Bring Back Epic Movie Posters: These Sword and Sorcery Masterpieces Put Today’s 'Floating Heads' Posters to Shame

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John Summers • Contributor
Dec 22, 2024 10:00 PM EST

Remember when movie posters were actual works of art? I'm talking about the golden age of sword and sorcery movies—posters that looked like they belonged on the side of a heavy metal album cover. Back then, artists gave us dramatic battles, gleaming swords, fire-breathing beasts, and impossibly muscular heroes standing triumphantly in front of apocalyptic landscapes. Even sci-fi films jumped on the trend, creating posters that promised epic adventures and danger at every corner. Sure, most of those movies were beyond bad, but the posters were awesome!

Now, what do we get? A sea of "floating heads" and generic Photoshop collages that look like they were slapped together in five minutes. It's time to bring back those bold, over-the-top, hand-painted masterpieces that made you need to see the movie, even if the movie itself was pure B-movie cheese. Let's celebrate 26 classic sword-and-sorcery movie posters that were so epic, they're still unmatched today.

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  • 01

    Conan the Barbarian

    CONAN THE BARBARIAN
    via Ngugi
  • 02

    The Beastmaster

    Born with the courage of an eagle, the strength of a black tiger, and the power of a god. THE BEASTMASTER The epic adventure of a new kind of hero. METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PRESENTS A LEISURE INVESTMENT COMPANY PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE A DON COSCARELLI FILM THE BEASTMASTER STARRING MARC SINGER TANYA ROBERTS RIP TORN JOHN AMOS AS SETH MUSIC LEE HOLDRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHED JOHN ALCOTT PRODUCERS NADER ATASSI AND SYLVIO TABET ASS DONALD P. BORCHERS WRITTEN DON COSCARELLI & PAUL PEPPERMAN PRODUCED PAUL PEPPERMAN A
    via Ngugi
  • 03

    SCORCERESS

    CORCERESS
    via Ngugi
  • 04

    The Sword and the Sorcerer

    A lusty epic of revenge and magic, dungeons and dragons, wizards and witches, damsels and desire, and a warrior caught between. The Sword and the Sorcerer ROBERT S. BREMSON BRANDON CHASE THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER warring LEE HORSLEY KATHLEEN BELLER SIMON MacCORKINDALE GEORGE MAHARIS as Michels and RICHARD LYNCH C also starring ANTHONY DELONGIS ROBERT TESSIER NINA VAN PALLANDT EMILY YANCEY ANNA BJORN and RICHARD MOLL ecutive producer ROBERT S. BREMSON director of photographs JOSEPH MANGINE pods
    via Ngugi
  • 05

    The Sword of the Barbarians

    A BATTLE BETWEEN MORTALS, MONSTERS, AND MAGIC FOR THE GREATEST PRIZE OF THEM ALL. THE CANNON GROUP, INC. presents OF THE SWORD THE BARBARIANS PETER MAC COY MARGARET RANGE YVONNE FRASCHETTI ANTONY FREEMAN and SABRINA SIANI (as The Golden Goddess) in a FILMAN/VISION production directed by MICHAEL E. LEMICK filmed in CINEVISION screenplay by PIERO REGNOLI director of photography GIANCARLO FERRANDO stunt sequences by ROBERT ALEXANDER produced by PINO BURICCHI FROM CANNON RELEASING MCMLXXXI CANNON FI
    via Ngugi
  • 06

    Krull

    Beyond our time, beyond our universe there is a planet besieged by alien invaders, where a young king must rescue his love from the clutches of the Beast. Or risk the death of his world. KRULL A world light-years beyond your imagination. PRINTED IN USA COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS A TED MANN-RON SILVERMAN PRODUCTION A PETER YATES FILM KRULL Storing KEN MARSHALL LYSETTE ANTHONY FREDDIE JONES by Photography and FRANCESCA ANNIS CompJAMES HORNER Director of PETER SUSCHITZKY Production STEPHEN GRIMES V
    via Ngugi
  • 07

