EDITOR’S NOTE: Cult film enthusiasts and frequent site contributors have brought attention to the fact that this movie has caused quite the stir on both 4chan and Reddit. While many claim that they remember seeing this film on late night TV in the early 90s, others claim that the existing online screenshots are not real. Copies of the VHS have been seen selling on eBay for upwards of $100, but the authenticity (especially of the cover) is unknown. If you can find an actual copy, PLEASE send us whatever you find!!! —the CC team
The 1982 film Lagazalian: Runes of Mammon is a sword-and-sorcery film directed by Geraldo Sciattico and written by Carl Melvin, starring a bevy of C-listers known for bit parts in various sword-and-sorcery fantasy movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Starring Anna Andarias and Craig Gilforth (pseudonym, no known actor with this name), the movie also starred Olga Schoberová, Anna Kanakis, Milena Natarova, and Kevin Schiff. Parts of the movie were filmed on location in Bulgaria, but the majority of the movie was reportedly shot in Italy using leftover TV pilot sets.
The movie was first released straight to video in 1982, but was picked up for a small theatrical run in 1983. Legal issues relating to a financing disagreement between the producers led to the film being pulled from distribution in the 1990s and all remaining prints destroyed. Except for incomplete VHS bootlegs, the movie is considered lost by many.
Lagazalian: Runes of Mammon (1982) Plot Summary
In a small village in a Nordic-inspired countryside, an old and crafty cleric named Lagazalian is wandering with his “sidekick”, a tough guy named Darro. They perform tricks and minor healings for villages, barely scrounging out an existence. They happen across a couple of women (one of which is an older, silent woman and the other of which is her young nurse) and save them from being robbed by bandits. They begin traveling together. Eventually, they hear news that an omen has been seen in the sky, a great light that is growing brighter every night. They venture on a journey to prevent a cataclysmic apocalypse.
Interests include:: coffee, jackhammers, grandma’s medicine cabinet and sympathetic yawning.
I saw this years ago. But it had a different name, It was on Pluto maybe?
Posted this on Reddit, but no help there: I watched this movie a long time ago, even recorded it off late night TV on a VHS, but lost the tape a long time ago and can’t find it ANYWHERE. I have posted all over but can only find a few articles and a random post on forums here and there.
4chan is monitoring the situation. The purported eBay VHS might be real, I’ll give it that, but these screenshots at least are fake. They look like Midjourney. As a S&S aficionado I am going to dig deeper. Nothing is truly lost.
Thanks, Pepe. That explains all the emails we’ve gotten. I’ve added an editor’s note. I will update the movie page as we find more information. If you have an image of that eBay listing, send us a copy and I’ll be sure to upload it.
Lagazalian is real. Any of the 30+ members of the San Diego cinema club in the 1990’s can attest to this: you will doubtless remember that there were a few bootleg tapes that were passed around. If I recall correctly, we even watched it once or twice at a “Bad Night”.
Now, to clear up some common misconceptions. The online errors and rumors concerning Lagazalian are fueled by incorrect images, bootleg “creativity”, and perhaps some recordkeeping errors. Let’s address these one-by-one.
First, the images I see online are usually incorrect. These are NOT original film stills, including the ones listed on this Cult Celebrities profile. The reason I know this? I was a diehard Anna Kanakis fan, all the way from the early days (New Barbarians) and trust me I know very well what she looks like.
Second, if some of the VHS sleeves seem “inauthentic” that is because they are. Lagazalian was NEVER released on VHS. It had a theatrical run (before my time) and then was only shown on cable television. If VHS copies exist, they are bootlegs and the covers are fan created. To my knowledge (and I have been studying films for forty years) there was never any actual tape distribution.
Third, I have not been able to find Lagazalian on IMDB. But that does not necessarily mean much – as cinema buffs doubtless know, if there is any question of record accuracy, IMDB nukes information. And that brings me to record keeping accuracy. From what I understood the film was at different times called Lagazalian, Runes of Mammon … Lagazalian: Runes of Mammon, and La Gazalian?
And my final point: sorry to disappoint, but Lagazalian was NOT a great film. It was quite terrible, which is why even in the 1990s we were watching this at Bad Nights. It was worse than many other B movies (worse in production value than, say, the Deathstalker films). Despite my lasting love for Anna Kanakis she was not playing her best in this film.
– Gerry Riveras
SD