“I am Ergo, the magnificent. Short in stature, tall in power, narrow of purpose, and wide of vision. And I do not travel with peasants and beggars. Goodbye!” No brag, just fact. Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they check out the epic quest depicted in Krull (1983).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 215 – Krull (1983)
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A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.
Director: Peter Yates Writer: Stanford Sherman Special makeup designer: Nick Maley, Bob Keen Visual effects: Steven Archer (animator); Terry Reed (supervising modelmaker) Derek Meddings (visual effects supervisor) Selected Cast: Ken Marshall as Colwyn Lysette Anthony as Lyssa Trevor Martin as the voice of the Beast Freddie Jones as Ynyr David Battley as Ergo the Magnificent Bernard Bresslaw as Rell the Cyclops (credited as Cyclops) Bandits: Alun Armstrong as Torquil, a man who favors an ax and is leader of the group of bandits that includes Liam Neeson as Kegan, an axe-wielding polygamist Robbie Coltrane as Rhun (voice dubbed over by Michael Elphick), who fights with a spear Dicken Ashworth as Bardolph, who favors daggers Todd Carty as Oswyn, who uses a bō staff; Bronco McLoughlin as Nennog, who throws a net; Gerard Naprous as the archer Quain Andy Bradford as whip-wielder Darro Bill Weston as whip-wielder Menno. John Welsh as The Emerald Seer. Graham McGrath as Titch, the Seer’s young apprentice. Francesca Annis as The Widow of the Web Tony Church as King Turold, father of Colwyn Bernard Archard as King Eirig, father of Lyssa Clare McIntyre as Merith, one of Kegan’s many wives. Belinda Mayne as Vella, Merith’s assistant
Crystal has always been a fan of fantasy and has loved Krull since her childhood so it’s not surprising that this is her pick. In fact, she always wanted to be Lyssa. She also loves the handsome and oh-so-precious lead and the costumes, and when she first saw the film, she was afraid of the Widow of the Web.
Steven Archer’s stop motion animation of the crystal spider is Bill’s favorite part of Krull. Well, that and the cyclops. He’s disappointed in the way the Beast is shot, especially after learning of all that went into its design. And, of course, you’ve got to love the glaive, a very stupid yet very cool weapon.
Chad is a big fan of sword and sorcery, and distinctive weapons so Krull is one of his favorites. He is particularly impressed with the cyclops, the beast, and some of the sets with their feel of German expressionism. He does, however, view it as being incohesive with a lot of the story that doesn’t make sense. Jeff describes Krull as a beautiful movie with its sets, locations, production design, and costumes, He also gives a special nod to Freddie Jones for the added gravitas he gives the film.
If you are hungering for some glaive-work or an 80s, sword and sorcery, quest movie with horrific elements (did we forget to mention the changelings?), Krull is just the ticket. At the time of this writing, Krull is available for streaming from HBOmax and various PPV options. As far as physical media, Krull is currently available as a Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Blu-ray.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Chad, will be Cannibal Apocalypse (1983), directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring John Saxon! Or is it Cannibals in the Streets? Or Apocalypse domani? Or Invasion of the Fleshhunters? Or Cannibal Massacre? Or… well, you get the picture.
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