- Actors: Jack Palance, John Terry, Bernard Bresslaw, Ray Charleson, Peter O'Farrell
- Directors: Terry Marcel
- Writers: Terry Marcel, Harry Robertson
- Producers: Bernard J. Kingham, Harry Robertson
- Classification: PG
- Studio: Carlton
- VHS Release Date: 10 April 2000
- Run Time: 90 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004S8FT
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 15,021 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Oh, where to start...
I'll start by saying that my affection for this glorious classic hasn't waned one jot in the 31 years since its release. The incredibly derivative and cliché laden plot is simple. Evil older brother Voltan, hammed to the maximum by a seemingly enraged Jack Palance, is desperate to know the secret of his father's power. After failing to find it, he stabs his father and leaves him to die in their castle's gold-walled sauna. Minutes after Voltan makes his exit, in comes younger brother Hawk, played by a charismatic-free John Terry (no, not the footballer, although he may have done a better job) Before dying, their father imparts the incredible secret. A glowing green pebble, which when fitted to their family sword, becomes a sort of Jedi mind-trick sword, able to leap into the user's hand by the power of the mind alone.
Swearing vengeance, Hawk sets out across the country, a sort of strange, dry-ice-filled medieval England, but complete with woods, snakes, swamps and other genre tomfoolery like "The Forest of Weird".
Meanwhile Voltan aka "The Dark One" (Hmm) has been busy throwing his weight about by kidnapping an Abbess from her church in order to extract a hefty ransom from the local Abbott. Another warrior saved by the nuns sets out to track down Hawk and see if he will help out. You see Hawk has a score to settle with his older brother, as it is told via flashback that Hawk stole Voltan's girlfriend (maybe that other John Terry would have been better suited to this role after all?), so after a tussle in which Voltan is burned in the face, "The Dark One" kills her. Still with me?
No good warrior, especially one whose expression never changes, goes to war alone however, and so Hawk decides after saving a witch, to recruit three old buddies. A giant (only just a bit taller than Hawk) an Elf (a strange Vulcan-type individual) and a dwarf (only just a bit smaller than Hawk)
The witch deserves a special mention, because her spells are marvellous. At one point she incapacitates a guard using silly string, and in another fantastic sequence, blinds an entire army with dry ice and glowing ping-pong balls. (Really)
Brilliantly hokey dialogue, bizarre special effects, a totally wooden hero, a wonderful disco-flute musical score and a plot that beggars belief make this film totally unmissable.
The Hunchback may have many things to say, but I have already said too much....buy this classic today.
I'll start by saying that my affection for this glorious classic hasn't waned one jot in the 31 years since its release. The incredibly derivative and cliché laden plot is simple. Evil older brother Voltan, hammed to the maximum by a seemingly enraged Jack Palance, is desperate to know the secret of his father's power. After failing to find it, he stabs his father and leaves him to die in their castle's gold-walled sauna. Minutes after Voltan makes his exit, in comes younger brother Hawk, played by a charismatic-free John Terry (no, not the footballer, although he may have done a better job) Before dying, their father imparts the incredible secret. A glowing green pebble, which when fitted to their family sword, becomes a sort of Jedi mind-trick sword, able to leap into the user's hand by the power of the mind alone.
Swearing vengeance, Hawk sets out across the country, a sort of strange, dry-ice-filled medieval England, but complete with woods, snakes, swamps and other genre tomfoolery like "The Forest of Weird".
Meanwhile Voltan aka "The Dark One" (Hmm) has been busy throwing his weight about by kidnapping an Abbess from her church in order to extract a hefty ransom from the local Abbott. Another warrior saved by the nuns sets out to track down Hawk and see if he will help out. You see Hawk has a score to settle with his older brother, as it is told via flashback that Hawk stole Voltan's girlfriend (maybe that other John Terry would have been better suited to this role after all?), so after a tussle in which Voltan is burned in the face, "The Dark One" kills her. Still with me?
