High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 fantasy film. It is based on the stories by Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer of the 1930s, about the adventures of the eponymous character in a fictional pre-historic world of dark magic and savagery. The film adaptation was written and directed by John Milius, and produced by Raffaella De Laurentiis and Buzz Feitshans. Basil Poledouris provided the music. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, and tells the story of a young barbarian who seeks vengeance for the death of his parents. The target of his hatred is Thulsa Doom, the leader of a snake cult.