How come nobody ever talks about "Hawk The Slayer" ? It was a DnD movie before DnD movies were ever made.

[@StrigoiVampire]

Willow could have made this list too

[@Erichev]

That was PG and the list was for R rated movies.

[@maninblk]

I loved Hawk the Slayer. Krell, the Elven archer, is my favorite.

[@Klaus-em3ix]

@@maninblk they shoot arrows like a machinegun.

[@mudcrab3420]

"I was like you once. Blonde hair. Scraggly little beard. Childlike ears. Full of beans, and spunk. I let my principles get in the way of things. I punched a bloke in the face once for saying Hawk the Slayer was rubbish."

[@christianninsananda9626]

Flesh+Blood was director Paul Verhoeven's first English language movie... he went on to do RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, and Starship Troopers (to name a few).

[@chaosordeal294]

So he made two good movies and followed them up with tee-rash.

[@zimriel]

Local youtube commenter @@chaosordeal294 recently said something stupid. His pillorying will take place on all stations, all channels. Would you like to know more?

[@jv-lk7bc]

@@chaosordeal294 which two? Agreed, making a movie out of Heinlein's worst book was just a bad idea (though doing it tongue-in-cheek, as he said he did, was probly the best that could be done with it). I thought Total Recall was pretty good (though they didn't give credit to the authors they drew from -PKD & Heinlein). Instinct & Robo were both memorable B movies with some good lines. Showgirls was soft porn which confusingly had a plot and decent acting.

[@user-GAMEGOON]

The Beast Master

[@jrod4344]

Loved this movie as a kid. The only thing I really remember about it is the ferrets though, so might need to give it a fresh watch.

[@robertthomas1286]

Great movie!

[@highlanderknight]

​@@jrod4344Ahhh, the ferrets that steal Tanya Roberts clothes. Wise creatures.

[@Singleballtheory]

A fun film to be sure, but definitely only PG. Though you could certainly argue that it shouldn't have been.

[@JesusChrist-xb7jq]

@@jrod4344Kodo and Podo was the name of the ferrets. There was a time travel sequel that I hadn’t heard about until about a year ago, so of course I had to watch it.

[@MaDPuPPeTgames]

Sword and the Sorcerer was one of my favourite movies. I've watched it a dozen times.

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

Conan The Barbarian Was a Game Changing Film the first time I saw It was Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance pulled me In as with The Terminator he's my favorite actor not the best but a great entertainer

[@citizenVader]

I remember the vanguard runner jumping up on the stone and squadding, his tattoos moving to his breath, and then the epic music began, and suddenly, I was in another world in another time.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Arnie knows his limits, did great at playing characters within them. It's not like he was going to play Hamlet ... (snuck in a Last Action hero reference 😆)

[@colinheslop214]

Conan & Highlander are in my top 10 all time favorite movies 🙈

[@cliffbarber7581]

it's scary how many of these I rented on VHS back in the day

[@22steve5150]

I own most of these.

[@user-GAMEGOON]

Block Buster

[@toomanyaccounts]

you had to leave the house to get the fap material pre internet

[@majorgear1021]

I still have the Betamax tapes.

[@user-GAMEGOON]

I had to brush the dust off my collection and found some good ones, believe it or not my VCR still works.

[@stavrosp1154]

Excalibur not only had Liam Neeson and Patrick Stewart, but also Gabriel Byrne and Hellen Mirren. One of my favorite movies from my teenage years.

[@billsoo306]

Red Sonja (1985) fits the genre. Ladyhawke (1985) has the right elements of sword and sorcery but is on a much higher level of quality.

[@kliajesal4592]

They aren't R-rated though.

[@zimriel]

@@kliajesal4592 I suppose Ladyhawke didn't have to be R, since the lead of the story was Mouse, and The Girl isn't his to take. Still good though. The big turnoff for me was that soundtrack, needlessly 80s synth. On my shortlist for worst soundtrack ever.

