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Sword and sandal films (or peplums from a Latin word for a sort of tunic that was easy to make and favored by the costume departments for these films) are a genre of adventure or fantasy films that have subjects set in Biblical or classical antiquity, often with contrived plots based very loosely on mythology or history. Most movies based on Greco-Roman history and mythology, or the surrounding cultures of the same era (Egyptians, Assyrians, Etruscans, Minoans), etc. are sword and sandal epic films. The greatest productions of this film genre were made between 1958 and 1964, but peplums have experienced a recent renaissance. Broadly considered, this category could encompass such diverse Period films as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Titus, Gladiator, King Arthur or The Ten Commandments. In this sense, it is one of the oldest movie genres; the original Ben-Hur was made by Sidney Olcott in 1907; the 1914 silent film Cabiria was important in the development of the art of cinematography, and was one of the first sword-and-sandal films to make use of a massively muscled actor, Bartolomeo Pagano.

More specifically, however, the sword and sandal film genre usually refers to a low-budget Italian movie on a gladiatorial, Biblical or mythological subject, often with a professional bodybuilder in the principal role; the genre occupied much of the popular segment of Italy's movie industry from 1960-1964, before the creation of the spaghetti western. Several famous Italian directors such as Mario Bava and Sergio Leone got their start in the genre as well.

Contents 1 Typical subjects 2 Hercules Series (1957-1965) 3 Maciste Series (1960-1965) 4 Ursus Series (1961-1964) 5 Samson Series (1961-1964) 6 Goliath Series (1960-1964) 7 The Sons of Hercules (TV Syndication Package) 8 Gladiator Movies, 1948-1965 9 Steve Reeves Peplums (in alphabetical order) 10 Other Classic Sword-and-Sandal Films (1960's) 11 Later Sword-and-Sandal Films from the 1980's 12 Academic Bibliography 13 Additional references

Gladiators were perennial favorite subjects, as were the adventures of Hercules, Goliath, Samson, Ursus, Jason and the Argonauts, or Italy's legendary strongman Maciste. The fad began with the 1958 release of Hercules, starring American bodybuilder Steve Reeves. This spawned the 1959 sequel Hercules Unchained, and literally dozens of low-budget imitations starring other bodybuilder stars such as Reg Park, Gordon Scott, Mark Forest, Dan Vadis, and Alan Steel. European audiences tended to prefer an Anglo-American in the lead, and Italian bodybuilders would adopt English pseudonyms for the screen (Sergio Ciani became Alan Steel, for example).

In the formulaic plots common to many of the films, two women vied for the affection of the hero: the good love interest, a damsel in distress needing rescue, and an evil queen or other ruler who served as a femme fatale. Most films also contain a standard scene involving belly dancing or some similar ballet, meant to depict an orgy and underline the pagan decadence of the villains. The contrived plots, poorly overdubbed dialogue, novice acting skills of the bodybuilder leads, and primitive special effects that were often inadequate to depict the legendary creatures on screen all conspire to give these films a certain camp appeal now.

To be sure, however, many of the films enjoyed widespread popularity among very general audiences, and had production values that were typical for popular films of the day. Several have been subjects of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment. Although many of the bigger budget peplums were released theatrically in the USA, fourteen of them were released directly to American television in a syndicated TV series called The Sons of Hercules, the films receiving newly-designed prologue narrations that desperately attempted to link whoever the hero of the film was to the Hercules mythos; these films ran on Saturday afternoons in the 1960s.

A series of 19 Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 50's/ early 60's. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay, Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis, Brad Harris, Reg Park, Rock Stevens and Michael Lane. The films are listed below by their American release titles, and the titles in parentheses are the original Italian titles (if they were different).

