Sword-and-sorcery B-movies

The two brothers make the heroism feel like a physical comedy routine. Choose this when the group wants a fantasy adventure that openly enjoys its muscles, misunderstandings and lack of shirts.

For your group: Knowingly goofy; expecting solemn world-building would miss the point.

The sequel's banter and swagger make it easier company than a fantasy film determined to remain portentous. A good pick for viewers who want the performers to share the joke.

For your group: Sexual material and broad humour; its playful tone still belongs to an exploitation series.

The extravagant sword is an excellent promise of the film's approach to problem-solving. Pulpy magic and theatrical villains give the quest enough personality to support a group night.

For your group: Violence, nudity and sexual threat sit alongside the heroic spectacle.

Lou Ferrigno's hero enters a version of antiquity where cosmic explanations and mechanical beasts seem entirely reasonable. The next mythological liberty becomes a game the whole room can play.

For your group: Colourful effects and solemn explanations rather than historical or mythological fidelity.

A tournament gives the wanderer a sequence of opponents and the production excuses to reveal its creatures. Useful for viewers specifically interested in the rougher origins of this rental-shelf cycle.

For your group: Strong nudity and sexual violence; less genial than the sequel's reputation might suggest.

The sinister cult and occasional monsters give the familiar heroic journey some scrappy atmosphere. Keep it for a patient group interested in bargain fantasy design as well as combat.

For your group: Long wandering stretches; the title promises more continuous fighting than the film supplies.

Fog, a masked sorceress and a magical bow make the landscape feel like an unstable dream. It is the choice for a group that prefers strange images to a clearly signposted quest.

For your group: Sudden gore, nudity and hazy plotting; Lucio Fulci's horror sensibility matters here.

The peculiar guardian and rubbery obstacles provide curiosities for fantasy completists. Its place on the shelf is easier to appreciate once the group has tried the livelier entries above.

For your group: Slow and confusingly marketed under different titles. Check the 1990 film rather than assuming an alias is a new sequel.

A straightforward princess rescue lets the group concentrate on the sorcerer and his uneven collection of monsters. The eerie ship attack gives the old-fashioned adventure a distinctive visual detour.

For your group: A gentler storybook option than the exploitation titles, though its monsters and witches can still frighten younger viewers.