[@timclynes2846]

Rutger Hauer in Flesh & Blood has always been a hugely underrated film, its a great romp - Excalibur is a masterpiece - It would have been nice to see Hawk the Slayer on the list, and The Beastmaster should have been impossible to overlook

[@white-dragon4424]

Excalibur was released a year before Conan, and technically isn't a fantasy movie. It's based on Anglicised Celtic legend. It's also not very campy, but rather a big budget operatic stage play made for the cinema.

[@richardaaron4454]

The production in Excalibur was incredible and set the standard, I laughed at the crap fake armor in movies ever since.

[@captainmidnight3522]

Well said, sir. Excalibur wasn't just "named after the famous sword" but was a telling of Arthurian legend that has helped shape the mythology around the British Isles and France for 1500-2000 years.

[@HariSeldon913]

They also omitted listing Dame Helen Mirren with the notable cast.

[@oneoftheskull3158]

"Legend" = Fantasy. Excalibur, nor did King Author never existed.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@oneoftheskull3158 They don't know, hence he's legend rather than fantasy. There's a good chance that the character is based on one or two historical Romano-Celtic chiefs. Even Merlin might have been based on an historical person in the form of a druid. Even if they somehow find out that he never existed, then that would make him a myth rather than fantasy, because it's characters that they thought once existed due to superstition, like Greek myths. Fantasy though is things that they know never existed and were totally made up for entertainment like LOTR and D&D.

[@libertycowboy2495]

Conan was the GOAT! BEST sword and sorcery movie ever. Flesh and blood wasn't an S&S movie...no sorcery at all. Just historical fiction.

[@Corpo_Recruiter]

I was 9, so take this with a grain of salt. "The Sword and Sorcerer" (April 1982) did so well ($40M of a $4M budget) because it was released after the star, Lee Horsley, became popular with the launch of his tv show "Matt Houston (Sept 1982)." Ok, technically it was released before the TV show, but movies back then stayed in the theaters indefinitely. So I remember there being commercials for the movie after the tv show premiered and became wildly popular. (At least, the TV show was wildly popular with 9-year-old boys in towns of less than 8,000 people in Oklahoma. A sample size of probably 10 or 15, who only had access to ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS...So, you know, I'm 100% accurate and scientific.) Regardless, I was DYING to see this movie because a sword that launched two of its blades! and Lee Horsely! 9-yr old mind blown.

[@meredithsalt8397]

Oh wow yeah I loved that sword ❤😂

[@Genesh12]

IF YOU CAN WATCH "SORCERESS" WATCH IT. IT HAD A LOVELY SET OF IDENTICAL TWIN SISTERS, SOME GOOD JOKES AS WELL.

[@chalowr]

The Barbarians is such a piece of nostalgia for me I can’t hate it, regardless how bad it is. The Conan movies are legendary and Red Sonja definitely deserves a mention here.

[@cpuuk]

I firmly bevel that "crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women" is a pretty good credo to live your life by (I work in IT).

[@samuel5591]

That's the problem with a lot of IT departments these days - they forget they are meant to service the customer, not dictate everything.

[@DavidMcMahon-b3o]

The bad acting in The Barbarians is part of its charm. And the two actors went on to do 2-3 more "really so bad they are so good" movies that are fun to watch.

[@archam777]

Highlander was an underappreciated movie ahead of its time......same with "Fortress".

[@muzzlevelocity4397]

Myself and three friends blew off junior college for the day to watch VHS tapes when we first saw Highlander. We all loved it, and I think that we watched it three times in a row. Everything was rentals then, so we made the most of having it for the day. "Kastagir is dead. Only you and I remain." Clancy Brown nailed the part as the Kurgan. "Nuns. No sense of humor."

[@palehorseman8386]

The important thing to remember about Conan is that everyone had to act around the plank of wood that was Arnold. James Earl Jones became my favorite villain in this movie

[@georgeg9147]

Get to da draggin!

[@danzigrulze5211]

I watched all of these movies when I was a kid. I grew up reading the old Conan novels that my dad collected and watched every movie I could get my hands on that had something with fantasy or sci-fi on the cover. I think it was the artwork that drew me in the most, as for most of the movies were just horrible, but I do have fond memories of most of them.