• Hercules (Le Fatiche di Ercole/ The Labors of Hercules, 1957) starring Steve Reeves
• Hercules Unchained (Ercole e la regina di Lidia/ Hercules and the Queen of Lydia, 1959) starring Steve Reeves
• Goliath and the Dragon (La Vendetta di Ercole/ The Revenge of Hercules, 1960) (this Hercules film had its title changed to Goliath when it was distributed in the U.S.)
• Hercules Vs The Hydra (Gli Amori di Ercole/ The Loves of Hercules, 1960) co-starring Jayne Mansfield
• Hercules and the Captive Women (Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide/Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis, a.k.a. Hercules and the Haunted Women) 1961
• Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al centro della terra/Hercules at the Center of the Earth) 1961 (directed by Mario Bava)
• Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/Maciste Vs. Hercules in the Vale of Woe) 1961
• Ulysses Vs. The Son of Hercules (Ulisse contro Ercole/Ulysses Vs. Hercules) 1962
• The Fury of Hercules (La Furia di Ercole/The Fury of Hercules, a.k.a. The Fury of Samson) 1962
• Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (Ercole sfida Sansone/Hercules Challenges Samson) 1963
• Hercules Vs. the Moloch (Ercole contro Molock/Hercules Vs. Moloch, a.k.a. The Conquest of Mycene) 1963
• Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness (Ercole l'invincibile/Hercules, the Invincible) 1964 (this was originally a Hercules film that was retitled to "Son of Hercules" so that it could be included in the "Sons of Hercules" TV syndication package)
• Hercules Vs. The Giant Warrior (il Trionfo di Ercole/The Triumph of Hercules, a.k.a. Hercules and the Ten Avengers) 1964
• Hercules Against Rome (Ercole contro Roma, 1964)
• Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun (Ercole contro i figli del sole, 1964)
• Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon (Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia, 1964)
  • Samson and the Mighty Challenge (Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili, a.k.a. Combate dei Gigantes) 1964
• Hercules and the Princess of Troy (a.k.a. Hercules vs. the Sea Monster, 1965) (this 48-minute Italian/U.S. co-production was made as a pilot for a Charles Band-produced TV series that never materialized)
• Hercules, the Avenger (Sfida dei giganti/Challenge of the Giants, 1965)

The Three Stooges made an American comedy The Three Stooges Meet Hercules with Samson Burke.

Note* - A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured the Hercules name in their title were never intended to be Hercules movies by their Italian creators.

• Hercules, Prisoner of Evil was actually a retitled Ursus film.
• Hercules and the Black Pirate and Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both retitled Samson movies.
• Hercules and the Masked Rider was actually a retitled Goliath movie.
• Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongols and Hercules of the Desert were all originally Maciste films.

None of these films in their original Italian versions were connected to the Hercules character in any way. Likewise, most of the Sons of Hercules movies shown on American TV in the 1960s had nothing to do with Hercules in their original Italian incarnations.

Main article: Maciste

There were a total of 25 Maciste films from the 1960s sword-and-sandal revival (not taking into account the two dozen silent Maciste films made in Italy pre-1930). The first title listed for each film is the film's original Italian title along with its English translation, while the U.S. release title follows in parentheses. (Note how many times Maciste's name in the Italian title is altered to a totally different character name in the American release titles):

• Maciste nella valle dei re/Maciste in the Valley of the Kings (Son of Samson, 1960) starring Mark Forest
• Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste/Maciste Vs. the Headhunters (Colossus and the Headhunters, 1960) starring Kirk Morris
• Maciste nella terra dei ciclopi/Maciste in the Land of the Cyclops (Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops, 1961) starring Gordon Mitchell
• Maciste alla corte del gran khan/Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan (Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World, 1961) starring Gordon Scott
• Maciste contro il vampiro/Maciste Vs. the Vampire (Goliath and the Vampires, 1961) starring Gordon Scott
• Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo/Maciste, the Strongest Man in the World (Mole Men Vs The Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Mark Forest
• Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai/Maciste Against Hercules in the Vale of Woe (Hercules in the Vale of Woe, 1962)
• Maciste all'inferno/Maciste in Hell (The Witch's Curse, 1962) starring Kirk Morris
• Il trionfo di Maciste/The Triumph of Maciste (Triumph of the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Kirk Morris
• Maciste contro i mostri/Maciste vs. the Monsters (Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules, 1962) starring Reg Lewis
• Totò contro Maciste (Totò vs Maciste, 1962) starring Samson Burke; this was a comedy/satire (part of the Italian "Toto" film series) and was never distributed in the USA; available only in Italian
• Maciste, il gladiatore piu forte del mondo/Maciste, the World's Strongest Gladiator (Colossus of the Arena, 1962) starring Mark Forest
• Maciste contro el sheik/Maciste Vs. the Sheik (Samson Against the Sheik, 1962) starring Ed Fury
• Maciste, l'eroe piu grande del mondo/Maciste, the World's Greatest Hero (Goliath and the Sins of Babylon, 1963) starring Mark Forest
• Zorro contro Maciste/Zorro Vs. Maciste (Samson and the Slave Queen, 1963) starring Alan Steel
• Maciste e la regina de Samar/Maciste and the Queen of Samar (Hercules Against the Moon Men, 1964) starring Alan Steel
• Maciste nelle miniere de re salomone/Maciste in King Solomon's Mines (Samson in King Solomon's Mines, 1964) starring Reg Park
• Maciste alla corte dello zar/Maciste at the Court of the Czar (Samson vs the Giant King, a.k.a. Atlas Against the Czar, 1964) starring Kirk Morris
• Maciste, gladiatore di sparta/Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules', 1964) starring Mark Forest
• Maciste contro i mongoli/Maciste Vs. the Mongols (Hercules Against the Mongols, 1964) starring Mark Forest
• Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan/Maciste in Genghis Khan's Hell (Hercules Against the Barbarians, 1964) starring Mark Forest
• La valle dell'eco tonante/Valley of the Thundering Echo (Hercules of the Desert, 1964) (a.k.a. in France as Maciste and the Women of the Valley starring Kirk Morris
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili/Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, a.k.a. Combate dei Gigantes, a.k.a. Le Grand Defi, 1965) starring Renato Rossini as Maciste;
• Gli invicibili fratelli Maciste/The Invincible Brothers Maciste (1965) starring Richard Lloyd as Maciste
• Maciste il Vendicatore dei Mayas/Maciste, Avenger of the Mayans (1965) (Note* This Maciste film was made up almost entirely of re-edited stock footage from 2 older Maciste films, Maciste contro i mostri and Maciste contro i cacciatori di teste, so Maciste keeps changing from Reg Lewis to Kirk Morris in the film. (This movie is very scarce since it was never distributed in the USA and is available only in Italian.)

