Swords & Sorcery Films of the 1980's: PART I

[@boyscout7277]

Excalibur was so well made. That movie still holds up til this day.

[@suzettehenderson9278]

Except for that one scene...

[@buryitdeep]

Excalibur changed my life

[@EricLinstone]

It's so shiny!

[@ProfessorJayTee]

ROFL "Holds up" as an example of terrible historical accuracy. Inaccuracy, rather.

[@ChrisisisB]

Excalibur is not a historical document. It is an operatic style retelling of the tales of the romantic era (19th century). Realize that, and the full plates etc wont bother you anymore, well not much.

[@cliffdixon6422]

If yo haven't seen it, one of the best of the genre was Ladyhawke from 1985 starring Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick. Absolutely loved that film in my late teens and still holds up well today

[@darkangel15221]

Ladyhawke seemed like more of a love story to me, as the action was minimal. Also, Matthew Broderick's character was incredibly annoying.

[@narcissus79]

I loved that film, although I feel like the soundtrack was a bit cheezy.. imagine what it could have been like if it had the same music director as Excalibur or Conan?

[@justaguy2365]

Loved that movie!!

[@garrick3727]

As much as I like Rutger Hauer, I think it's a boring movie. You're right though - it should be on this list.

[@bluebird3281]

@@darkangel15221 No Matthew Broderick's character was not annoying. Matthew Broderick is annoying and it rubs off on any character he plays. There were only two bad things in the movie "Glory". The Confederacy and Matthew Broderick.

[@Briansgate]

Excalibur is still one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@majesticfool]

it's actually a masterpiece. Full of themes, symbolism. great cinematography

[@paulflecknell1974]

And lets be honest, who doesnt get goosebumps when arthur drinks from the cup and becomes reborn....that music in the background.....🥶😁

[@MoivinSulunker]

What are the others?

[@tripbreaker]

Yes, folks, that’s Helen Mirren. I was 13 when I fist saw her play Morgana and have been in love with gothy pagan chicks ever since. In one scene with Merlin she actually f*cking hisses at him. Classic.

[@reptiledisfunction2564]

Same mate

[@andershansen2861]

My favourite movie and in my opinion the ONLY worthwhile rendition of the legend.

[@fredlandry6170]

I was 11 when Excalibur came out but I didn’t see it till it came on cable later on.

[@perfectallycromulent]

i was 8 and not yet interested in women. but i was absolutely terrified of mordred in his creepy armor. he used poke up in a lot of my nightmares.

[@guarddog318]

Helen can hiss at me anytime she wants.

[@Izthefaithful]

Conan what is best in life “To crush your enemies! To see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women!” 💪🏼

[@margaretgarside5617]

I think that's his first line of dialog.

[@wanderingwhimsy4800]

Hell yeah!! Die with Honor can we get a All female Barbarian breakdown too??

[@freewheeler8924]

Words I have endeavoured to live by.

[@zhaoliang4217]

It actual is a variation of this historical quote, but the last part removed for obvious reasons. “The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies and chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth and see those dear to them bathed in tears, to ride their horses and clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.” --Genghis Khan.

[@jasonsaenz2367]

Thulsa Doom from Conan the Barbarian is most certainly an evil wizard.

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

Yes, and he plays an amazing antagonist - a genuinely creepy cult leader - when he beheads Conan’s mother that gutted me as a little kid as I thought no man would just straight up murder a woman who was so dignified and so very beautiful but daaayyyyuuuum. Poor little Conan watching his mother fall away - Valeria was my absolute heroine growing up - her showing up once post mortem to help Conan, while dressed in shining armor like a Valkyrie, moved me to tears…also loved the divine Andromeda in Clash of the Titans. That ending with the head of Medusa retaining its very powerful dark magic is just amazing…

[@ashbury137]

Came to the comment section to say this, guess I didn't need to.

[@realmxkeeper]

He’s also my real Dad.

