Fulfil the fates' destiny and add the titular Herculean demigod legend to your collection with these two Italian sword-and-sandal adventure classics:

Hercules and the Captive Women (1961)

Originally released as Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis, this Italian epic stars British bodybuilder Reg Park as Hercules, alongside Fay Spai, Ettore Manni, and Luciano Marin. King Androcles of Thebes commands a ship in search of a threat to Greece, predicted by an atmospheric oracle. Hercules is part of the crew, but the strongman falls overboard in a thick fog. Washed ashore, he saves a young Ismene from Proteus, an evil, shape-shifting creature. Ismene takes Hercules to Atlantis, where he discovers that her mother, Queen Antinea, has captured Androcles. Hercules schemes to rescue him and thwart Antinea’s dream of world conquest. Written and directed by Vittorio Cottafavi.

Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)

Mario Bava’s striking vision of the afterlife, Hercules in the Haunted World (1961), sees Reg Park return as Hercules, alongside Christopher Lee, Leonora Ruffo, and Giorgio Ardisson. Upon his return from battle in the previous film, the great warrior Hercules learns that his lover, Deianira, has lost her senses. According to the oracle Medea, Deianira’s only hope is the Stone of Forgetfulness, which lies deep in the realm of Hades. Hercules, with companions Theseus and Telemachus, embarks on a dangerous quest for the stone in the dark and foggy underworld… Also known as Hercules at the Center of the Earth, or Hercules vs. the Vampires.