Sidenote - In 1973, the bizarre Spanish cult film director Jesus Franco knocked off two low-budget Maciste films" which were an odd mix of fantasy, adventure and eroticism. The films were called "The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis and Maciste Vs The Amazon Queen (both starring Val Davis as Maciste). The films had almost identical casts, and appear to have been shot and edited simultaneously. Both titles appear to be lost films, and were not connected in any way with the 1960s Italian Maciste series.

Main article: Ursus (film character)

Ursus was a super-human Biblical/Roman era character who was used as the hero in a series of Italian adventure films made in the 1960s. Ursus was referred to as a "Son of Hercules" in several of the films when they were dubbed in English (in an attempt to cash in on the then-popular Italian Hercules film series), although in the original Italian films, Ursus had no connection to Hercules whatsoever. In the English-dubbed version of one film (Hercules, Prisoner of Evil, Ursus was actually referred to throughout the entire film as "Hercules".

There were a total of 9 Italian films that featured Ursus as the main character, listed below as follows: Italian title/English translation (USA title);

• Ursus (Mighty Ursus, a.k.a. Ursus Son of Hercules) (1961) starring Ed Fury
• La Vendetta di Ursus/The Revenge of Ursus (The Revenge of Ursus) (1961) starring Samson Burke
• Ursus Nella Valle dei Leoni/Ursus in the Valley of the Lions (Valley of the Lions) (1961) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus e la Ragazza Tartara/Ursus and the Tartar Girl (Ursus and the Tartar Princess, a.k.a. The Tartar Invasion) (1962) starring Joe Robinson
• Ursus Nella Terra di Fuoco/Ursus in the Land of Fire (Son of Hercules in the Land of Fire) (1963) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus il Gladiatore Rebelle/ Ursus the Rebel Gladiator (Rebel Gladiators) (1963) starring Dan Vadis
• Ursus il Terrore dei Kirghisi/ Ursus, the Terror of the Kirghiz (Hercules, Prisoner of Evil) (1964) starring Reg Park
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: Gli Invincibili/ Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles (Samson and the Mighty Challenge, a.k.a. Combate dei gigantes) (1964) starring Yan Larvor
• Gli Invincibili Tre/The Invincible Three (The Three Invincibles, a.k.a. Three Avengers) (1964) starring Alan Steel

The Samson character was featured in a series of 5 sword-and-sandal adventure films made in Italy in the 1960s, as follows: (The Italian title & its translation is followed by the altered U.S. release title if it was different)