[@swk38]

i would say he is more of an evil priest, that uses swords, and is able to polymorph himself into a snake... his charisma to charm people is off the scale and a wizard would be more reclusive in a tower and not really have many followers

[@helixxharpell]

Thulsa Doom is actually a demi-god who is(was) over 200 yrs old at the time of his beheading. The beheading to this day is often removed from network TV.

[@himonightbreeze]

I have a deep need to say that Conan wasn't originally a comic book character. Robert E. Howard's short stories were featured in Weird Tales magazine which was a pulp magazine for sci-fi nerds in the 20s & 30s, and was just a collection of short stories with a few illustrations. The first Conan panel-to-panel comic as we know them now was published in Mexico in 1952, 20 years after his first story was published in Weird Tales. It was an adaptation of "Queen of the Black Coast," and was featured in a pocket-sized anthology magazine. The first Marvel run of Conan comics didn't come until 1970, almost 50 years after that first short story. Then of course Dark horse was putting them out from 2003-2018, and in that time we got the so-so Jason Mamao flick heavily based on that run, and it's....a movie.

[@guarddog318]

You tell 'em. My first exposure to Conan was in the novels by L. Sprague something-or-other, NOT THE Marvel comics.... though I did read those too. ...probably even have a few of 'em hanging around here somewhere. 🙄

[@brentjablonski3730]

Thanks for saying it. I came here to say the same thing!

[@juniorjames7076]

@@guarddog318 I gotta say, as a kid I was more into Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars, Carson of Venus, Moon Trilogy) that Howards Conan books. Howards books, to me, were not that well written. But hey, people obviously liked them!

[@gregwilson7818]

A couple things about Conan...Yes, the Conan stories were a collection of short stories by Robert E. Howard, and then later written by L. Sprague DeCamp and Lin Carter. But it was also a comic book, later on. I have only owned 2 comic books in my life - my mother bought them both in the 70's when I was 9-10 years old. One was Dracula, and the other was Conan. So, yes, the short stories came first, but there was also a comic book later on. I am not aware of any Marvel Comics of Conan, unless the one I owned from the 70's was Marvel. The other thing about Conan -- Arnold did not portray the real Conan - Conan would never have begged on his knees (you killed my mother, you killed my father...) to Thulsa Doom. In the books, although a barbarian, Conan was highly intelligent, could speak many languages and even read and write a few. He would never surrender, never kneel, and never bow to a king. When he was captured (many times), it was from being over-powered, hit from behind, or sorcery. He would fight to the death or until he couldn't stand anymore. The new Conan (Jason Momoa) was a better portrayal of his character than Arnold's. Robert E. Howard died when he was 30 years old (1936), and had a lot of unpublished manuscripts of Conan stories, and that's where L. Sprague Decamp and Lin Carter came in, finished the stories, and had them published. I own the entire set of paperbacks as well as the compiled hardback collections of short stories. There has been a dozen or so writers since, trying to continue writing the stories, but none of them capture the true Conan like Howard, Decamp, and Carter. Yes, I would call myself a super-fan...lol.

[@guarddog318]

@@juniorjames7076 - I read all of those as well, but since nobody got around to making movies about 'em 'til after the millennium, I didn't mention them. Besides, Tarzan was by far a more popular character than John or Carson.

[@pspboy7]

Conan, Dragonslayer, and Excalibur are my favorite films in this genre.

[@Thurgosh_OG]

They are favourites with me too but I still have a soft spot for Hawk the Slayer.

[@OhNoNotAgain42]

I LOVED “Excalibur”! Best dialogue of any “King Arthur” film, ever. “How did you become King?” “The Lady of the Lake gave me Excalibur”. “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Extreme executive authority derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!”

[@rustythecrown9317]

If I went around saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bit lobbed a scimitar at me , they'd put me away.

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

@@rustythecrown9317 Help! Help! I'm being repressed!

[@n.w.1803]

@@rustythecrown9317 Bloody peasant!!

[@Dilligff]

@@rustythecrown9317 Yeah, that kinda logic is a bit hard to swallow. Neither African nor European.

[@gilbert8162]

Good old Monty Python

[@redjacc7581]

Excaliber is simply the best representation of armoured combat.

