Jack Palance, a Sword, and the Making of Hawk the Slayer (1980)

There are movies that live or die by spectacle; then there are movies whose legends outlive their budgets. Hawk the Slayer sits squarely in the latter camp. The British sword-and-sorcery film (1980), directed by Terry Marcel, is a beloved oddity: rough around the edges, gorgeously theatrical in places, and defended fiercely by a small but devoted cult. Its most enduring backstage image — the one that makes for a perfect lede — concerns Jack Palance. Fan lore holds that Palance was punctured by a sword during a filmed duel and finished the take regardless. It’s the sort of anecdote you hope is true: dramatic, a little brutal, and utterly in character for Palance’s on-screen menace.

Did Palance Actually Get Punctured On Set?

A quick caveat: that puncture story is persistent, but it survives primarily in trivia pages, fan posts, and retrospective write-ups rather than a contemporaneous, first-person production report. No magazine interview or production memo captures Palance describing the incident. So treat it as vivid on-set lore — likely true in spirit, possibly fuzzy in detail. That honest framing makes the anecdote stronger, not weaker; a good legend in film history is often the hinge between myth and fact.

Most actors’ careers would not survive making movies like Hawk the Slayer, much less the indignity of being skewered by an overeager co-star’s sword. Yet Jack Palance not only survived the supposed on-set stabbing, he survived years in the trenches of B-movie hell. A decade later, he was holding an Oscar for his sly, scene-stealing turn in City Slickers (1991). It’s one of Hollywood’s more miraculous career turnarounds — and, in truth, a far greater testament to Palance’s grit than any possibly embroidered tale of bleeding through a sword fight in a British forest. His career trajectory proves the point: legends fade, but talent, persistence, and sheer toughness endure.

What Was Hawk the Slayer Really?

Beyond the anecdote, the film itself is instructive about how British indie fantasy got made when special effects were labor-intensive and budgets small. Marcel and co-writer/producer Harry Robertson mounted the picture in roughly six weeks on an estimated modest budget, leaning on practical locations (Buckinghamshire woods provide much of the film’s distinctive atmosphere) and theatrical performances instead of expensive spectacle.

The plot is simple and effective: Hawk (John Terry), armed with a mystical mind-blade, assembles a ragtag band to oppose his brother Voltan (Palance) and the dark forces he commands. The script’s rough edges — awkward effects, occasionally stilted dialogue — are woven into the film’s charm and helped it become a midnight-movie staple.

Palance’s Voltan is a study in theatrical villainy. Rather than the hulking muscle of many contemporaneous fantasy villains, Voltan plays like a Gothic stage monarch — puckered, pronounced, and quietly terrifying. That performance quality helps explain why the puncture anecdote, true or not, feels credible: Palance was known for an unflinching commitment to a role, and directors on low-budget shoots often relied on that professionalism to get the shot.

Where is Hawk the Slayer Today?

The film’s afterlife has been steady. After a flurry of home-video releases in the 2000s, Hawk the Slayer has received Blu-ray pressings and periodically reappears in streaming windows; collectors and cult viewers keep finding new ways to watch. If you’re chasing down a copy today, recent Blu-ray releases remain the best bet, though the film also shows up on ad-supported services and the occasional YouTube upload.

In the end, Hawk the Slayer is remembered less for its modest sword fights and more for the legends it inspired. Did Jack Palance really take a blade to the body and keep acting? The truth may never be nailed down. But what is certain is that Palance had the resilience to carry a career from low-budget fantasy into Oscar-winning comedy — a journey as unlikely, and as entertaining, as any of the quests Hawk himself undertook.