MST3K 410 - Hercules Against the Moon Men

410 - Hercules Against the Moon Men
Air/Release Date	August 22, 1992
AKA	Maciste vs. the Stone Men
Movie Director	Giacomo Gentilomo
Year	1964
Cast	Sergio Ciani (billed here as Alan Steel), Jany Clair, Anna Maria Polani, Nando Tamberlani
Preceded by	409 - The Indestructible Man
Followed by	411 - The Magic Sword

The Movie

Synopsis

After a meteor crashes into a mountain, moon men emerge and demand human sacrifices from the city below. This goes on for years until at last Claudis, advisor to Queen Samara (Clair), sends for the mighty Hercules to save them all. The evil Queen Samara however, is in league with the moon men, and does everything in her power to stop Hercules. The moon men need a final human sacrifice on the night of the convergence of the planets in order to bring their queen Selena back to life. The sacrifice turns out to be the princess Phyllis, and Hercules must rescue her and stop the moon men before it's too late. [1]

Information

• While sword-and-sandal epics were mostly made in Italy and filmed in Italian, most of the lead actors were from other countries. Homegrown hunks were usually relegated to supporting roles, but Alan managed to break through. Alan, whose real name is Sergio Ciani, has appeared in twenty-three different Italian films, mostly of the peplum variety. He has been credited under the names Alan Steel (as in this movie) and John Wyler. [2]

• Because American audiences were unfamiliar with the Italian film character Maciste, the title character’s name was changed to Hercules.

The Episode

Host Segments

Prologue: Believing the grass is always green on the other side, Tom and Crow decide to run away to the other side of the ship. For about a minute.

Segment One: While Joel and the bots have invented the Super Freak-Out Kit, the Mads' invention of DEEP HURTING is woven into the experiement itself.

Segment Two: Crow and Tom use Joel as the subject of their amazing BOOBY trap illusion, with bad puns ahoy.

Segment Three: Joel gives the Bots new muscular arms and they all come up with their new tough guy names. Unfortunately Tom's suggestions aren't all that agressively tough and his body rejects his new donor limbs.

Segment Four: Having finally had enough with all the togo/skirt action in these Hercules films, Joel and the Bots sing the stiring song Pants!

Closing (Segment Five): The SOL crew discuss the replacement of actors in sequels and TV series, but Tom is forced to read the letter alone after Crow breaks Gypsy's heart by mentioning Richard Basehart was just such a replacement and Joel has to dismember him.

Stinger: Old guy gets skewered on a booby trap.

Obscure References

• "...by Four Dead in Ohio Art!" "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming sold separately!"

A reference to both the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song "Ohio", and the toy company Ohio Art.

• "He's goin' up against the Unification Church..."

Followers of the Unification Church are often derisively referred to as "Moonies", after its founder, Sun Myung Moon.

• "NC Stu-Stu-Studio!"

Reference to Loreal's Studio Line hair care products, whose commercials began with the lyrics, "Stu-Stu-Studio. Studio Line from Loreal."

• "Behind the Green Door!"

Behind the Green Door was a pornographic film originally released in 1972.

• "Father Murphy, NO!"

Father Murphy was a TV series from the early 1980s.

• "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"

A quote from a 1970s margarine commercial.

• "I am the Mighty Pavog (sic)!"

The Mighty Favog was a character from the Muppet segments on the first season of Saturday Night Live.

• "It's the Inhumanoids!"

Inhumanoids was a toy line from the late 1980s.

Video Release

• Commerically released on DVD by Rhino in April 2005 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 7, a 4-DVD set with Hercules Unchained, Prince of Space, and The Killer Shrews.