[@jondspen]

I remember when Excalibur and Conan came out. Both of these movies were incredible then, and still today. I have watched both in the last year or so, and they have aged very well. Not campy or dated at all, just as amazing and engaging as they were then. Speaks a lot to the writing, cinematography, and directors on the films.

[@juniorjames7076]

I knew Conan was a solid film, but I'll have to give Excaliber a try then. Honestly, I always lumped it into "High 1980s B-Movie Euro-trash".

[@stevesetzer3361]

I watched Beastmaster and Krull 10,000 times. Dragonslayer was fun.

[@baron7755]

I've only seen Beastmaster on TBS 10000 times

[@loki2240]

I loved Krull, but sucked at the arcade game. I guess I never played it often enough to get any good. 😂

[@Thurgosh_OG]

Dragonslayer final scenes were filmed in my neck of the woods (Scotland) and seemed more realistic for it.

[@goukeban6197]

Krull was the shit!

[@aldunlop4622]

Just about wore a hole in my Beastmaster VHS tape. You know why…

[@fredlandry6170]

These were great times to be a teenager.

[@davyboy9397]

Excalibur is my favorite of the Arthurian films but second is definitely the 1998 mini series "Merlin" with Sam Neill playing the part of the legendary Wizard. If you haven't seen it yet check it out! It's so good , vastly underrated and overlooked

[@towerjunikeka-tet1979]

I remember that show when i was a kid,i cant recall anything but a huge feeling of epicness,thank you for the sweet reminder

[@luiszuluaga6575]

Yesss! Also, wasn’t Helen Mirren in that? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@michaelgreen1128]

Merlin was excellent!! Also had Lena Headey off GOT playing Guinevere!!

[@davyboy9397]

@@michaelgreen1128 She was excellent . I've had a crush on her from the moment I first saw her in The Jungle Book (1994). Interesting that Sam Neill was also in that

[@michaelgreen1128]

@@davyboy9397 - Yep! With you 100% on that!! Only watched the Red Baron becase she was in that too!! This has prompted me to dig out Merlin for another watch - haven't seen it in ages!!!

[@johnglue1744]

Man I remember being almost a teen in the early 80s and it was such a great time for S&S films, I loved it.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Hawk The Slayer is a fun film. If you’re a fan of D&D it’s basically a D&D game session put to film.

[@matthewgordon3281]

I am obsessed with this film.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

@@matthewgordon3281 I was 10 years old in 1980. I got to see all these films in the theater, aside from Black Angel and Excalibur, with my friends. My dad would take us. Great fun. I think we saw Conan three times. 😂👍

[@loki2240]

​@@lostinpa-dadenduro7555- I've been trying to remember the name of that movie for decades. I think I watched it on WGN or TBS one weekend, geeky me liked it, but football-concussed me hadn't been able to remember the name of it until now.

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

@@loki2240 I was able to purchase a digital copy of Hawk The Slayer on Amazon video. 👍

[@mikewilson3581]

I absolutely love Excalibur. I'm not a huge movie fan (music is my thing) but if a film does get to me it's got to be good. The story, acting, and the sets are perfect to me.

[@lewucf]

Man oh man, just going over these movies sure brings back tons of memories as a kid. Remember watching these a multitude of times throughout the 80’s on cable where eventually with VHS tapes, we would record off of & pause when a commercial came on. Miss those days……..

[@mrkengage]

Glad to see The Sword & the Sorcerer covered here. That movie saturated cable TV back in the day and, despite it's flaws and slow pacing, is fondly remembered by us nerds. :D

[@justme-ti1rh]

All those movies are a lot more enjoyable to watch than anything in the past 10 years.

[@Halbared]

True, true.

[@NoneofyourBusiness-iv6pi]

My 2 favorites.....Excalibur & The Beast Master

[@CarnorJast1138]

Two of my favorite "S&S" movies are definitely Excalibur and DragonSlayer. DragonSlayer still, to this day, has the greatest on-screen dragon ever made. Vermithrax Pejorative has no equal, and is the quintessential dragon that is copied, but never duplicated, ever since.

