The Best of Antonio Margheriti
by LeoLom | created - 02 Dec 2021 | updated - 22 Dec 2021 | PublicThis list includes 46 out of 56 films credited to Antonio Margheriti as a director - only the ones that I have actually seen.
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1. Castle of Blood (1964)
Not Rated | 87 min | Horror
A journalist takes a bet that he can spend the night in a haunted castle on All Hallow's Eve. During his stay, he bears witness to the castle's gruesome past coming to life before him, and falls in love with a beautiful female ghost.
Directors: Antonio Margheriti, Sergio Corbucci | Stars: Barbara Steele, Georges Rivière, Margrete Robsahm, Arturo Dominici
Votes: 2,782
No surprises here, one of the greatest Gothic horror movies ever made!
2. Naked You Die (1968)
82 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
People start getting killed at a remote and prestigious boarding school for girls. One of the students helps the police and her friends identify the mysterious killer.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Mark Damon, Eleonora Brown, Sally Smith, Patrizia Valturri
Votes: 805
A delightful little crime mystery, Giallo-ish plot is given surprisingly upbeat and lighthearted treatment. Many fans of traditional Giallo might be disappointed - I loved every minute of it.
3. The Golden Arrow (1962)
Approved | 91 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Genies help a bandit recover a golden arrow, which will show that he is the heir to the sultan's kingdom.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Tab Hunter, Rossana Podestà, Umberto Melnati, Mario Feliciani
Votes: 356
This is unofficial remake of the original (1924) Thief of Bagdad - not the better known Korda version from 1940 that has quite different plot but the one with Douglas Fairbanks. Both of those films are masterpieces and The golden arrow is definitely not quite there, but even if it is not perfect, the colors are lavish, real Egyptian settings are magnificent and if you can get past Tub Huners platinum blond hair and some uneven special effects - this is quite a delightful fantasy movie. But, again not for those who expect only grind-house movies from Margheriti. Watch only a high quality wide screen version!
4. And God Said to Cain... (1970)
Not Rated | 93 min | Horror, Western
A man takes his revenge on the family responsible for his wrongful sentence to ten years of hard labor.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten, Marcella Michelangeli, Antonio Cantafora
Votes: 1,644
Excellent spaghetti western! And a rare case of the remake improving upon the original.
5. The Long Hair of Death (1964)
Not Rated | 96 min | Fantasy, Horror
A woman under suspicion of witchcraft is burned alive. Her curse brings her back from the dead for revenge.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Barbara Steele, George Ardisson, Halina Zalewska, Umberto Raho
Votes: 1,775
Great Barbara Steele was really typecast in these variations of Bavas’s masterpiece Black Sunday (1960) and Margheriti’s Castle of Blood (1964) is easily her second best outing in this genre, The Long Hair of Death is not quite there, but it is still watchable and atmospheric; imperfect but good.
6. The Unnaturals (1969)
83 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
The characters engage in a séance at a mansion while a storm rages outside. During their stay, the film uses an extensive flashback structure to reveal the various criminal acts that each have perpetrated.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Joachim Fuchsberger, Marianne Koch, Helga Anders, Claudio Camaso
Votes: 311
Another great Gothic from Margheriti, not quite up there with Castle of Blood but still great. Finale is quite unexpected!
7. The Wild, Wild Planet (1966)
Approved | 93 min | Sci-Fi
A deranged scientist is using his employer's top-secret bio-laboratory to engage in clandestine experiments. When he starts kidnapping leading citizens for use in his twisted tests, it's up to rogue cop Mike Halstead to come to the rescue.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Tony Russel, Lisa Gastoni, Massimo Serato, Carlo Giustini
Votes: 1,126
Now we are moving from objectively good movies into realm of camp entertainment, but what entertainment it is!
8. Killer Fish (1979)
PG | 101 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Jewel thieves attempt to recover treasure from piranha infested waters. Mistrust and betrayals happen amongst the gang in the quest for gold.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lee Majors, Karen Black, Margaux Hemingway, Marisa Berenson
Votes: 2,378
I like this one much more than much better known and similarly themed Joe Dante's Piranha (1978). Then again - I saw this with good dubbing and in lushly-colored widescreen, not on some washed-out VHS-transfer
9. The Squeeze (1978)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A retired safe cracker is recruited by a young conman to return to the "business" for a million dollar heist.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lee Van Cleef, Karen Black, Edward Albert, Lionel Stander
Votes: 447
Excellent little crime/heist movie.
10. Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983)
PG | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A warrior seeks his true origins in a seemingly prehistoric wasteland.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Reb Brown, Corinne Cléry, John Steiner, Carole André
Votes: 3,483 | Gross: $2.81M
Bizarre oddity
11. Operazione Goldman (1966)
Not Rated | 94 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A U.S. agent goes undercover as a rich playboy to stop a madman from destroying a NASA moon project.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Anthony Eisley, Wandisa Guida, Diana Lorys, Luisa Rivelli
Votes: 351
Very entertaining euro-spy/Sc-Fi combination. Not to be taken seriously. Film-noir style voice-over in american version (the one that I saw) is often hilarious and actually, for once, adds to the charm of the film.
12. The War of the Planets (1966)
Approved | 99 min | Sci-Fi
In the 21st century, aliens invade the solar system.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Tony Russel, Lisa Gastoni, Franco Nero, Carlo Giustini
Votes: 666
Two observations: 1 - They should show this film on New Year nights! 2 - Young, Clean-shaven and uniformed (well... its more like plumbers work-wear but whatever) Franco Nero not only looks like Archer but has lots of Archer-y mimics and facial expressions.
13. Giants of Rome (1964)
Not Rated | 95 min | Adventure, War
An elite group of soldiers led by the courageous Claudius Marcellus are handpicked by Julius Caesar to embark on a desperate and dangerous suicide mission to destroy the Druids' secret weapon.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Richard Harrison, Wandisa Guida, Ettore Manni, Philippe Hersent
Votes: 294
Quite entertaining combination of war movie (a team on a mission- trope) and Peplum.
14. Vengeance (1968)
GP | 81 min | Drama, Western
A man tracks down the five outlaws who murdered his brother, all the while being shadowed by a mysterious Pinkerton detective.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Richard Harrison, Claudio Camaso, Spela Rozin, Werner Pochath
Votes: 588
After euro-spy collaborations, Richard Harrison re-teams with Margheriti for a superior spaghetti western. Not quite Leone or Corbucci but well worth the time.
15. Death Rage (1976)
R | 98 min | Crime, Thriller
A retired hit-man decides to take one last job to avenge the murder of his brother by a mafia gang. An eager would-be mobster helps him.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Yul Brynner, Massimo Ranieri, Barbara Bouchet, Martin Balsam
Votes: 922
This is a fine B movie with a great cast : Yul Brynner, Massimo Ranieri, Barbara Bouchet, Martin Balsam! Bouchet is underused (but undressed a lot as well) This film and the Squize, both seem to be inspired by The Mechanic (1972) and it is interesting to see different solutions/variations of the main themes that Margheriti comes up with. This film is also close to typical Poliziotteschi however, despite all the violence, it doesn't have the mean streak that is common in that genre and that is a good thing in my book.
16. Battle of the Worlds (1961)
Unrated | 84 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A runaway asteroid dubbed "The Outsider" mysteriously begins orbiting the Earth and threatens it with lethal flying saucers.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Claude Rains, Bill Carter, Umberto Orsini, Maya Brent
Votes: 981
Claude Rains makes this rather entertaining
17. Treasure Island in Outer Space (1987– )
90 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi
A space age version of "Treasure Island". Instead of ships, there are spaceships, and instead of an island, there is a planet. This version also includes androids, laser weapons and skeletal remains of colossal space beasts.
Stars: Anthony Quinn, Itaco Nardulli, Philippe Leroy, David Warbeck
Votes: 331
18. Web of the Spider (1971)
R | 93 min | Horror
The journalist Alan Foster makes a bet than he can spend one night at the haunted Blackwood Castle. As he learns, the rumors of ghosts at the castle are indeed true. On All Soul's Eve the ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Anthony Franciosa, Michèle Mercier, Klaus Kinski, Peter Carsten
Votes: 836
A lesser remake of Margheriti’s own Castle of Blood. Film is inferior to the original in every respect but still not without its charms. Anthony Franciosa is quite likable as the male lead, and so is Michelle Mercier who took up the role originally played by Barbara Steele. For a short period in mid 1960’s Mercier was one of the main box-office attractions in France and she had appeared in numerous Italian movies as well, including Bava’s classic Black Sabbath (1963). However, by 1971 her carrier was in decline and soon she would go into semi-retirement. Just like Barbara Steele was typecast into playing the same mysterious dead/ghost//supernatural ladies, so was Michelle Mercier condemned to play variations of her Huge Success – Angélique (1964) series that made her a household name in France as well as in many countries of eastern block and USSR (actually, in many territories she is the main selling point of this film, while in others, including most English language countries, her name doesn’t mean much and it is Klaus Kinski who is the main attraction – even if here he plays actually a supporting character).