[@Kriegerdammerung]

Death Stalker 2 was a meme movie BEFORE memes were even a mass media thing. Amazing!!!

[@despisel]

Some more random missing titles: - Gor (1987) - Gor II (1989) - Kindar the Invulnerable (1965) - Gunan, King of the Barbarians (1982, a.k.a The invincible barbarian) - Hawk the Slayer (1981) - Time barbarians (1990) - The Magic Sword (1962) - Thor the Conqueror (1983) - Kull the Conqueror (1997) - The sword of Lancelot (1963) - Ironmaster (1983) - Wizards of the lost kingdom (1985)

[@Stonegoal]

PG

[@mehmustache]

1990 child here, I recently watched "The Barbarians" -1987 and had never seen it before. I grew up on Clash of the Titans, Hercules, Conan movies, Red Sonja, Beastmaster, all the classics. The Barbarians was entertaining! It was funny and the stunts/costumes were incredible. Very underrated film that was brilliant.

[@stevec.8411]

FLESH and BLOOD is by no means a Sword & Sorcery movie! It has swords, BUT NO SORCERY!!! Its a medival action film!

[@Nixx0912]

I would also question the "romantic" angle, it's more?Stockholm syndrome than romance.

[@AlexanderHamburg]

Not even medieval, actually. More like Renaissance.

[@kamilpotato3764]

@@AlexanderHamburg Yep. Period of Italian civil wars in early Renaissance.

[@brianjones7907]

👍i was going to point that out , in the UK it had a cinema release as did Conan , Excaliber , HighLander & The Sword And The Sorcerer , all the rest went straight to Video

[@ACMaddocks]

The Sword and the Sorcerer is actually my favorite go-to cheesy sword and sorcery movie. Beastmaster is underrated and should be on that list. Krull is worth a view, if you've never seen it

[@captnaberystwyth2879]

Highlander.. Come for the swords, stay for Connerys' Spanish accent..

[@peterkerr4019]

come on! He was Egyptian, wasn't he?

[@captnaberystwyth2879]

@@peterkerr4019 juan sanchez~villalalobos ramirez.. The most spanish name i ever heard. XD

[@captnaberystwyth2879]

Tho yes.. tak~ne was his og name .

[@peterkerr4019]

@@captnaberystwyth2879 I stand corrected, thanks.

[@captnaberystwyth2879]

@@peterkerr4019 no.. You were right.. Originally he was Egyptian.. But a long time back. I need to rewatch it soon.. Turns out my woman never saw it.. So, bonus!

[@pianotm]

I was so happy to see Hundra on your list! I saw Flesh+Blood on cable when I was in my teens, and until now, I thought it was a fever dream. The Barbarians is ridiculous! I love it!

[@Makoto03]

I love Deathstalker 2. Its so cheesy that it also has one of the most ridiculous title drops from a character i've ever seen in a movie. "I'll have my revenge and Deathstalker... too!" 😂

[@mikegrossberg8624]

One of the best parts of Deathstalker 2 was the OUTAKES shown during the closing credits

[@Mr.RobotHead]

That is the absolute _best_ title drop in cinema history!

[@TitularHeroine]

Omg😂😂😂

[@EddieGlover-rs8vr]

Loved Deathstalker. Goofy as hell but two freaking gorgeous ladies in Barbi Benton and Lana Clarkson. And the transformation of the male guard into the princess is essentially a comic skit with lots of closeups of Barbi. Also loved Sword and the Sorcerer!

[@Frank_42]

How dare you show a scene from Excalibur as an example of cheap low budget knockoffs that came after Conan. There was a lot of sword and sorcery fodder, but Excalibur was a classic. In spite of it's flaws it is for many the holy grail of King Arthur films. John Boorman was brilliant.

[@mikec.3818]

I managed a video store in the 80s. These were some of my top renters, I always had to order extra copies because the boys would pause them in the same areas damaging it, interesting. Back then a new copy of The Sorceress was $120.00. Crazy.