No good warrior, especially one whose expression never changes, goes to war alone however, and so Hawk decides after saving a witch, to recruit three old buddies. A giant (only just a bit taller than Hawk) an Elf (a strange Vulcan-type individual) and a dwarf (only just a bit smaller than Hawk)
The witch deserves a special mention, because her spells are marvellous. At one point she incapacitates a guard using silly string, and in another fantastic sequence, blinds an entire army with dry ice and glowing ping-pong balls. (Really)
Brilliantly hokey dialogue, bizarre special effects, a totally wooden hero, a wonderful disco-flute musical score and a plot that beggars belief make this film totally unmissable.
The Hunchback may have many things to say, but I have already said too much....buy this classic today.
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Had the "Carry On" gang ever made a serious stab at a swords and sorcery movie, it may well have taken this form. And indeed, Bernard Bresslaw himself puts in a particularly sterling performance as the scary giant (complete with obligatory, unfeasibly massive club...). I defy anyone not to enjoy this movie. Wobbly sets (including a monastery with an interesting 'skull' interior decor motif), wobbly acting (performed by many 'before they were famous' British thesps who almost manage to out-ham an incandescent Jack Palance) and, spendidly, an incredibly wobbly script, which never opts for simple cliche when the opportunity to employ a mind numbing, painfully formulaic approach presents itself.
I love this film.
Were it a woman I would ask it to marry me and bear my child...although the union would no doubt produce a hideously deformed progeny that utterly failed to justify the intense labour involved in its birth: oh, the irony.
Look out for jumping fog (as a result of attempts in the editing room to make things magically 'disappear'), hilarious arrow-antics all round (the 'who cares about the laws of physics' hats-off moment being particularly splendid in slow motion), a giant who generally appears in the foreground to create the impression that the dwarf is smaller than is actually the case and, crucially, a steady supply of grimacing baddies sitting round in forests (which seem to cover Hawk's entire world and contain any number of snakes, skeletons, and dry-ice machines) ready to pick a fight at the drop of a hat, thereby enabling key characters to strut their heroic stuff. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of this video (can Jeff Wayne sue...?), especially the hilarious 'good/bad/ugly' Hawk signature twiddle. Unfortunately, the ensuing laughter often drowns out the subsequent dialogue. You should therefore take care not to miss such classic lines as "How they laughed..." and "The hunchback will have something to say about this..."
One thousand words are insufficient to describe this movie. Once seen, your life will never be the same again. In fact, drop me a line and together we can push for a national re-release....
Enjoy
Brother Mugga (with assistance from Dr. Chris 'Wuss' Emmett)
Ps: Nice to see a 'Hawk' reference in an episode of "Spaced". That's the spirit.
I love this film.
Were it a woman I would ask it to marry me and bear my child...although the union would no doubt produce a hideously deformed progeny that utterly failed to justify the intense labour involved in its birth: oh, the irony.
Look out for jumping fog (as a result of attempts in the editing room to make things magically 'disappear'), hilarious arrow-antics all round (the 'who cares about the laws of physics' hats-off moment being particularly splendid in slow motion), a giant who generally appears in the foreground to create the impression that the dwarf is smaller than is actually the case and, crucially, a steady supply of grimacing baddies sitting round in forests (which seem to cover Hawk's entire world and contain any number of snakes, skeletons, and dry-ice machines) ready to pick a fight at the drop of a hat, thereby enabling key characters to strut their heroic stuff. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of this video (can Jeff Wayne sue...?), especially the hilarious 'good/bad/ugly' Hawk signature twiddle. Unfortunately, the ensuing laughter often drowns out the subsequent dialogue. You should therefore take care not to miss such classic lines as "How they laughed..." and "The hunchback will have something to say about this..."
One thousand words are insufficient to describe this movie. Once seen, your life will never be the same again. In fact, drop me a line and together we can push for a national re-release....
