Legend

Tim Curry delivers an iconic performance as the Lord of Darkness, complete with massive red prosthetic makeup, cloven hooves, and giant horns. His terrifying and theatrical portrayal is considered one of the greatest practical-effects villains in fantasy cinema. The makeup process reportedly took over six hours to apply each day of filming.

The plot kicks off when the goblins hired by Darkness manage to hunt down two magical unicorns. They attack the stallion and cut off its horn, which removes the magical protection of the forest and plunges the world into a frozen winter. Jack, played by Tom Cruise, must retrieve the horn to restore balance.

The film was directed by Ridley Scott, who was hot off the success of Blade Runner. Scott wanted to create a pure, mythical fairy tale, utilizing massive, highly detailed practical sets entirely built on the Pinewood Studios lot. The production was famously plagued with issues, including a massive fire that destroyed the set.

There are two main versions: the original European cut, which features a musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, and the US theatrical cut, which features a synth-pop score by Tangerine Dream. The US version was heavily edited by the studio and featured a different voiceover intro. The 2002 Ultimate Edition DVD was the first time both cuts were available to the public.