Editing Ator (section)

=== ''Ator 2 – L'invincibile Orion'' ===
{{Main|Ator 2 – L'invincibile Orion}}
1984's ''Ator 2 – L'invincibile Orion'', released in America as ''The Blade Master'' (and in a re-edited TV version years later as ''Cave Dwellers'') lends credence to the argument that Joe D'Amato was using Ator as a ploy to make money from the Conan films.{{cn|date=November 2020}} Like its predecessor, it went into production shortly after the theatrical release of the second ''Conan'' film, ''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'', and was released later the same year.

In this film, Ator and his sidekick Thong travel from the mythic "Ends of the Earth" to save Ator's mentor from an evil warlord. The film ends with Ator destroying an ancient object of power (called in the film the "Geometric Nucleus") that his mentor was guarding to protect it from falling into the hands of evil men.

Unintentionally comical moments sometimes arise when writer/director Joe D'Amato has Ator use modern-day technology in the film. For example, Ator storms a castle using a 1980s style [[hang gliding|hang glider]], and later destroys the "Geometric Nucleus" in a nuclear bomb explosion, and the film ends with a [[mushroom cloud]].

The film was a box office and home video failure. An edited version entitled ''Cave Dwellers'' was featured on a popular episode of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', causing it to become a cult sensation. The American theatrical cut, ''The Blademaster'', now enjoys modest success on home video and DVD as a cult favorite.