19. Cannibals in the Streets (1980)
R | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Mentally unstable Vietnam vets who were held captive by the Viet Cong come back to America after being rescued carrying a dangerous virus that turns people into cannibals when bitten.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: John Saxon, Elizabeth Turner, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Cinzia De Carolis
Votes: 4,297
Exploitation classic has it's charm. Not for everyone.
20. Anthar l'invincibile (1964)
Unrated | 93 min | Adventure, Fantasy, War
The son of Hercules is pitted against a ruthless desert warrior.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Kirk Morris, Michèle Girardon, Manuel Gallardo, Mario Feliciani
Votes: 296
21. Assignment: Outer Space (1960)
Unrated | 73 min | Sci-Fi
In the 22nd Century, Ray Peterson, reporter for the Interplanetary News, is assigned to write a story aboard a space station.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Rik Van Nutter, Gabriella Farinon, David Montresor, Archie Savage
Votes: 1,043
22. Joe l'implacabile (1967)
98 min | Comedy, Western
In order to put an end to the numerous ambushes on the gold transports which are a real menace to the finances of the American government, the agent Joe Ford, called Dynamite Joe due to his... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Rik Van Nutter, Halina Zalewska, Merce Castro, Renato Baldini
Votes: 171
Light (and slight) spaghetti western/comedy. Entertaining but forgettable.
23. Killers Are Challenged (1966)
84 min | Action
A secret agent pretends to be a scientist who is developing an alternative source of energy less risky, but more powerful than atomic energy. and thus he becomes the target of mysterious killers who already murdered two scientists.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Richard Harrison, Susy Andersen, Wandisa Guida, Marcel Charvey
Votes: 147
Sequel to Luciano Martino's Secret Agent Fireball (1965) (Spies die in Beirut) - that film has better reviews and slightly higher score on IMDB but I slightly prefer this one. Harison's agent has certain "likable but smug jock" charm about him and it is hilarious how he constantly get's into trouble and is repeatedly saved by a beautiful lady-spy (Susy Andersen) working for the other country (guess which one!)
24. War Between the Planets (1966)
G | 80 min | Sci-Fi
Scientists try to prevent a collision between Earth and a planet that is heading for it.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Ombretta Colli, Enzo Fiermonte, Halina Zalewska
Votes: 604
American names of this films are confusing as hell, this, 3rd entry of Gamma 1 cycle is less entertaining than the first two.
25. Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eyes (1973)
Not Rated | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
In a small Scottish village, horribly murdered bodies keep turning up. Suspicion falls upon the residents of a nearby castle that is haunted by a curse involving a killer cat.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Jane Birkin, Hiram Keller, Françoise Christophe, Venantino Venantini
Votes: 1,628
Main selling point of this film is its mood, great colors and sets, as well as diverse cast. A kind of combination of Giallo, classic whodunit and Gothic horror. With a bit more attention to screenplay the film could have been really good but as it stands it is an interesting curiosity. Not for everyone.
26. Take a Hard Ride (1975)
PG | 103 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
After selling his cattle in town, ranch owner Morgan unexpectedly dies, and his foreman Pike has to deliver the payroll to Sonora, despite the perilous journey during which he's followed by many shady characters who want the money.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef, Fred Williamson, Catherine Spaak
Votes: 1,482
27. The Stranger and the Gunfighter (1974)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Western
A martial artist joins a hard-hitting gunfighter in the search for treasure while bandits step into their way.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lee Van Cleef, Lieh Lo, Patty Shepard, Femi Benussi
Votes: 1,050
28. Finalmente le mille e una notte (1972)
R | 90 min | Comedy
Sultan Almamud suddenly becomes powerless, unable to enjoy his beautiful Zumurud. The councillors then call people who can excite them by telling stories. At the end of their tales, he will finally be able to enjoy her.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Barbara Bouchet, Femi Benussi, Barbara Marzano, Esmeralda Barros
Votes: 155
A fun variation on Arabian Nights and Decamerotici themes.