[@newsmith]

I loved Hawk the Slayer. The ridiculous action sequences with the repeating crossbow and the Elf shooting 30 arrows a second was beyond cheesy but I still loved it.

[@stanleysparkle6951]

I put Hawk on last Christmas evening for my adult children, they loved it! Krull, on the other hand, put them to sleep.

[@johnhenry524]

Given its budget, Hawk the Slayer was quite good. The special effects were limited because of the budget, but otherwise quite good.

[@frankcortes6852]

I actually recommend Circle Of Iron (1978) if u guys REALLY want to see the real predecessor of theses 80’s sword and sorcery fad. NOW! The budget is far more limited than Hawk The Slayer and it’s more of a martial arts fantasy adventure than a sword and sorcery film, but it has all the cliches and style of the 80’s fantasy fad! 🗡️🔥

[@spaceknight793]

Hawk the Slayer is the very best B-movie ever made! And one of my all time favorite fantasy movies.

[@alisterfolson]

Clash of the Titans ('81) still has one of the best Medusas ever put up on screen.

[@redbunnytail9528]

'Excalibur' and 'Conan the Barbarian.' HBO had both of those movies on, multiple times a month in early 80's. I got 2 dollars a month for the arcades, so HBO absorbed all my time in the summers. Same thing every time, when I see Nigel Terry. How he look so young, as young, squire aged Arthur. Then evolve into this sage, warrior, King, with the greying hair and different sound to his voice. That one of the best 'transformations' I ever seen. Armor was as cool to see as it was to see the armor in 'Gladiator,' a few decades ago. It was just visually awesome for 'fantasy' sword sorcery people.

[@bryanboatwright1671]

I got to see Excalibur first run, I was only 15. Great movie.

[@djrichylaurence8991]

I was so impressed by Excalibur I got the dvd. Seen it a thousand times but never get bored with it. Great cast, great story, great movie settings.

[@dionmcgee5610]

i've lost count of how many times I watched it. Hated most of the movies on this list, but enjoyed Beastmaster.

[@godlaydying]

You've listed Conan as not having an evil wizard.

[@mookiewilson4166]

There was a good and evil wizard in both films.

[@brentjablonski3730]

Thulsa Doom turned into a snake. And he made a snake into a seeking arrow. Sounds like an evil wizard to me!

[@hamsely57]

You could also loosely argue the eye of the serpent was a magical gem.

[@gosseuffe]

This was the comment I was looking for.

[@justaguy2365]

Yep! Thulsa Doom and Thoth-Amon

[@4Mr.Crowley2]

Nothing fills me with joy - as a retired college professor who specialized in medieval and Renaissance literature - like the sight of my fellow nerds rolling ye old 20 sided die and guarding their character sheet circa 1979…sigh. Cue “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks…

[@billlonee9470]

Don't blame me for Dragonslayer's dismal BO, I saw it in the theater and loved it. Also, The Sword and the Sorcerer, with the amazing scenery known as Kathleen Beller... Oh, yeah, and that triple-bladed sword.

[@caronstout354]

Starring Lee Horsley, who would later become Matt Houston on 📺..

[@richardtracy8242]

Richard Moll(Night Court) played the Villain.

[@frankcortes6852]

Yeah! That freaking cool triple bladed sword that is barely in the movie! I also don’t remember the sorcerer being in the movie that much either, unless you count his human identity. 🤷🏻

[@davidfuertes1973]

Ahhhh thank you for the trip down memory lane. I have seen everyone of these movies and owned a few of them on VHS , DVD and two on blue ray.

[@yegenek]

Hawk the Slayer is like a D&D LARP with actors but it is incredibly fun and entertaining. Also the soundtrack is great.

[@williambain2646]

One of my FAVORITES !!!!!!

[@DisorderedArray]

That bit when the ping pong balls start flying!

[@williambain2646]

@@DisorderedArray a storm of flying firebolts, you mean !!!!!!