[@halomasamune2762]

A lot of good Movies where left out. Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, The Beast Master, Krull, and Legend, to name a few. I realize that most of the films I just listed don't fall under the Rated R banner. They do however fall under the umbrella of Sword & Sorcery, since this was a R-Rated Ultravoilent video I can understand how they didn't make the cut. Good list. I think if I had one real criticism, it would probably be that Excalibur made the list. I don't think I have ever seen the uncut version, but the one I did watchfell more under the lighter side of Sword and Sorcery.

[@thecocktailian2091]

Excalibur, weather you enjoyed it or not falls into this category because of the rape and violence aspects( I surmise).

[@RecklessFables]

Krull was PG. Red Sonja was PG-13.

[@halomasamune2762]

@@RecklessFables I did mention that I understood why they didn't make the list. While being excellent examples of Sword and Sorcery, they didn't meet the R rating. That is also why I don't understand why Excalibur made the list. The version I have seen I think was PG??? I haven't seen the R rated version, I don't doubt that it exists, but I have never seen it.

[@aaronleverton4221]

Any of them rated R in the US?

[@ShinDangaioh]

I'm surprised the two Gor movies we not placed anyehere. Yes. TWO movieson the world of Gor

[@eclecticx]

The Sword and the Sorcerer remains among my favorite movies. Cheesy but endlessly entertaining.

[@jb888888888]

_The Warrior and the Sorceress_ looks like more of a Gor film than the film _Gor_ does, despite the lack of sorcery on Gor.

[@RexKochanski]

"lack of sorcery "? Well, they truly get no respect (sometimes being given the job of being live figureheads on ships), but the descriptions (and illustrations) of the slave girls of Gor I have, with all due respect, found them quite the enchantresses! ; )

[@stevenburkhardt1963]

I was an AD&D player in hs 79-83, the time when Conan came out. I tried to watch all the fantasy movies the came out. I read and then watched Excalibur. I loved it!

[@stevenburkhardt1963]

Shame Red Sonja was only rated PG, which is surprising

[@chuckleezodiac24]

but did you ever slay a Beholder with a Vorpal Blade?

[@kluangh1tam]

Conquest 1983. Fun fact: It's main antagonist character is an evil sorceress named Ocron who wears only a mask and a g-string, being topless for the entirety of the movie. She's played by actress Sabrina Siani.

[@pike100]

This film is a perfect fit for this R-rated list!

[@stickman1742]

That is a fun fact.

[@brianahern4066]

“I’ll have my revenge, and Deathstalker 2!” This movie was the ultimate B movie that my brother and I watched on VHS. Absolutely fantastic and campy.

[@mcmotohistory8770]

How can you talk about The Warrior and the sorceress and not mention it stars David Carradine?

[@simonfernandes6809]

Because...topless women?

[@caolanod2261]

I just watched The Sword and the Sorceror last night because I watched in the 80's as a child and it was my favourite. It held up.

[@Viglin123]

Roger Corman was very very busy at this time.

[@stickman1742]

Was there ever a time he wasn't busy?

[@pike100]

Highlander was magnificent. Terrific scene edits when transitioning from one locale to another (as I recall, the best of these very smooth cuts were when the film was transitioning from the past to the present day).

[@dammichsmith]

The bad guy in Deathstalker II looks like what you'd get if the Ernest character were played by Jean Claude Van Damme instead of Jim Varney.

[@crondeau7553]

Highlander was awesome !! I saw it originally. The problem was a bad marketing company with a crap budget . No previews on tv or in theatres , no previews on the vhs tapes . That’s why it eventually took off , cause it was a good movie ! Great soundtrack as well done by Queen !!

[@johnseaman3632]

Some that may (or may not...) fit on this list (they are certainly sword and sorcery, in the same, or at least similar, vein as the titles on this list): Beast Master Dragonslayer Conan the Destroyer (since there are other sequels on this list, this one should be included) Red Sonja Ladyhawke Clash of the Titans Krull Kull the Conqueror Legend Ator Gor Some of these may not have made the list because they lack an R-rating, but others certainly fit...