29. Horror Castle (1963)
Unrated | 84 min | Horror
Women are being tortured to death with various torture devices in the dungeon of an old castle by a deformed, hooded, holocaust survivor.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Rossana Podestà, Georges Rivière, Christopher Lee, Laura Nucci
Votes: 1,264
30. Hercules, Prisoner of Evil (1964)
90 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Hercules battles an evil sorceress who turns men into werewolves.
Directors: Antonio Margheriti, Ruggero Deodato | Stars: Reg Park, Mireille Granelli, Ettore Manni, Furio Meniconi
Votes: 259
Ursus, il terrore dei kirghisi is the proper name of the film and it is pretty unusual mishmash of peplum, horror, geography and ethnicities. Suspiciously mediterannean looking Kirghiz somehow manage to oppress unusually Nordic looking Cirkassians who seem to be living just across the hill from each other (it's like horse riding from Canada to Mexico!!!). The main hero - Ursus (not Hercules! though all names have been altered for american edit) is played by Muscle man Reg Park was a mentor and inspiration for Arnold Schwarzenegger both in terms of over-exaggerated physique (nowhere near as objectively beautiful like that of Steve Reeves) but also in wooden acting department (again making Reeves look almost method actor in comparison). Most other characters (in original Italian version) seem to have Georgian names for some reason - Ilo, Kato, Aniko (who became Amico in american version because...?) and finally Prince Zereteli - who would be happy to know that there is a street and a Metro station named after him in downtown Tbilisi, Georgia :)))
31. Car Crash (1981)
95 min | Action
Paul, an ace driver and Nick, a wizard of mechanics, form a perfect team of auto racers. By winning a rigged race and he had to leave victory to a rider of a team in the pay of a mobster ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Joey Travolta, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Ana Obregón, Ricardo Palacios
Votes: 149
This minor racing movie is surprisingly charming and has a certain nostalgia element to it.
32. The Last Hunter (1980)
95 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
During the Vietnam war, an American soldier gets trapped behind enemy lines. A squad of his buddies sets out to rescue him.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: David Warbeck, Tisa Farrow, Tony King, Bobby Rhodes
Votes: 1,040
33. Io ti amo (1968)
96 min | Comedy, Romance
During an air trip, Prince Tancredi, a well-known abstract artist, gets to know air hostess Judy and is charmed by the young woman. When he asks her to pose for him Judy accepts. Following ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Dalida, Alberto Lupo, Marisa Quattrini, Gioia Desideri
Votes: 37
Deliriously camp musical with Iconic Italo-French-Egyptian pop-star Dalida, a cross between Italian musicarello, a Douglas Sirk and Bollywood, deserves to get late night screenings a’la The Rocky Horror Picture Show, if only the foreign audiences could bother to sing along songs in Italian!
34. Kommando Leopard (1985)
TV-PG | 103 min | Action
A cruel dictator rules a Latin American state. Corruption, brutality and exploitation are present every day. A few people begin to organise resistance. Under the leader "El Leopardo" a ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Klaus Kinski, Cristina Donadio, Manfred Lehmann
Votes: 566
This is essentially a spaghetti-western (more specifically Zapata-Western) updated for 80's action movie craze. Pretty entertaining.
35. Mr. Superinvisible (1970)
G | 91 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A scientist becomes invisible after he swallows an Indian potion.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Dean Jones, Philippe Leroy, Gastone Moschin, Ingeborg Schöner
Votes: 163
36. The Fall of Rome (1963)
89 min | Drama
After the death of Emperor Constantine in Rome, the persecutions of the Christians threaten the centurion Marco forced to become a gladiator.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Carl Möhner, Loredana Nusciak, Ida Galli, Andrea Aureli
Votes: 96
Peplum meets disaster movie. Peplum part is quite standard and tedious, but floods and earthquakes and collapsing models are fun!