[@MrVvulf]

"The Sword and the Sorcerer" (1982) had a line that my friends and I still laugh about to this day: "But my sword is poised..."

[@frankcortes6852]

The most hilarious scene was when the sorcerer was killing the bad guy and then the good guy appear telling the sorcerer: “I have no quarrel with you… out of my way” sorcerer: “Kromwel is mine!” The good guy: “Now we have a quarrel!” 🤣

[@keithmacintyre1889]

My Top 25 Favorite Sword and Sorcery Films (followed by 15 Honorable Mentions) are: #01. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) #02. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) #03. Conan the Barbarian (1982) #04. Excalibur (1981) #05. Willow (1988) #06. Dragonslayer (1982) #07. Legend (1985 - Extended Director's Cut) #08. Jason and the Argonauts (1963) #09. Clash of the Titans (1981) #10. Red Sonja (1985) #11. Highlander (1986) #12. The Dark Crystal (1982) #13. Big Trouble in Little China (1986) #14. Heavy Metal (1981 - Animated Film) #15. Conan the Destroyer (1984) #16. She (1965) #17. Arabian Adventure (1979) #18. Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) #19. Labyrinth (1986) #20. Krull (1983) #21. Wizards (1977 - Animated Film) #22. Highlander 2 (1991 - Extended Director's Cut) #23. The Vengeance of She (1968) #24. Hercules in the Haunted World (1964) #25. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Bonus: 15 Honorable Mentions are: #26. The Hobbit (1977 - TV Movie) #27. The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) #28. The Beastmaster (1982) #29. Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1985) #30. Hercules (1983) #31. Fire and Ice (1983 - Animated Film) #32. The Lord of the Rings (1978 - Animated Film) #33. Jabberwocky (1977) #34. Gawain and the Green Knight (1973 Version) #35. Jack, The Giant Killer (1962) #36. The Magic Sword (1962) #37. Hearts and Armour (1983) #38. Return of the King (1980 - Animated TV Movie) #39. Ladyhawke (1985) #40. Hercules Against the Moon Men (1965) Granted, most of the best came from the 1980's, but many of the worst came from the 1980's, too. These others I mentioned are worthy as well. I know this video focused on the 1980's, but check out these others if anyone reading this is not aware of them! PS: Regarding this debate over what IS a Sword and Sorcery film, and what is NOT a Sword and Sorcery film... My opinion?... Well, if the film has swords... and it also has sorcery ... Then it is a Sword and Sorcery film...Pretty simple, really!

[@KesselRunner606]

Back in those halcyon Red Box D&D days, Hawk the Slayer was required viewing on scratchy VHS pre game. It's like the Royal Shakespeare Company went to the woods to LARP, and as an after thought brought along a film crew and a dry ice machine.

[@MM-pl5ed]

Excalibur is still miles away better than many today's 2024 movies

[@rsacchi100]

Brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for sharing.

[@mojoschmee9320]

Conan, Beastmaster, Ladyhawk, Legend, Clash of the Titans... what a decade of escampism.

[@robertcatania1120]

Not sure if it's because of TBS and HBO or not, but Beastmaster will always hold a special place in my heart for this genre. The 80s were so good for these types of films. The Conans, Krull, Clash of the Titans, Legend, and Sword and Sorcerer are all favorites of mine and endlessly rewatchable.

[@Halbared]

I concur!

[@maniacaldude]

When I was in high school, my mythology class showed "Excalibur", and it quickly became one of my favorite Arthurian movie adaptations to date, along with Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Nicol Williamson's portrayal as Merlin in particular was incredible, and I love the surreal dreamlike atmosphere. Clash Of The Titans was also really enjoyable. May have to check out some of the others, though I do know Hawk The Slayer and The Sword And The Sorcerer both got the Rifftrax treatment.

[@Halbared]

The 80's, the best decade for fantasy, adventure and kids stuff I'd say. I can and shall re-watch many of these fantasy greats in the years to come. If we're not all locked inside our locust boxes in five years time.

[@jaimeosbourn3616]

Nice to see one of these sites finally remembering Dragonslayer.