    Deathstalker

    JOURNEY TO AN AGE OF AWESOME MAGIC The Might of the Sword... The Evil of the Sorcerer. BORIS 83 Deathstalker THE LAST GREAT WARRIOR KING. RICHARD HILL BARBI BENTON RICHARD BROOKER LANA CLARKSON Written by HOWARD R. COHEN Produced by JAMES SBARDELLATI 1983 PALO ALTO PRODUCTIONS, INC. Directed by JOHN WATSON RESTRICTIO ACCOMPANYING
    via Ngugi
  • 08

    Conquest

    FONIDESA
    via Ngugi
  • 09

    Hundra

    LAURENE LANDON HUNDRA
    via Ngugi
  • 10

    Lady Hawke

    A Magical, Mystical Adventure. LADYHAWKE TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX AND WARNER BROS. PRESENT MATTHEW BRODERICK RUTGER HAUER MICHELLE PFEIFFER SCREENPLAY . LAUREN SHULER PRODUCTION ARICHARD DONNER FILM LADYHAWKE LEO MCKERN • JOHN WOOD TORY EDWARD KHMARA⚫ PLAY EDWARD KHMARA AND MICHAEL THOMAS AND TOM MANKIEWICZ AND CONDUCTED BY ANDREW POWELL PHOTOGRAPHY VITTORIO STORARO PRODUCER HARVEY BERNHARD PRODUCED RICHARD DONNER AND LAUREN SHULER DIRECTED RICHARD DONNER COMPOSED BY Copyright 1985 Twentieth Centur
    via Ngugi
  • 11

    Fire and Ice

    FIRE ICE PRODUCERS SALES ORGANIZATION Presents A RALPH BAKSHI FRANK FRAZETTA Production A RALPH BAKSHI Film "FIRE AND ICE" Directed by RALPH BAKSHI Produced by RALPH BAKSHI and FRANK FRAZETTA Executive Producers JOHN W. HYDE and RICHARD R. ST. JOHNS Screenplay by ROY THOMAS and GERRY CONWAY Music by WILLIAM KRAFT PG PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN PRODUCERS ORGANIZATION PSO SALES DODOLBY STEREO IN SELECTED THEATRES ©1983 Polyc International B.V. All rig
    via Ngugi
  • 12

    Conan the Destroyer

    CONAN THE DESTROYER
    via Ngugi
  • 13

    Amazons

    AMAZONS
    via Ngugi
  • 14

    Red Sonja

    FL RED SONIA
    via Ngugi
  • 15

    Barbarian Queen

    BORIS 85 NO MAN CAN TOUCH HER NAKED STEEL. BARBARIAN QUEEN Starring LANA CLARKSON KATT SHEA-FRANK ZAGARINO DAWN DUNLAP Produced by FRANK ISAAC and ALEX SESSA Screenplay by HOWARD R. COHEN Directed by HECTOR OLIVERA R 1985 Concorde Pictures Corp.
    via Ngugi
  • 16

    Highlander

    THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE Brim Buait HIGHLANDER THORN EMI SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT A DAVIS/PANZERA RUSSELL MULCAHY CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT ROXANNE HART CLANCY BROWN SEAN CONNERY MICHAEL KAMEN EC. MONELE GREGORY WIDEN GREGORY WIDEN PETER S DAVIS WILLIAMN PANZER RUSSELL MULCAHY SOUNDTRACK AVAILABLE ON EMI RECORDS & TAPES QUEEN Music Score by FEATURING ORIGINAL SONGS BY QUEEN PETER BELLWOOD & LARRY FERGUSON DISTRIBUTED BY THORN EMI SCREEN ENTERTAINMENT DDOLBY STEREO INSELECTED THEATRES Screen Entertainment
    via Ngugi
  • 17

    Deathstalker 2

    Deathstalker I
    via Ngugi
  • 18

    Deathstalker 3

    Leafrefalker LL The Warriors From Hell
    via Ngugi
  • 19

    Willow

    WILLOW METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER Presents A LUCASFILM LTD. PRODUCTION Of A Film by RON HOWARD WILLOW Starring VAL KILMER JOANNE WHALLEY WARWICK DAVIS BILLY BARTY-JEAN MARSH Music Composed by JAMES HORNER Story by GEORGE LUCAS Screenplay by BOB DOLMAN Executive Producer GEORGE LUCAS Produced by NIGEL WOOLL Directed by RON HOWARD JUCASFILM PG PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED O Picture Soundtrack ના હાથનું થી ર (Hottest In Association with IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT Read the novel by BALLANTINE BOOKS on Virgin Mov
    via Ngugi
  • 20

    Deathstalker 4 (They just kept making them, huh?)