• Sansone/Samson (1961) starring Brad Harris
• Sansone contro i pirati/Samson Vs. The Pirates (a.k.a. Samson and the Sea Beast) (1963) starring Kirk Morris
• Ercole sfida Sansone/Hercules Challenges Samson (a.k.a. Hercules, Samson and Ulysses) (1963) starring Richard Lloyd
• Sansone contro il corsaro nero/Samson Vs. the Black Pirate (a.k.a. Hercules and the Black Pirate) (1963) starring Alan Steel
• Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus gli invincibili/Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: the Invincibles (a.k.a. Samson and the Mighty Challenge) (1965) starring Nadir Baltimore

The name Samson was later inserted into the American titles of 6 other Italian sword-and-sandal movies when they were dubbed in English for distribution in the USA, although these films actually featured the adventures of the famed Italian hero Maciste. Samson Against the Sheik (1962), Son of Samson (1960), Samson and the Slave Queen (1963), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1961), Samson Vs. The Giant King (1964), and Samson in King Solomon's Mines (1964) were all retitled Maciste movies, because the American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste in the titles would be marketable to U.S. filmgoers.

Samson and the Treasure of the Incas (a.k.a. Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas) (1965) is listed in some reference books as a peplum, but the film was apparently set in South America during the time period of the Old West, and the film doesn't appear to be a sword and sandal.

The Italians used Goliath as an action superhero in a series of Biblical adventure films (peplums) in the early 1960s. He was possessed of amazing strength, and the films were similar in theme to their Hercules and Maciste movies. After the classic Hercules (1958) became a blockbuster sensation in the film industry, a 1959 Steve Reeves film Terrore dei Barbari(Terror of the Barbarians) was retitled Goliath and the Barbarians in the USA, (after Joseph E. Levine claimed the sole right to the name of Hercules); the film was so successful at the box office, it inspired Italian filmmakers to do a series of 4 more films featuring a beefcake hero named Goliath, although the films were not really related to each other. (The 1960 Italian film David and Goliath starring Orson Welles was not one of these, since that movie was a straightforward adaptation of the Biblical story).

The 4 titles in the Italian Goliath series were as follows:

• Goliath contro i giganti/Goliath Against the Giants (1960) starring Brad Harris
• Goliath e la schiava ribelle/Goliath and the Rebel Slave (a.k.a. The Tyrant of Lydia Vs. The Son of Hercules) (1963) starring Gordon Scott
• Golia e il cavaliere mascherato/Goliath and the Masked Rider (a.k.a. Hercules and the Masked Rider) (1964) starring Alan Steel
• Golia alla conquista di Bagdad/Goliath at the Conquest of Baghdad(a.k.a. Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus, 1964) starring Peter Lupus

The name Goliath was later inserted into the film titles of 3 other Italian muscleman movies that were retitled for distribution in the USA in an attempt to cash in on the Goliath craze, but these films were not originally made as Goliath movies in Italy. Both Goliath and the Vampires (1961) and Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (1963) actually featured the famed superhero Maciste in the original Italian versions, but American distributors didn't feel the name Maciste had any meaning to American audiences. Goliath and the Dragon (1960) was originally an Italian Hercules movie called The Revenge of Hercules, and it is a mystery to this day why U.S. distributors didn't market the film under that title, since the Hercules films always tended to do much better at the box office than Goliath movies.

Main article: The Sons of Hercules

The Sons of Hercules was a syndicated television show that aired in the United States in the 1960s. The series repackaged 14 randomly-chosen Italian sword-and-sandal films by unifying them with memorable title and end title theme songs and a standard voice-over intro relating the main hero in each film to Hercules any way they could. The films are not listed in chronological order, since they were not really related to each other in any way. The first title listed below for each film was its American broadcast television title, followed by the English translation of the original Italian theatrical title in parentheses:

• Mole Men vs the Son of Hercules (Maciste, The Strongest Man in the World) starring Mark Forest
• The Terror of Rome vs the Son of Hercules (Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta) starring Mark Forest
• Fire Monsters Against The Son Of Hercules (Maciste Vs. The Monsters) starring Reg Lewis
• Triumph Of The Son Of Hercules (The Triumph Of Maciste) starring Kirk Morris
• Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Darkness (Hercules The Invincible) starring Dan Vadis
• Ulysses vs The Son Of Hercules (Ulysses Against Hercules) starring Mike Lane
• Son Of Hercules In The Land Of Fire (Ursus In The Land Of Fire) starring Ed Fury
• Ursus, Son Of Hercules (Ursus) starring Ed Fury (this film was a.k.a. Mighty Ursus)
• The Tyrant Of Lydia vs The Son Of Hercules (Goliath and the Rebel Slave) starring Gordon Scott
• Messalina Against the Son Of Hercules (The Last Gladiator) starring Richard Harrison
• The Devil Of The Desert vs The Son Of Hercules (Anthar The Invincible) starring Kirk Morris
• Medusa vs The Son Of Hercules(Perseus The Invincible) starring Richard Harrison
• The Beast Of Babylon vs The Son Of Hercules (The Hero Of Babylon) starring Gordon Scott
• Venus Against The Son Of Hercules (Mars, God Of War) starring Roger Browne

Gladiator films often featured male leads who didn't have the muscular build to play a 'Hercules'.