[@marcussmith4913]

some great movies. I really miss this type of fantasy. The world needs more adventure.

[@MichaelLaing71]

Hawk the Slayer is a classic. Yes, it feels cheap, the music is at times surreal (70's disco electronic pipe music) and the acting maybe not the best but the film is so much fun. It is basically The Magnificent Seven but with only six. It was fun when when I watched it as a child and equally fun to watch it now.

[@stanleysparkle6951]

I got to see it in the cinema as a child. One of the perks of divorced parents - plenty of trips to the cinema with 'weekend Dad'. 😄

[@margaretgarside5617]

A camp classic, you mean.

[@frankcortes6852]

I actually recommend Circle Of Iron (1978) to you guys. NOW! The budget is far more limited than Hawk The Slayer and it’s more of a martial arts fantasy adventure than a sword and sorcery film, but it has all the cliches and style that inspired the 80’s cheesy fantasy fad! 🗡️🧀

[@PhilipAiello-s8i]

I had posters of many of these plus others. I'm preparing to retire to Fla. and will be putting them back up in my new home. Thanks, for the trip back.

[@RenzorTheRed]

Good video. I love how you made a clearly defined list of tropes.

[@jerryhensley6255]

The beastmaster is still in my all-time favorite movies

[@Ashgrom]

Conan the Barbarian Krull Excalibur Some of my all time favorite movies. I could and will watch them forever.

[@coyote4237]

I so very much miss the 80s.

[@bamabarrelracer]

As a GenXer... THANK YOU for the AMAZING memories❤❤❤ YES... I STILL play D&D

[@frankspikes7858]

Cool video. Definitely some classic stuff. My favorite is Conan the barbarian. Love excalibur, beast master, and clash of the titans.

[@stevemuzak8526]

Fantastic series. I love 1980s fantasy movies.

[@jasonabc]

These were the best movies of the genre by far

[@caronstout354]

"The Sword and The Sorceror"- classic 80's fantasy film!

[@johnhenry524]

Not to mention the bodasgious women. 😊

[@mattjackson]

This is fantastic and contains some of my all time favorite films!

[@Amrah75]

The only dungeons and dragons I knew back then was the excellent cartoon. Love, Excalibur, one of my all time favorites . I remember, Hawk the Slayer, with, Jack Palance, as the bad guy, go on then. Some many fantastic movies. Beast Master, Sword and the Sorcerer, Dragon Slayer, Hawk. All boss!

[@Trevor_Bennett]

Never knew the TBS and HBO trivia about The Beastmaster was so widespread. We used to guess what movie was being shown on TBS before we turned it on. We would always say The Beastmaster.

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

I for one never once heard that in the 80s. But then my town didn’t get cable until about 1986. I suspect it’s a term the maker of this video and his friends used.

[@williamgee6654]

EXCALIBUR, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, AND CLASH OF THE TITANS ARE IN A CLASS BY THEMSELVES HERE.

[@brendannahor1460]

John Boorman's "Excalibur" is the Greatest film of all time! Nicol Williams IS the best version of 'Merlin' ever seen on screen! "Hawk the Slayer" is a pretty good 2nd place! 🤔

[@viriathas9910]

Great video, I grew up on these movies. One minor Nitpick though. For the Conan breakdown "Evil Wizard" is in red, but I would strongly argue that Thulsa Doom was very much an evil wizard in that one.

[@michaelsmyth3935]

What a memory blast. Caught all of those at the drive in. Sword opened for Conan, great double feature.

[@gregwilson7818]

Remember the movie "Sword and the Sorcerer"? With Richard Lynch, Richard Moll (Bull Shannon), and Lee Horsley? It's one of my favorites and I tried to find it to buy it -- $39.99 for the DVD on Amazon???? Why?

[@jarlbregadan914]

7:04 a comic book character? Conan is a literary character created by Robert E. Howard, the man who INVENTED the sword and sorcery genre. The comics came later.

[@madarab37]

1:22 love the kid on the left chewing his thumb at the DnD table. That must have been an exciting campaign.