    Leathstalker N MATCH OF THE TITANS BORTS
    via Ngugi
  • 21

    Heavy Metal

    HEAVY METAL 80
    via YuffieK
  • 22

    CLASH of the TITANS

    EXPERIENCE THE FANTASTIC HILDEBRANDT CLASH of TITANS OF THE Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Presents A CHARLES H. SCHNEER Production CLASH OF THE TITANS" Starring HARRY HAMLIN as Perseus JUDI BOWKER as Andromeda BURGESS MEREDITH MAGGIE SMITH URSULA ANDRESS CLAIRE BLOOM SIAN PHILLIPS FLORA ROBSON and LAURENCE OLIVIER as Zeus Creator of Special Visual Effects RAY HARRYHAUSEN Music by LAURENCE ROSENTHAL Written by BEVERLEY CROSS Produced by CHARLES H. SCHNEER and RAY HARRYHAUSEN Directed by DESMOND DAVIS PG PA
    via fskn
  • 23

    Legend

    A RIDLEY SCOTT FILM LEGEND STARRING TOM CRUISE MIA SARA TIM CURRY ARNON MILCHAN PRESENTS "LEGEND DAVID BENNENT ALICE PLAYTEN BILLY BARTY CORK HUBBERT PG PARENTAL CELANCE SUGGESTEDTIM HAMPTON WILLIAM HJORTSBERG ARNON MILCHAN ROB BOTTINTANGERINE DREAM JOSEPH P. GRACE RIDLEY SCOTT Cassettes] A UNIVERSAL RELEAS Soundtrack Avalon MCA Reconds and Casse DOOLEYSTONE
    via myheartisstarkmyspiritistargaryen
  • 24

    EXCALIBUR

    Forged by a god. Foretold by a wizard. Found by a King EXCALIBUR John Boorman's "EXCALIBUR" Nigel Terry Helen Mirren. Nicholas Clay Cherie Lunghi Paul Geoffrey and Nicol Williamson Executive Producers Edgar F. Gross and Robert A. Eisenstein. Directed and Produced by John Boorman RESTRICTED UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN Screenplay by Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman Adapted from Malory's Le Morte Darthur by Rospo Pallenberg DODOLBY STEREO Technicolor® An ORION PICTURES
    via myheartisstarkmyspiritistargaryen
  • 25

    Dragonslayer

    DRAGONSLAYER WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION PRESENT A DARWOOD RODONS PRODUCTION DRAGONSLAYER PETER MAC NICOL CAITLIN CLARKE RALPH RICHARDSON MUSIC DY ALEX NORTH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER HOWARD W KOCH WRITTEN BY HAL DARWOOD & MATTHEW RODONS PRODUCED BY HAL DARWOOD DIRECTED BY MATTHEW ROGONS PANAVISION DO
    via YoWilykat
  • 26

    National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

    Every summer Chevy Chase takes his family on a little trip. This year he went too far. NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION A MATTY SIMMONS PRODUCTION A HAROLD RAMIS FILM CHEVY CHASE "NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION" BEVERLY D'ANGELO IMOGENE COCA RANDY QUAID And introducing CHRISTIE BRINKLEY Original Music by RALPH BURNS Produced by MATTY SIMMONS Directed by HAROLD RAMIS Special Appearance by JOHN CANDY Screenplay by JOHN HUGHES R RESTRICTED UNDER 17 REQUIRES ACCOMPANYING PARENT OR ADULT GUARDIAN SOUNDTRACK
    via FishDimension

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