Creatures Fantastic: The Underworld

In ancient Greece, dogs were not held in high esteem. In fact, one of the worst fates you could wish upon your fellow citizen was for his genitals to be devoured by dogs (after he died, of course; though death seems to be regarded as the lesser of the evils here). The most famous Grecian dog was a three-headed (all snarling) canine named Cerberus, who guarded the proverbial Gates of Hell until Hercules settled his hash forever. As shown here, Cerberus is an impressively hideous creation, the kind of ooh-aah special effect we've come to expect from Dorling Kindersley, the reigning masters of visually-oriented media. In The Underworld, one of six episodes in the Creatures Fantastic series, viewers are introduced to Egyptian afterlife mythology (including the chronicle of Osiris's career rise to become the official King of the Dead), Dante's rendition of hell's inferno, the Christian model of hell and the phenomenon of near-death experiences. Interesting tidbits and excellent visuals compensate for an occasionally scattershot approach to the subject matter. Also, teachers should be aware that the film contains a tame under covers sex scene which, nevertheless, leaves no question about what the participants are doing. With that warning, this inexpensive title is recommended. The other titles in the series are: Creatures of the Night, Man Beasts, Werewolf, Dragons and Birds & Things with Wings. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)