• Fabiola (1948) aka The Fighting Gladiator
• Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
• Sins of Rome (1952) a.k.a. Spartacus directed by Riccardo Freda
• The Invincible Gladiator (1961) Richard Harrison
• Gladiators Seven (1962) a.k.a. The Seven Gladiators, Richard Harrison
• Gladiator of Rome (1962) a.k.a. Battle of the Gladiators, Gordon Scott
• The Slave (1962) a.k.a. Son of Spartacus, Steve Reeves
• The Last Gladiator (1963) a.k.a. Messalina Against the Son of Hercules
• The Ten Gladiators (1963) Dan Vadis
• Ursus, the Rebel Gladiator (1963) a.k.a. Rebel Gladiators, Dan Vadis
• Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators (1964) a.k.a. Ten Invincible Gladiators, Dan Vadis (a sequel to The Ten Gladiators)
• Maciste, Gladiator of Sparta (1964) a.k.a. Terror of Rome vs. the Son of Hercules
• Triumph of the Ten Gladiators (1965) Dan Vadis
• Challenge of the Gladiator (1965) Peter Lupus
• The Revenge of Spartacus (1965) Roger Browne
• Seven Slaves Against the World/Seven Slaves Against Rome (1965) Roger Browne

• The Avenger (1962) a.k.a. The Legend Of Aeneas, a.k.a. The Last Glory of Troy
• Duel of the Titans (1961) a.k.a. Romulus And Remus
• The Giant of Marathon (1959) a.k.a. The Battle of Marathon
• Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) a.k.a. Terror of the Barbarians
• Hercules (1958) a.k.a. The Labors of Hercules
• Hercules Unchained (1959) aka Hercules and the Queen of Lydia
• The Last Days of Pompeii (1959)
• Morgan, the Pirate (1960)
• Pirates of the Seven Seas (1964) a.k.a. Pirates of Malaysia
• Sandokan the Great (1964) (Directed by Umberto Lenzi)
• The Slave (1962) a.k.a. Son of Spartacus
• The Thief of Baghdad (1960)
• The Trojan Horse (1961) a.k.a. The Trojan War
• The White Warrior (1959) a.k.a. Hadji Murad, The White Devil, directed by (Riccardo Freda)

There were many 1960's Italian sword-and-sandal films that did not feature a major superhero (such as Hercules, Maciste or Samson), and as such fall into a sort of miscellaneous category. (They do however feature well-known characters such as Ali Baba, Julius Caesar, Ulysses, Cleopatra, The Three Musketeers, Theseus, Perseus, Achilles, Robin Hood, Sandokan, El Cid, etc.) Ulysses (1954) is the film most peplum fans consider started the peplum trend, but it was "Hercules" (1957) that fueled the genre's instantaneous growth.

Here is a list of the best-known titles:

