The sword-and-sorcery genre is something of an endangered species of movie, although many great examples do exist even outside the most well-known of them. Conan the Barbarian has become one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most powerful characters thanks to the movie of the same name based on the classic books by Robert E. Howard. Many people might not even realize that an entire subgenre of fantasy exists under the same aesthetic, with a few other notable films well worth a watch.

The sword-and-sorcery genre has certain qualifiers beyond the average fantasy story. Their settings tend to take place in a world even further back in technological development than the medieval ages, rife with muscly shirtless barbarian heroes, crooked sorcerers, and beautiful damsels in need of saving. It’s with these striking visuals that certain fantasy films are able to recreate the works of Robert E. Howard and his contemporaries, like Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote the Barsoom series.

7

Red Sonja

Conan in all but name

Red Sonja sits in an interesting place just outside the pantheon of Conan the Barbarian shows and movies. Here, Arnold returns for a sequel to play a character that is Conan in all but name, with the license sadly eluding the production. As Lord Kalidor, he encounters the тιтular Red Sonja, a vengeful warrior woman harnessing a matriarchal supernatural power.

It’s nice to see Red Sonja pepper in some powerful female representation into the patriarchal sword-and-sorcery genre, even if it does come at the cost of Sonja coming under the same ᴀssaults typical of most central female characters in such films. Still, it’s a great introduction to Brigitte Nielsen, who would later reappear on-screen in the Rocky franchise. Nielsen and Schwarzenegger’s chemistry ultimately carries the film, making up for any weak spots with a rare well-done sword-and-sorcery romance.

6

Krull

A spacefaring sword-and-sorcery adventure

One interesting thing that separates sword-and-sorcery as a genre from other types of fantasy is the fact that it isn’t necessarily confined to Earth. As demonstrated by the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter, sword-and-sorcery protagonists are sometimes at their best when they’re racing through the stars, heedless of the puny ancient technological advances of their age that exist in a strange sync with science fiction aesthetics. Enter Krull, one of the best of these spacefaring sword-and-sorcery stories.

Krull takes place on the тιтular planet, upon which an evil army of alien invaders has descended. It’s up to bickering kingdoms to set aside their differences and cast out their shared enemy, helped by hero Colwyn’s dazzling glaive. Operating at a far more impressive scale than other dreamy fantasy tales of its class, Krull is an ambitious effort that’s worth watching just to see a young Liam Neeson peek out amid the cast.

5

Highlander

One of the most famous to ever unsheathe its blade

The only sword-and-sorcery film that holds any hope of matching Conan the Barbarian in terms of pop-culture staying power is easily Highlander. Once again, the versatility of the subgenre is proven, as the ancient antiquity story is thrown into the modern day and still somehow manages to work. An all-star cast of Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, and an early Clancy Brown see themselves doing battle across the eons as a race of fratricidal immortals who live by the film’s famous tagline – “There can only be one“.

The tone and temperament of the cinematography and rocking Queen score help add to the mysterious appeal of the ethereal immortals. The pulse-pounding swordfights and existential drama of the immortals’ multi-generational rivalry is quite compelling, maintaining the kind of mystique that the sword-and-sorcery genre needs to thrive. If only Highlander had stopped at the first film, with Highlander 2: The Quickening infamously considered to be one of the worst sequels of all time.

4

Jason And The Argonauts

An iconic take on classic mythology

A closely-related cousin to the sword-and-sorcery genre is the “peplum” film, also appropriately enough known as sword-and-sandal films in English. These kinds of movies often explore the civilizations of ancient antiquity, such as the Roman Empire, and occasionally cross-breed with more magical stories. One of the finest among them is Jason and the Argonauts, a retelling of the classic Greek myth.

Jason and the Argonauts is a ground-breaking piece of cinema, aside from being an alluring sword-and-sorcery film. The daring danger of Jason’s adventures is emphasized by the creatures of the great Ray Harryhausen, a legendary stop-motion artist responsible for bringing all sorts of monsters to life long before the rise of CGI. Though it flopped upon its release, Jason and the Argonauts is now considered to be a classic thanks to its genre-defining action sequences.

3

Conquest

Low on budget, but not on ideas

Funnily enough, sword-and-sorcery protagonists don’t necessarily need to use swords to qualify for the part, as shown off brilliantly by the obscure 1983 film Conquest. The hazy plot centers on a warrior out to prove his mettle by venturing out into a dangerous forest, where he soon draws the wrath of a mysterious masked sorceress who sics all manner of terrifying beasts on his. To fend them off, he relies on an awesome weapon that’s part bow-and-arrow and part nunchucks.

Directed by Lucio Fulci, an Italian creative better known for his giallo horror movies, Conquest certainly has to fight against its low budget at times, aging the special effects even worse than they already would have been. Still, Conquest‘s endearing charm, creative worldbuilding, and scintillating imagery maintain its quiet status as one of the best sword-and-sorcery films to ever be unleashed. Of course, Fulci’s horror stylings are a nice touch to help it stand out even further, with zombie and gore galore.

2

Fire And Ice

Extends Conan aesthetics into animation

Animation is a great tool for delving into worlds as often bizarre and fantastical as those in the sword-and-sorcery genre, as proven by Fire and Ice. A strange joint effort by pioneering rotoscope animation artist Ralph Bakshi and iconic sword-and-sorcery cover artist Frank Frazetta, the film forges its own unique visual idenтιтy amid the particular genre. The story is pretty stock-standard as far as films of the like go, with a pair of fearsome warriors setting out to free a captured princess from the clutches of an evil ice queen.

The main appeal of Fire and Ice is easily its unique art style, setting it apart from most other animated films in general, let alone amid sword-and-sorcery stories. The exploitative nature of the genre is a little bit difficult to ignore at times, especially when it comes to some alarming story beats regarding the evil Nekron’s “subhuman” army, but the striking world and action scenes more than make up for it. A visual marvel that could only exist in the 80s, Fire and Ice is a poignant time capsule to return to.

1

Army Of Darkness

Sam Rami’s middle age adventure

Far be it from a random entry of a horror franchise like the Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ series to suddenly become a sword-and-sorcery film, but that’s exactly what happened with Army of Darkness. Taking place directly after Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 2, Army of Darkness sees the plucky Ash Williams flung back in time through a portal into a mythical age in which ᴅᴇᴀᴅites swarm the land. It’s up to the scarred survivor to lead the ignorant armies of knights against his old enemy.

He may swap out his sword for a chainsaw and his sorcery for a double-barreled sH๏τgun, but the glistening, bare-chested warrior Bruce Campbell presents in Army of Darkness certainly keeps up with the likes of Conan. The barbarity gradually goes from laughable horror slapstick to an all-out war between the living and the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, culminating in marching skeleton fifers and ramshackle war machines. Army of Darkness deserves to be counted among the best sword-and-sorcery movies alongside Conan the Barbarian.