Italian splatter god Lucio Fulci didn’t just make gruesome horror flicks. Case in point, 1983’s Conquest is a fever dream fantasy film that brings the fan favorite director’s penchant for gore to the sword and sorcery genre. It could be summed up as Conan the Barbarian on 10% of the budget and with cocaine-snorting werewolves. If that sounds like fun to you, then why don’t you join me in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the film’s release in America).
The picture begins long ago in some lost age with young Ilias (Andrea Occhipinti) being gifted a magical bow to aid him in his quest to become a man. Eventually, he runs into nomadic loner Mace (Jorge Rivera, a veteran actor who worked with the likes of John Wayne and Charlton Heston). It’s notable for Fulci fans that the rugged Mace sports a forehead tattoo of the symbol of Eibon, establishing a loose connection to the maestro’s masterpiece, The Beyond. In any case, the two quickly become friends, facing off against the aforementioned hyped-up lycanthropes, swamp zombies, weird cobweb creatures, furry cave-dwelling beasts, as well as the demonic shapeshifter Zora (Conrado San Martin), and finally the masked sorceress queen Ocron (Sabrina Siani, billed as “Sabrina Sellers”).
Performances are fine for this type of film. Though he doesn’t show up until about ten minutes in, Rivera is the true lead and he carries the film admirably, projecting a certain world-weary toughness. The script by Gino Capone, Jose Antonio de la Loma, and Carlos Vasallo (based on a story by Giovanni Di Clemente) is pretty basic and has a sort of episodic structure as it cycles through a series of fight sequences. Though fairly straightforward and uncomplicated, it does throw an unexpected curveball toward the end.
The makeup effects are pleasingly gory, with plenty of gooey brains and a standout scene involving the werewolves pulling a woman apart like a chicken wing. The creature costumes are admittedly kind of cheap looking, but they’re still pretty cool and thankfully there are lots of them, making the piece feel like it’s littered with mythical monsters. The other costumes work well enough, from Mace’s furry raiment to Zora’s striking armor. Fight scenes are fun and fairly brutal, with stunt players and actors tumbling all over the screen. The laser arrow effects on Ilias’ magic bow are hokey but effective. I actually prefer Mace’s prehistoric nun chucks, though. The legendary Claudio Simonetti of Goblin fame provides a fantastical and cacophonous electronic score that perfectly accentuates the otherworldly atmosphere.
It’s important to note the film’s look. Alejandro Ulloa (billed as Alejandro Alonso Garcia) was the DP. His camerawork is fine, and he captured the forbidding beauty of the remote Italian island of Sardinia, providing scope to the relatively low-budget affair. There are swamps, cliffs, caves, forests, and lakes for the actors to play against. However, Fulci seemingly wanted to conjure a dreamlike aesthetic, and so the visuals are very soft and hazy. Furthermore, many sequences are shrouded in fog or mist, and some take place in near-total darkness. I think it works, in a subconscious way, but it can take some getting used to. Ever the underappreciated visual stylist, Fulci still presents some striking imagery, even if it’s not of the crisp and clean variety.
Conquest makes me wish that Lucio Fulci had dabbled more in the fantasy genre. He seems right at home and brings some gonzo flourishes to the proceedings. At 88 minutes, he tells a coherent and straightforward story that is more fun than it has any right to be. Claudio Simonetti’s music is sleek and dark, providing an unmistakably ‘80s vibe to this ahistorical age of long ago. Highly recommended for fans of Krull, The Beastmaster, and Clash of the Titans.
Michael Cavender