Enjoy
Brother Mugga (with assistance from Dr. Chris 'Wuss' Emmett)
Ps: Nice to see a 'Hawk' reference in an episode of "Spaced". That's the spirit.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Had the "Carry On" gang ever made a serious stab at a swords and sorcery movie, it may well have taken this form. And indeed, Bernard Bresslaw himself puts in a particularly sterling performance as the scary giant (complete with obligatory, unfeasibly massive club...). I defy anyone not to enjoy this movie. Wobbly sets (including a monastery with an interesting 'skull' interior decor motif), wobbly acting (performed by many 'before they were famous' British thesps who almost manage to out-ham an incandescent Jack Palance) and, spendidly, an incredibly wobbly script, which never opts for simple cliche when the opportunity to employ a mind numbing, painfully formulaic approach presents itself.
I love this film.
Were it a woman I would ask it to marry me and bear my child...although the union would no doubt produce a hideously deformed progeny that utterly failed to justify the intense labour involved in its birth: Oh, the irony.
Look out for jumping fog (as a result of attempts in the editing room to make things magically 'disappear'), hilarious arrow-antics all round (the 'who cares about the laws of physics' hats-off moment being particularly splendid in slow motion), a giant who generally appears in the foreground to create the impression that the dwarf is smaller than is actually the case and, crucially, a steady supply of grimacing baddies sitting round in forests (which seem to cover Hawk's entire world and contain any number of snakes, skeletons, and dry-ice machines) ready to pick a fight at the drop of a hat, thereby enabling key characters to strut their heroic stuff. The sound track alone is worth the price of this video (can Jeff Wayne sue...?), especially the hilarious 'good/bad/ugly' Hawk signature twiddle. Unfortunately, the ensuing laughter often drowns out the subsequent dialogue. You should therefore take care not to miss the contexts associated with such classic lines as "How they laughed..." and "The hunchback will have something to say about this..."
One thousand words are insufficient to describe this movie. Once seen, your life will never be the same again. In fact, drop me a line and together we can push for a national re-release....
Enjoy
Brother Mugga (with assistance from Dr. Chris 'Wuss' Emmett)
Ps: Nice to see a 'Hawk' reference in a recent episode of "Spaced". That's the spirit.
PPS: Please see below for a 'professional' review by Strega, from our American branch...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
awesome film!
epic special effects - death by silly string is the best!! It is amazing how many scenes can be filmed in one small forest and the back-drop of castles etc so well drawn.
Published 3 months ago by wood-woman
They don't make films like this anymore!
I remember watching this maybe 20 years ago, after it being recommended by a friend. Back then I didn't see how badly acted this was nor how wooden the sets were, but having... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ms. Emma H. Mitchell
.... on a very low budget
"Hawk the Slayer" reminds me why they don't make a lot of high fantasy movies -- most of them are pretty terrible, and they totally fail to sweep you up in the fantasy world. Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. A Solinas
Quaint
I remember when Hawk the slayer was released back in 1981, us schoolkids were enchanted by the poster art and the promise of elfs,dwarfs and giants and spectacular action ! Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Russell C. Witheyman
Unintentionally wonderful
Ahhhh, Hawk the Slayer.
In the days before Lord of the Rings, CGI or even The Net, we had films like this. Read more
In the days before Lord of the Rings, CGI or even The Net, we had films like this. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Richard Mann
hawk the slayer dvd
I have been looking for this dvd for a number of years but could not find the right price. Yours fitted the bill and when received on time and in perfect order I was very pleased... Read more
Published 15 months ago by oldmansunners
A good, even great, bad movie.
Everyone can think of one of those movies that is "so bad it's good" and this movie is the king of that kind. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Darren B. O'Connor
hawk the slayer
Arrived on time, having watched the film again after all these years it certainly made me laugh at the supposed special effects worth wathing again good fun.
Published on 9 May 2010 by Mr. Peter Hall
Cheese on Toast with a bit a pickle!
Fantastico! This has to be one of the cheeseyest British fantasy movies ever. It has Jack Palance as the baddie, DR. Read more
Published on 12 May 2009 by Mr. G. Thompson
A Classic
Brilliant film if you love the 70's/80's era. Similar style to The Beast Master and full of actors you will reconise. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2009 by S. Hogg
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