[@MrJeffreyrichards]

So many good movies and down memory lane and many still hold up today as great stories and adventure.

[@allenlovell1604]

Now, I'm going to have to search for " The Sword & The Sorcerer and Tales From An Ancient Empire". Hopefully, it's on DVD on Amazon or some other film sites. If my memory is correct, the actor that played "Talon," the hero, was the same guy who played Remington Steele on 📺

[@richardtracy8242]

Tales From An Ancient Empire is Nowhere Near as Good as the Sword & The Sorcerer. I Would Definitely Skip That One. And Remington Steel was Pierce Brosnan, Not Lee Horsley, You're probably thinking of Matt Houston.

[@skeletonshorror5184]

The 80’s were the greatest time to be alive in human history. 💀🔥🏰🧙🏻‍♂️⚔️

[@aldunlop4622]

Absolutely, better than this modern crap.

[@David_Baxendale]

It's easy to forget just how great this time was for sword and sorcery movies. But it was indeed a great time..

[@spaceman9599]

Love that there are still a couple here for me to get through!

[@spaceman9599]

Quick note. Arthur wasn't English, he was King of the Britons, e.g. British. Very important since a lot of the foundation of the Arthur legend was Celtic, not Anglo-Saxon

[@dyak0]

I saw some of them. Conan is just classic. Beastmaster - I loved it too. Excalibur - I found it a bit strange (it is always strange to me when people wear armor 24/7 without any valid purpose), but, hey, there is nothing Helen Mirren can't save.

[@nairbvel]

I remember running (literally, we were late) to see "Conan the Barbarian" with my sister hanging onto me for dear life, practically flapping in the breeze behind me because my legs were a lot longer than hers. She remains thoroughly unimpressed with the film while I had a grand old time (Sandahl Bergman didn't hurt). However, to this very day, my family refers to someone being fall-down tired, or at least saying they're tired enough to just pass out and sleep, as "pulling a Conan" in memory of the soup scene. :-) I also remember thinking that the armor in "Excalibur" clanked an awful lot...

[@SkeeterHowitzer]

" ... there we'll shout and sing His praisins in that land forevermore.".

[@gilesa.4052]

Dragonslayer is probably my favorite, love how dark it is, scared me so much as a kid.

[@ulicqel-droma6884]

Back when Disney was awesome

[@gregteigland4788]

Yet another reason why the 80s was so great.

[@snooge13]

Love this - thank you!

[@antonydrossos5719]

5:54 THIS!!!! I had a friend who was one of the first people I knew that owned an amazing device called a VCR...This movie was one of the first rentals I'd ever watched, & my introduction to the genre outside of studying Medieval England in Grade 4. Campy af but also awesome.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I think VHS purchases helped a lot of movies make money that didn't at the box office.

[@krystufer]

Omg I have looked for the name of the movie I saw when I was young for years ,"Hawk the Slayer" . Thank you for this video!

[@80semporium]

So glad we could help!

[@davidhabert]

Contrary to popular belief there was suppose to be a sequel to "Hawk The Slayer" it was going to be called "Hawk The Destroyer". Oddly enough in 2015, there was a kick starter campaign to finance another sequel called "Hawk The Hunter". Sadly it didn't get off the ground either. Director Terry Marcel has also got plans to create a TV series called "Hawk The Destroyer". However the adventures of "Hawk The Slayer" doesn't end here. It actually found new life as a set of comic books which were a direct sequel to the movie. I personally think the movie was brilliant and the story behind it was very simple to understand. OK I will admit that the special effects were a bit cheesy at best. (but you do need to consider that it was the 80s after all) But the main thing which got my attention was the soundtrack and music to that movie, it made you feel that you were at a disco and not watching a sword and sorcery movie. But it was still very easy to listen to.

[@PREPFORIT]

Hawk the Slayer is a Great film there was nothing like it at the time.

[@rikk319]

My friends and I never expected Casablanca-level acting or Star Wars-level special effects from Hawk The Slayer, but what we got was fun and entertainment. It was very much like someone had recorded one of our D&D sessions, and had the seat-of-your pants excitement.

