The Minotaur (1960)

Starring Bob Mathias, Rosanna Schiaffino, Alberto Lupo, Rik Battaglia, Carlo Tamberlani
Directed by Silvio Amadio
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The mighty mortal Theseus accompanies his friend Demetrius to the isle of Crete, where they find his family enslaved, and the daughter of the king a dead ringer for the woman Theseus loves.

An engaging Italian adaptation of the Greek myths of Theseus and The Minotaur, the film changes several details from the legend, making King Minos benevolent but forced by his priests to sacrifice young people to the Minotaur, and giving him a scheming daughter, who when she finds out she has a twin sister is eager to have her killed so she can ascend to the throne alone.  Mathias, an American cast as Theseus after winning Olympic gold in the decathlon, is fine in the role, and his athleticism is showcased in a number of battle sequences.  Schiaffino, playing the dual role of sisters Phaedra (the conniving evil daughter raised as royalty) and Ariadne (the good one, raised humbly in a small village), pulls off both parts well.  Horror fans might also recognize Alberto Lupo and Susanne Loret, the stars of Atom Age Vampire, in supporting roles.  The Minotaur is saved for the climax, when both Theseus and Ariadne find themselves in the labyrinth that houses the monster.  Although the creature's hairy hide doesn't quite match the bull-like countenance described in the Greek myths, the creature's head is impressive, with expressive eyes and a massive jaw filled with sharp teeth and tusks.  Overall, the film is worthwhile viewing, despite the changes to the myths, and not much footage of the title creature.

Atom Age Vampire (1960)

Starring Alberto Lupo, Susanne Loret, Sergio Fantoni, Franca Parisi, Andrea Scotti
Directed by Anton Giulio Majano
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist heals the facial scars of a woman with an experimental serum, but when it wears off and the scars return, he turns to murder to restore her beauty.

This Italian horror picture is not a great film, but still fun, with Lupo's scientist covering his murders by disguising himself as a hideous monster through use of another serum that creates scars upon his face and hands.  The screenplay borrows plenty of material from past horror pictures, notably Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde and Bela Lugosi's Monogram films, but I liked the creature makeup and Parisi as Lupo's assistant whose dreams of romance with him, and listening to records together (!), are spoiled by his obsession with his beautiful patient.  The copy of the film I saw, from one of Mill Creek's 50 Movie Pack series, appeared to be heavily edited, so would welcome a chance to see the film uncut someday.  It doesn't rank with the greats of Italian horror, but is an enjoyable enough romp through the genre.