• Ali Baba and the Sacred Crown (1962) a.k.a. The Seven Tasks of Ali Baba, starring Richard Lloyd
• Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens (1963) a.k.a. Sinbad Vs. The Seven Saracens, starring Gordon Mitchell
• Attack of the Normans (1962) a.k.a. The Normans, starring Cameron Mitchell
• Avenger of the Seven Seas (1961) starring Richard Harrison
• The Barbarians (1953) a.k.a. The Sack of Rome, a.k.a. The Pagans
• The Black Archer (1959)
• The Black Devil (1957) starring Gerard Landry
• The Black Lancers (1962) starring Mel Ferrer
• Brennus, Enemy of Rome (1964) a.k.a. Battle of the Valiant, starring Gordon Mitchell
• The Burning of Rome (1963) a.k.a. The Magnificent Adventurer
• Caesar, the Conquerer (1963) starring Cameron Mitchell, Rik Battaglia
• Captain Falcon (1958) starring Lex Barker
• Cavalier In the Devil’s Castle (1959)
• The Centurion (1962) a.k.a. The Conqueror of Corinth
• Cleopatra's Daughter (1960) starring Debra Paget
• The Colossus of Rhodes (1960) directed By Sergio Leone
• Conqueror of Atlantis (1965) starring Kirk Morris
• Conqueror of the Orient (1961) starring Rik Battaglia
• Constantine and the Cross (1960) a.k.a. Constantine the Great, starring Cornel Wilde
• Coriolanus, Hero Without a Country (1963) Gordon Scott
• David and Goliath (1960) Orson Welles
• Desert Warrior (1957) a.k.a. The Desert Lovers, Ricardo Montalban
• The Devil's Cavaliers (1959)
• Duel of the Champions (1961) a.k.a. Horatio and Curiazi, Alan Ladd
• Esther and the King (1961) Joan Collins, Richard Egan
• Fabiola (1948) a.k.a. The Fighting Gladiator
• The Fighting Musketeers (1961)
• The Fury of Achilles (1962) Gordon Mitchell
• The Giant of Metropolis (1962) Gordon Mitchell (this unusual peplum had a science fiction theme instead of fantasy)
• Giant of the Evil Island (1965) a.k.a. Mystery of the Cursed Island, Peter Lupus
• Giants of Rome (1963) directed by Antonio Margheriti, starring Richard Harrison
• The Giants of Thessaly (1960) directed by Riccardo Freda
• The Head of a Tyrant (1959)
• Hero of Babylon (1963) a.k.a. The Beast of Babylon Vs. the Son of Hercules, Gordon Scott
• Hero of Rome (1964) a.k.a. The Colossus of Rome, Gordon Scott
• Herod, the Great (1958)
• The Invaders (1961) a.k.a. Erik, the Conquerer, directed by Mario Bava, starring Cameron Mitchell
• Kindar, the Invulnerable (1965) Mark Forest
• The Knight of a Hundred Faces (1960) Lex Barker
• Knives of the Avenger (1967) a.k.a. Viking Massacre, directed by Mario Bava
• Last of the Vikings (1961) starring Cameron Mitchell & Broderick Crawford
• The Lion of St. Mark (1964) Gordon Scott
• The Lion of Thebes (1964) a.k.a. Helen of Troy, Mark Forest
• The Loves of Salammbo (1959)
• Mars, God of War (1962) a.k.a. Venus Against the Son of Hercules
• The Masked Man Against the Pirates (1965)
• The Minotaur (1961) a.k.a. Theseus Against the Minotaur
• The Mongols (1961) directed by Riccardo Freda, starring Jack Palance
• Perseus the Invincible (1962) a.k.a. Medusa Vs. the Son of Hercules
• The Pirate and the Slave Girl (1959) Lex Barker
• The Pirate of the Black Hawk (1958)
• Pirates of the Coast (1960) Lex Barker
• A Queen For Caesar (1962)
• The Queen of Sheba (1953) directed by Pietro Francisci (who later directed Hercules)
• Queen of the Amazons (1960) a.k.a. Colossus and the Amazon Queen
• Queen of the Nile (1961) a.k.a. Nefertiti, Vincent Price
• Revenge of the Black Eagle (1951) directed by Riccardo Freda
• Revenge of the Conquered (1961) a.k.a. Drakut the Avenger
• Revolt of the Barbarians(1964) directed by Guido Malatesta
• Robin Hood and the Pirates (1960) Lex Barker
• Roland, the Mighty (1956) directed by Pietro Francisci
• Rome Against Rome (1963) a.k.a. War of the Zombies
• Sandokan Fights Back (1964) a.k.a. Sandokan To the Rescue
• The Secret Mark of D'artagnan (1962)
• The Secret Seven (1965) a.k.a. The Invincible Seven
• 79 A.D., the Destruction of Herculaneum (1962) Brad Harris
• Sins of Rome (1952) a.k.a. Spartacus, directed by Riccardo Freda
• Son of the Red Corsair (1959) a.k.a. Son of the Red Pirate, Lex Barker
• Suleiman the Conqueror (1961)
• The Sword of Damascus (1964) a.k.a. The Thief of Damascus
• The Sword of El Cid (1962) a.k.a. The Daughters of El Cid
• The Sword of Rebellion (1964) a.k.a. The Rebel of Castelmonte
• Sword of the Conqueror (1961) Jack Palance
• Taur, the Mighty (1963) a.k.a. Tor the Warrior, starring Joe Robinson
• Temple of the White Elephant (1965) a.k.a. Sandok, the Maciste of the Jungle (not a Maciste film however, in spite of the title)
• Terror of the Red Mask (1960) Lex Barker
• Terror of the Steppes (1964) a.k.a. The Mighty Khan, Kirk Morris
• Tharus, Son of Attila (1962) a.k.a. Colossus and the Huns, Ricardo Montalban
• Thor and the Amazon Women (1963) Joe Robinson
• Tiger of the Seven Seas (1963)
• Ulysses (1954) starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn
• Vulcan, Son of Jupiter (1960) Gordon Mitchell
• War Gods of Babylon (1962)
• Zorikan the Barbarian (1964) Dan Vadis