[@StrigoiVampire]

Willow

[@Erichev]

Most if not all of these were not rated R. That's why they didn't make the list. I had to look for "Conan the Destroyer" because I would have thought it was R too. Nope, PG

[@michaelwatkins1021]

The 80's were awesome!! Loved Excalibur and sword and the sorcerer.

[@avicohen1930]

there can be only one!

[@lesleyrussell8200]

yea the kurgan can kick conan,s ass.....

[@avicohen1930]

@@lesleyrussell8200 yeah Conan was a good movie, but the Highlander was epic

[@candjim]

My go to favourites have always been the Sword and the Sorcerer and Excalibur.

[@LostCylon]

The Warrior and the Sorceress (1982) also starred David Carradine who played (Died in 2009, but is listed as having played in the 2021 movie ''The America Connection'' and the upcomming movie ''Mata Hari'', (Must be a Shaolin thing :p) by his daughter. He also starred in the Kill Bill movies (He was Bill) The 1972-75 TV series Kung Fu. Apart from Arnold, David Carradine seems the still best known actor here.

[@zimriel]

Christopher Lambert was a big deal up to the early 1990s.

[@angelaarmie5789]

Thank you for covering the deeper cuts. I love Conquest 1983

[@yegenek]

Flesh and Blood is not a Sword and Sorcery in it it is just about mercenaries turned into bandits in 16th century Italy. Just historical action no magic and sorcerers or supernatural things.

[@apparition13]

Yup, pure historical fiction.

[@Klaus-em3ix]

Jennifer Jason Lee is magical hot in this movie.

[@pike100]

​@@Klaus-em3ixHer nude scenes were amazing! 👏

[@Thermalions]

Can't let facts get in the way of a good video. Bit like Sorceress supposedly being inspired by the success of Conan, except Sorceress was filmed before Conan was even released in cinemas.

[@lopa-u9f]

right, I was thinking of a few viking movies and then was like wait not they're just viking (foreign country stuff that is great, like When the Raven Flies series and Utlaginn

[@augustjologs1]

I love the Amazons, Barbarian Queen, and Hundra!!! They were the best!

[@wyldhowl2821]

Conan The Barbarian is one of the best films, period. If every film could be said to seek a certain purpose in what sort of film it is, and if the filmmakers can strike that mark it will be a game changer for that genre or at least a cult classic that filmmakers will be influenced by more than the public if the box office fails. Conan achieved this perfectly for this sort of film - it became the standard by which all other "sword and sorcery" films are measured, and in effect it still "holds the record" today. The stars, the music, the action, the general attitude of it, being what it is, with no apologies. Perfect. The same could be said for genre-maker/genre-breaker films in other genres: The Godfather (mafia films), The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (westerns), Mad Max (post apocalyptic dystopia films), Star Wars (space adventure), Raider Of The Lost Ark (modern adventure), The Terminator (hunted by a robot or cyborg films), Silence Of The Lambs (serial killed crime drama). Even Alien/Aliens, Predator, and Robocop in their small niche sub-genres left a huge mark. (You can go beyond the 80's of course and see more examples.) They all changed the game, they all set trends that others imitated or created tropes that later movies make obvious call-backs to. They get remembered for much more than box office performance. Genres become pre-[that film] versus post-[that film]. Conan The Barbarian might never have gotten the kind of respect that wins Oscars, but that is because as a type of genre, this genre did not have that sort of critics' appeal, maybe never will. (Though they have gotten better about respecting different kinds of genres over the years.) Excalibur too, my second favourite from this list. People talk of it being too cheesy in parts or too lurid in others, and don't get me started on the pseudo-historical nit-picking that goes on online, but the bottom line is this: Have you ever seen a better King Arthur film? I have not. Despite all the years since it came out and all the attempts, it still holds that crown.