[@zhaoliang4217]

Regarding Conan the barbarian- in a director commentary it was reveals that after the movie Pumping Iron, producers were looking for a vehicle for Arnold, and were shown the Conan comic (with covers influenced/drawn by arts Frank Frazetta and Boris Valerjo (sic)) but not the original novels

[@BeeKool__113]

Conan the Barbarian is in my top 5 favorite movies. 🖤💀🗡

[@stewartmerrell8321]

Excalibur is one of my favorite movies

[@seanfaherty]

Hawk the Slayer is one of my favourite movies, so is Excalibur

[@celticarchie]

Hawk the Slayer is awesome, I have it on DVD. :D

[@Arlehs]

Thanks for this video, mate. I've found it by pure luck, and now I have a list of movies I've never watched!❤

[@mycroft16]

I had the high privilege of growing up in the 80s... so many memories with Swords and Sorcery films. They're just fun escapism. They knew what they were and stuck to it. :D

[@frankcortes6852]

Don’t forget the videogames as well! I don’t know if you are into classic videogames, but there where AWESOME arcade games about sword and sorcery like: King Of The Dragons, Black Tiger, Rastan, Cadash, Dungeons And Dragons, Magic Sword, and more! 🤩

[@hannalergenmuller]

Excalibur, Legend, Ladyhawke, Conan…. Wow that’s my childhood ❤

[@VHDT10]

Conan has the best soundtrack of any movie, paired perfectly with scenery

[@SmashYamato]

I'd never heard of Black Angel before. Worth the subscribe.

[@jeromebobin3688]

I expect Ladyhawk, with the goddess Michelle 😍. Nice movie !

[@richardtracy8242]

An often overlooked but underrated film.

[@theScytheofGod]

Dragonslayer; best dragon movie of all time.

[@7131lexie]

Man I still love these movies 😂

[@marklechman2225]

Excellent video! 👍

[@BigDaddyJinx]

This genre has to make a strong comeback. Of course, it HAS to be done RIGHT this time (I'm looking at you King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword). Fantasy movies like these are so underrated. They have a following and would make decent box office but again, it has to be done right. Fantasy and "sword and sandal" movies are usually a good romp.

[@sirellyn]

Theres no chance of it being done right with the current wokeness infection. If that abates, then we have a chance to return to some of this.

[@rikk319]

@@sirellyn God, I hear more endless whining about "wokeness" than actually seeing any wokeness itself. It's like the nation has been taken over by limp-wristed, crybaby pussies.

[@franciscoamayanaranjo2213]

Helen my LOVE, my girl, my princess, my Queen of my heart ❤️❤️♥️❤️♥️❤️ I LOVE you, Helen ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@jtshark9283]

Sorry, Mirren;s breakout role was in "the long good friday" or that certain early 1970 movie where Bob Gaccione did some creative reshoots

[@loki2240]

Dragonslayer is the first movie I saw on VHS. Huge machine, with one unit for the tapes and another unit for the TV tuner. My dad had to lug around the tape unit to use with his big video camera (because you couldn't put tapes into the camera unit). 😂 But I enjoyed the movie, and I've probably watched it 4 times.

[@CalidrisJZ]

Excalibur was a historical documentary.

[@frankcortes6852]

Yeah! Not a sword and sorcery fantasy film! 😠

[@PtolemyJones]

Loved beastslayer, movie and TV show. Wonder if they will ever get to Lady Hawk, that was great.

[@craigjomaia]

When talking about what influenced the swords and sorcery boom of the 80s you really need to mention the popularity of the collection of mostly foreign made Sinbad, Hercules and Steve Reeve led 'sword and sandal' movies of the 50 and 60s. Recurring genres, be they sword swingers, spacefarers, zombies, disasters, or pirates has always been a thing in Hollywood. One gets made, it's something 'new' at that time, makes bank and right away ten similar properties are commissioned.

[@RobertoGonzalez-id1de]

Thank you for the wonderful memories, I do appreciate it! ❤❤❤ ( 08-05-24 ) Monday