The Witch's Curse (Italian: Maciste all'inferno, lit. 'Maciste in Hell')[2] is a 1962 peplum-fantasy film, directed by Riccardo Freda.
The Witch's Curse | |
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Directed by | Riccardo Freda |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | Ennio De Concini[1] |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Riccardo Pallottini[1] |
Edited by | Ornella Micheli[1] |
Music by | Carlo Franci[1] |
Production company | Panda Cinematografica[1] |
Distributed by | Regional |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes[1] |
Country | Italy[1] |
Box office | ₤277 million |
In the mid-1500s, a witch is burned in Scotland and places a curse on the inhabitants before she dies. One hundred years later, the tree she was chained to and burned still stands with no one daring to destroy it. The curse remains by forcing women to commit suicide. The witch's descendant, Martha Gunt, is sentenced to be burned for witchcraft.
As she is placed in a prison cell, Maciste comes forth to fight evil. When he uproots the cursed tree, he finds an entrance to Hell where he attempts to track down the original witch to rescind her curse and attempts to help the damned from their plight.
The Castellana caves which still serve as a tourist attraction, were used for the underground scenes.[3] The sequences set in the Hell were entirely filmed in the Castellana Caves, in the province of Bari.[4] Maciste, the leading character, was turned during the filming into an almost mute character as Freda was very unhappy with the acting skills of the main actor Kirk Morris.[4] The film is referred as "an interpretation of mythology cum the gothic horror genre".[5]
The Witch's Curse was released in Italy on April 11, 1962.[1] It grossed a total of 277 million Italian lire domestically in Italy.[1]
Films with Maciste (Samson) | |
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Silent films | Cabiria · Maciste · Maciste alpino · Maciste sonnambulo · Maciste atleta · Maciste poliziotto · Maciste medium · Maciste innamorato · Maciste contro la morte · Il viaggio di Maciste · Il testamento di Maciste · Maciste salvato dalle acque · Maciste in vacanza · La rivincita di Maciste · Maciste e la figlia del re dell'argento · Maciste und die Japanerin · Maciste contro Maciste · Maciste und der Sträfling Nr. 51 · Maciste e il cofano cinese · Maciste e il nipote d'America · Maciste imperatore · Maciste all'inferno (1926) · Maciste contro lo sceicco (1926) · Maciste nella gabbia dei leoni · Il gigante delle Dolomiti |
Sound films | Maciste nella Valle dei Re · Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi · Maciste contro il vampiro · Il trionfo di Maciste · Maciste l'uomo più forte del mondo · Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai · Maciste alla corte del Gran Khan · Totò contro Maciste · The Witch's Curse · Maciste contro lo sceicco · Maciste contro i mostri · Maciste il gladiatore più forte del mondo · Maciste contro i tagliatori di teste · Maciste l'eroe più grande del mondo · Zorro contro Maciste · Maciste contro i mongoli · Maciste alla corte dello Zar · Maciste gladiatore di Sparta · Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan · Maciste nelle miniere di re Salomone · Maciste e la regina di Samar · La valle dell'eco tonante · Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus gli invincibili · Gli invincibili fratelli Maciste |
Actors |
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