Forbidden Zone
Inside a quiet family home, a strange door in the basement opens onto the Sixth Dimension, a carnival of oversized organs and wild color. When Frenchy the Hercules daughter slips through, King Fausto immediately falls for her, turning the ordinary house into a surreal battleground of loyalties... Read more
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Streaming availability last verified: February 06, 2026
About Forbidden Zone
Inside a quiet family home, a strange door in the basement opens onto the Sixth Dimension, a carnival of oversized organs and wild color. When Frenchy the Hercules daughter slips through, King Fausto immediately falls for her, turning the ordinary house into a surreal battleground of loyalties and desires. Queen Doris rules the Sixth Dimension with a jealous eye and imprisons Frenchy to guard her throne. The Hercules clan, aided by their odd ally Squeezit Henderson, schemes to free her, rallying ridiculous tricks and pungent jokes along the way. The tone is anarchic and campy, blending music numbers with shaggy dream logic, without revealing every twist in advance.
Produced on a shoestring budget of 100000 in 1980 this offbeat musical fantasy features Hervé Villechaize and Susan Tyrrell among its cast. The available data does not list a director or source material, but the project clearly embraces wild stagey visuals and music. Its playful audacity makes it a landmark of cult cinema. It remains a touchstone for filmmakers who work with limited resources while chasing big ideas.
Box office numbers for this title are not widely reported, reflecting its status as a niche experimental release rather than a mainstream hit. It has circulated primarily through midnight screenings, cult mail lists, and festival retrospectives. The film has enjoyed occasional revivals in art houses and on college circuits.
Over the years Forbidden Zone has cultivated a dedicated cult following among fans of underground cinema and musical fantasy. Its blend of surreal visuals, offbeat humor, and showy musical numbers helped spark a cottage industry of homages, zines, and indie stage adaptations that celebrate its eccentric spirit.
The film looks at family ties, the thirst for fantasy, and the odd joy of spectacle, while skewering pomp and pretension with a wink. Its bold humor and visual bravado keep audiences smiling long after the credits roll, too.
Details
- Release Date
- March 15, 1980
- Runtime
- 1h 14m
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 107 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Music, Comedy, Fantasy
- Country
- United States
- Studio
- Hercules Films +2 more
- Budget
- $100,000
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Cast
Hervé Villechaize
King Fausto of the Sixth Dimension
Susan Tyrrell
Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension
Matthew Bright
Squeezit & René Henderson
Gene Cunningham
Pa Hercules
Marie-Pascale Elfman
Susan B. "Frenchie" Hercules
Virginia Rose
Ma Hercules
Phil Gordon
Flash Hercules
Hyman Diamond
Grampa Hercules
Brian Routh
Harry Kipper
Martin von Haselberg
Harry Kipper
Written by: Matthew Bright, Nicholas James, Nick L. Martinson