The monster is more convincing on the poster.
Maciste Against the Monsters or Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules ("Maciste contro i mostri") is one of the many Maciste titles to come out of the Peplum era. This one sees our hero in the stone age where he comes upon two warring tribes: the Sun Tribe and the Moon Tribe. After saving the Sun Tribe leader from a lake monster, Maciste is called on to help them rescue their women who have been abducted by the Moon Tribe.
Examples:
- Color-Coded Armies: Good guys in light furs and bad guys in dark furs.
- Deus ex Machina: Maciste and Maoh are saved from a lingering death by a convenient volcano that destroys the Moon Tribe's cave.
- Dinosaurs Are Dragons: Dragons (including a hydra) fill the traditional niche filled by dinosaurs in this kind of movie.
- Handsome Heroic Caveman: Both Maciste himself and Aydar of the Sun people.
- Human Sacrifice: The Moon Tribe sacrifice the captive Sun Tribe women to the moon.
- Never Trust a Title: The alternative title truly makes no sense. None of the monsters encountered can accurately be described as "fire monsters" (if anything, half of them are water monsters) and it makes little sense why the son of Hercules would be running around in the stone age. "Ancestor of Hercules" would have made more sense.
- Nubile Savage: Maciste is a male example. He has no body hair, a skimpy outfit, and an impressive set of bam-bams.
- Off with Her Head!: Sacrifices to the moon are beheaded on a chopping block.
- Prehistoric Monster: With the exception of the giant monitor, none of them bear any resemblance to actual prehistoric life.
- Slurpasaur: A giant monitor lizard shows up for mere seconds and is never seen again.
- Stock Ness Monster: The lake monster fits the usual pseudo-plesiosaur mold, though its face appears mammalian.
- The Time of Myths: The film is set in a vague prehistoric setting home to barbarian tribes and monstrous dragons.