After the peplums gave way to the spaghetti western and imitation James Bond films in 1965, the genre lay dormant for close to 20 years. Then in 1982, the box-office success of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan the Barbarian spurred a second renaissance of Italian peplums in the five years immediately following. Most notable among them were the four ATOR films, starring Miles O'Keefe in the lead role. Most of these films were of lower quality due to painfully reduced budgets, and the filmmakers tried to compensate for their shortcomings with the addition of some graphic gore and nudity. Many of these 1980's entries were helmed by noted Italian horror film directors, and many featured Lou Ferrigno or Sabrina Siani. Here is a list of the 1980s peplums:

• Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1983) a.k.a. Ator 1 a.k.a. Ator the Invincible, with Miles O'Keefe & Sabrina Siani, directed by Joe D’Amato
• Barbarian Master (1984) a.k.a. Sword of the Barbarians, a.k.a. Sangraal, the Sword of Fire, starring Sabrina Siani
• The Barbarians and Company (1987) a.k.a. The Barbarians, semi-comedy starring Peter and David Paul, directed by Ruggero Deodato
• Blademaster (1985) a.k.a. Ator 2, with Miles O’Keefe, directed by Joe D’Amato
• Conquest (1984) a.k.a. Conquest of the Lost Land, with Sabrina Siani, directed by Lucio Fulci
• Hercules (1983) starring Lou Ferrigno and Sybil Danning, directed by Luigi Cozzi
• Hercules 2 (1984) a.k.a. The Adventures of Hercules, starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi
• The Invincible Barbarian (1982) aka Gunan the Warrior, starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi
• Iron Warrior (1986) a.k.a. Ator 3, with Miles O'Keefe, directed by Alfonso Brescia
• Ironmaster (1983) a.k.a. The War of Iron, co-starring Luigi Montefiore, directed by Umberto Lenzi
• Quest for the Mighty Sword (1989) a.k.a. Ator 4, starring Eric Allan Kramer as the Son of Ator, co-starring Laura Gemser & Marisa Mell, directed by Joe D'Amato
• The Seven Magnificent Gladiators (1985) starring Lou Ferrigno and Dan Vadis
• She (1983) starring Sandahl Bergman & Gordon Mitchell
• Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1988) starring Lou Ferrigno, directed by Luigi Cozzi
• The Throne of Fire (1983) starring Sabrina Siani, directed by Franco Prosperi

• Richard Dyer: "The White Man's Muscles" in R. Dyer: White: London: Routledge: 1997: ISBN 0-4150-9537-9

• David Chapman: Retro Studs: Muscle Movie Posters from Around the World: Portland: Collectors Press: 2002: ISBN 1-888054-69-7

• Maggie Gunsberg: "Heroic Bodies: The Culture of Masculinity in Peplums" in M. Gunsberg: Italian Cinema: Gender and Genre: Houndsmill: Palgrave Macmillan: 2005: ISBN 0-333-75115-9

• Irmbert Schenk: "The Cinematic Support to Nationalist(ic) Mythology: The Italian Peplum 1910-1930" in Natascha Gentz and Stefan Kramer (eds) Globalization, Cultural Identities and Media Representations: Albany: State University of New York Press: 2006: ISBN 0-7914-6684-1

• Stephen Flacassier: "Muscles, Myths and Movies": Rabbit's Garage: 1994 : ISBN 0-9641643-0-2

• The Many Faces of Hercules at Brian's Drive-In Theatre
• PEPLVM - Images de l'Antiquité, par Michel Eloy
• http://www.santoandfriends.com (Mexican muscleman movies)