37. The Ark of the Sun God (1984)
TV-PG | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A safecracker takes a job where he must go to Istanbul and steal a scepter that once belonged to the god Gilgamesh but is now in the temple of a secret cult.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: David Warbeck, John Steiner, Susie Sudlow, Luciano Pigozzi
Votes: 448
38. Snow Devils (1967)
G | 78 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Amidst a general melting of the ice caps, a weather station in the Himalayas is destroyed and Gamma I commander Rod Jackson and his partner, Frank Pulasky are sent to investigate. Joined by... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Ombretta Colli, Renato Baldini, Wilbert Bradley
Votes: 674
Music and opening credits are fantastic.... unfortunately the rest is not. The plot is a mishmash of the same Gamma 1 camp and an italo version of the great (and highly recommended) hammer horror The Abominable Snowman (1957)
39. Code Name: Wild Geese (1984)
R | 101 min | Action
Commander Robin Wesley, leader of a group of mercenaries, go to the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia to overthrow the dictator, who is a major manufacturer and dealer of the world's opium.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Klaus Kinski
Votes: 1,106
As far as 80’s italo actioners go – this is pretty ok. There is something endearing in a way they try to compete with their loaded inspirations/competitors from Hollywood. This film and Kommando Leopard (1985) and The Commander (1988) form a loose trilogy and even certain plot elements stay consistent, the way the cast is reshuffled in all of this films is also fun to observe – for example, Lee van Cleef can be a daredevil helicopter pilot in one film and a mafia boss in another !!!)
40. Fantasma en el Oeste (1978)
104 min | Action, Comedy, Western
A snake-oil salesman is chased across the desert by a gang of Mexican bandits. He finds out, however, that he is being protected by the spirits of Davey Crockett, Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Alberto Terracina, Fernando Bilbao, Maribel Martín, Rafael Albaicín
Votes: 82
41. Fuga dall'arcipelago maledetto (1982)
TV-PG | 96 min | Action, War
On one of his last trips before retirement, a plane of an illegal gunrunner in Vietnam is shot down where he hooks up Annie Belle, a humanitarian rebel.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: David Warbeck, Annie Belle, Tony King, Luciano Pigozzi
Votes: 189
42. The Hunters of the Golden Cobra (1982)
TV-PG | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An American soldier and a British intelligence agent try to track down an ancient relic called the Golden Cobra, rumored to have supernatural powers.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: David Warbeck, Almanta Suska, Luciano Pigozzi, Protacio Dee
Votes: 400
43. The Commander (1988)
105 min | Action, War
A Major leads a group of mercenaries whose mission is to protect a disc full of secrets, located in South Asia.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Lewis Collins, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Manfred Lehmann
Votes: 454
44. Jungle Raiders (1985)
PG-13 | 95 min | Action, Adventure
An expedition enters an unexplored jungle to search for a legendary ruby.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Christopher Connelly, Marina Costa, Lee Van Cleef, Luciano Pigozzi
Votes: 209
45. Indio 2 - La rivolta (1991)
R | 95 min | Action, Adventure
A corporation building a highway through the rainforest hires a gang of mercenaries to get rid of the local Indians, who don't want the highway built through their lands. The mercenaries ... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Frank Cuervo, Dirk Galuba, Tetchie Agbayani
Votes: 150
46. Mr. Hercules Against Karate (1973)
Not Rated | 103 min | Action, Comedy
Two Americans go to Hong Kong to rescue the son of a Chinese restaurant owner who is being held hostage by his stepmother and the sadistic owner of a Kung-Fu school.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Alberto Terracina, Fernando Bilbao, Jolina Collins, Chai Lee
Votes: 137
47. The Last Blood (1983)
TV-14 | 90 min | Action, Drama, War
During the Vietnam war, an army sergeant rebels against his tyrant commanding officer, whilst they are cut off by the enemy in the jungle. Things get worse for all of them after that.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Giancarlo Prete, Antonio Marsina, Luciano Pigozzi, Paul Vance
Votes: 308
48. Indio (1989)
R | 89 min | Adventure, Action
"Indio", a half-Indian ex-Marine, fights to save the rainforest against the forces of a mega corporation that is trying to destroy it to make money, headed by a former US Army colonel.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Francesco Quinn, Brian Dennehy, Rene Abadeza
Votes: 254
49. Alien from the Deep (1989)
91 min | Sci-Fi, Horror
Two members of Greenpeace discover that a local factory sheds radioactive waste into an active volcano, which has created a terrifying creature that wreaks havoc in the area.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Daniel Bosch, Marina Giulia Cavalli, Luciano Pigozzi, Robert Marius
Votes: 809
50. Cyberflic (1997)
90 min | Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi
A detective duo hunts a criminal organization, which is using an unknown liquid explosive material.
Director: Antonio Margheriti | Stars: Terence Hill, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Giselle Blondet, Jennifer Martinez
Votes: 517
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