[@chelseaj6063]

I love this genre. I have vague memories of some of these movies as a kid. It's fun and frustrating trying to track down what movie they came from

[@BreandanOCiarrai]

Maybe it's because I'm Gen-X and we are just thick-skinned and used to it having grown up on this stuff, but all the pearl-clutching and shocked gasping (metaphorically speaking) people seem to have these days about gore, nudity, violence, and sexual content in these films is just weird to me. Those are part and parcel of the swords-and-sorcery genre all the way back to Howard's stories in the 1920s and 30s that these trace back to. It's like watching water and being shocked that it's wet.

[@stickman1742]

Many of the people complaining about that are older though. When I see younger people review movies or videos from the past, they often say things like that was probably considered risque back then. I see no evidence that young people today are more prudish than the past, just the opposite. They are doing things today that previous generations were never doing because it doesn't seem like a big deal to them. The loud noise you hear is often coming from media sources, old people and certain groups that have always complained about these things.

[@zimriel]

@@stickman1742 also when movies like this came out with the R rating, everyone knew they were trash, and they hung out in That Section of the video rental. Parents knew to avoid them; few kids got to see them, and most adults didn't even much want to see them. With the notable exceptions like Conan and Highlander and Excalibur.

[@davidpietarila699]

The first 3 VHS tapes I ever rented way back in 1984 were Conan the Barbarian, Excalibur and the animated Lord of the Rings. I had to talk my parents into covering the $20 deposit per movie.

[@kathrynmontgomery5053]

They forgot Red Sonja....

[@Rahhelthethird]

But Flavor Flav did not.

[@Dirt_Master]

It was pg13

[@tikidino]

As well they should!

[@billcox8870]

Too kid friendly.

[@leonariaslade5563]

They left off soo many, Krull, Ladyhawke, Hawk the Slayer just to name a few.

[@DarrenEden-ub4vj]

One of the best parts of Highlander was the music. Fredy Mercury wrote the songs and Queen recorded the soundtrack.

[@zimriel]

"Who Wants To Live Forever" hits harder when you know that Mercury knew he had AIDS by then

[@mr.coomcoom]

forgot about beastmaster

[@thomashiggins9320]

Not rated R.

[@mr.coomcoom]

@@thomashiggins9320 lol i can just see it movie: *lets put worms in peoples brains turning them into monsters mpaa: *pg

[@ralfklonowski3740]

One of the things that I like most about Conan is the soundtrack. Basileus Polydoros did a wonderful job; his music has also been performed concertant, on at least one occasion with himself as director. To my knowledge, he is no longer with us. Talking about people copying Conan without mentioning Red Sonja is criminal neglect. Though sometimes ridiculed, I love that movie.

[@bolo2393]

Strange ladies laying in lakes distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. If i went around saying i was king because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they would lock me away.

[@redcelticdrake]

Shut up Dennis

[@JohnJ469]

Ooh Dennis. there's some lovely filth down here.

[@Fred_Lougee]

Strange women laying about in lakes distributing swords is starting to sound pretty good right about now...

[@pike100]

Love this reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail!!! ❤ 👏 👍

[@titanium5]

Prisoners of the Lost Universe and Ator the Fighting Eagle were a couple of my favs you missed.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Hawk The Slayer

[@houndofzoltan]

Loved Highlander at the time. A few years ago I visited a friend living in Scotland and we visited the main castle they filmed it in. I told my girlfriend she had to watch the movie so we stuck it on. God, the acting and the dialogue were both diabolical: even the nostalgia factor couldn't save it: Sean Connery was basically the only redeeming factor.

[@lliamthrumble]

There was also the lightning sounds. Epic.

[@ghosthand8119]

I can't believe you didn't have Krull and The Beastmaster on this list!

[@BookwyrmEDS]

This is a Rated R list. Both Krull and The Beastmaster were PG. The same with a lot of the other movies left off the list like Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Ladyhawke, etc.

[@intenselygoodtime]

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I've seen all but two of these. The 1980s were amazeballs.

[@MichaelSchell-yb7sh]

I can think of a few that could have been included like Krull and Kull the Conquerer

[@fomalhaut9]

They were not R rated