A Górgona

The spirit of one of the three Gorgon sisters from Greek mythology is terrorizing a German village in the early 1900s. A doctor (Peter Cushing) seems to be in denial about the supernatural element of the mounting deaths in the last seven years, but a professor from out of town has no qualms about finding the truth (Christopher Lee). Barbara Shelley plays the doctor's assistant while Richard Pasco is on hand as a subordinate to the professor.

"The Gorgon" (1965) is cut from the same gothic horror cloth as other Hammer flicks of the era, like "Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (1966), "Frankenstein Created Woman" (1967) and "Frankenstein Must be Destroyed" (1969), as well as similar non-Hammer movies, like Corman & Coppola's "The Terror" (1963) and "The Creeping Flesh" (1973). If you like these kinds of films, you'll appreciate "The Gorgon," although it's the least of these IMHO, albeit not far off.

The pace is slow as suspense mounts with various revelations. The romantic element lends human interest and it's nice to see Cushing and Lee sorta trade typical roles. As usual with Hammer and similar flicks from the era, the colorful spooky ambiance is a top attraction. And noble redhead Barbara Shelley doesn't hurt.

The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios in England.

GRADE: B

This is an enjoyable rather forgotten movie from the Hammer studio's, staring both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee again.

I particularly liked the atmosphere of the movie. Unlike many other Hammer movies, this one actually got creepy, which was mainly due to its mysterious build up and overall atmosphere. The first appearance of Megaera is a great horror moment and surprised me quite a bit at how greatly it was done.

But no, unfortunately the movie is a whole isn't among the best the Hammer studios ever provided. The actual story fails to become really interesting and the character treatment isn't the greatest. It took me a while into the movie to realize that Peter Cushing was going to be the 'bad' guy in this and Christoper Lee the good guy. Normally those roles are always turned around. Besides that, Christopher Lee doesn't really get featured until the movie is already halve way through. His character after that also makes a redundant impression and the movie could had easily done without him. He's first billed but don't be fooled, he really isn't the main character in this. It also isn't Christopher Lee's finest acting moment. At times he's just downward horrible. His silly looking make-up and wig also doesn't help much to make his character a good one. Peter Cushing also gets make-up applied. In some sequences he looks so much different than he did in real life! It also takes a while for the movie to introduce its real main character, Paul Heitz.

The story flow also isn't the greatest. The movie gets stuck at times, when the mystery doesn't get explained and not enough is happening in the movie, even though the actual story itself is in its core quite a good one, that's filled with lots of potential, that doesn't really get ever exploited in this movie.

The movie obviously didn't cost a lot to made. Like I said before, the make-up effects aren't the greatest but more distracting are the obvious fake backgrounds and sets. Nevertheless, this has now of course become part of the charm of Hammer horror movies.

Greatly enjoyable to watch for the Hammer fans.

6/10

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I have to say that I'm really surprised that The Gorgon isn't one of the better known Hammer Horror films. Aside from the fact that it stars Hammer's two biggest actors - Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing - The Gorgon also features a fairly original cinematic monster, and it makes for a great fun watch! This film reminded me a lot of The Reptile in the way it plays out, in that it focuses on a mystery surrounding the central monster. It has to be said that, like a lot of Hammer Horror films, the plot is very simplistic; but that's hardly a problem as there's plenty to enjoy outside of the plot in this film. As the title suggests, the film focuses on a mysterious 'Gorgon', a woman with a head full of snakes that can turn people to stone just by looking at them. She's creating quite a problem for the local village, as citizens begin turning up dead - but unlike most dead people, they've turned to stone! The authorities try to cover it up, but as the murders continue, the son of one of the victims decides to investigate.

The film is very typical of Hammer in that it features a lush colour scheme and a lot of eerily Gothic settings. The Gorgon is directed by Hammer's most prolific director, Terence Fisher, and as usual - he does a solid job. The fact that this film stars both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee is definitely to its advantage, although it is unfortunate (as is the case with many of their joint ventures) that they don't get to spend a lot of screen time together. Neither one is at their very best; but even Lee and Cushing on autopilot makes for great viewing, and neither one disappoints. It has to be said that the special effects are a bit shoddy and the monster doesn't look particularly scary; but stuff like that is part of the charm of Hammer Horror, and personally - I wouldn't have it any other way! It all boils down to a pretty standard conclusion, but while nothing about this film stands out too much next the rest of Hammer's output - it still stands up as a more than decent little horror film and I'm certain that my fellow Hammer fanatics wont be disappointed with it!

As mentioned by many, the Gorgon is not your typical scare-fest horror film. It's driving force is its atmosphere, its lore and understanding various subplots. Cheaply made, the film has no doubt turned some to stone-cold hysterics with its campy effects and home movie-like makeup of the creature. While the story has wonderful elements of mystery and lure, it never reveals certain motivations. For example, why has the Gorgon's spirit returned to earth? What is the Cushing character's intentions? Many of the story's characters know the myth behind the murders (how many variations are there to a creature turning a man to stone with her gaze?), so controlling the creature was no revelation. But all that aside, the film's theme is captivating. If you don't expect a monster movie, but view this film as a mystery based on folklore and with a haunting backdrop, you too will be delighted with this hidden gem. There is a scene in castle, when Mageara first appears and we catch glimpses of her peeking out at a prospective victim. It's a tantalizing prelude to the terror to come. But the scene that had me mesmerized , and that singularly crystalizes the Gorgon's chilling presence is when she has turned a character with her demonic stare, then seemingly drifts back into the shadows. It is a strangely beautiful scene. The Gorgon, called the Mageara, is a true mystery. She has no emotion, no true motivation, and she is not shown stalking her prey. Like a black widow in human form, she merely waits for (perhaps even lures) innocent souls to come to her parlor. Mageara seemingly in incapable of harming man, except for her petrifying gaze; she quietly floats about the castle. If I were to remake this film, I would tell the story from the perspective of the female host, and the struggle to understand her curse. There is sheer tragedy in what Hammer has presented, and I find myself looking upon many of the story's characters with sense of sadness and doom. Finally, I want to say that I wish the stone victims could have turned quickly, like those poor souls in the film "Thief of Baghdad," with Steve Reeves. Oh well, just a last thought.

The Gorgon may not be a personal favourite from Hammer, but it is still a film well worth watching, and along with Curse of the Werewolf it's among Hammer's most under-appreciated.

Admittedly, the story is absurd and occasionally could have been more eventful. The ending felt rushed and abrupt. And while the Gorgon was scary at first, by the end she did look rather cheaply made-up and more goofy and menacing. The snakes agreed did look fake, and the true identity of the Gorgon was made a bit too obviously too early.

On the other hand, the Gorgon aside, The Gorgon is quite well-done visually, with splendidly Gothic sets, sumptuous period detail, shadowy and bold lighting and beautiful and atmospheric photography. Fisher, the most frequent of Hammer's directors and for me their best, directs with a fine sense of atmosphere and dread, some parts are incredibly suspenseful, while not forgetting to make things fun too. Hammer regular James Bernard provides a music score that's jaunty but also booming with hauntingly thrilling effect, a highly effective score that fits with the mood like a glove.

The script is poetic and thought-provoking, with a number of funny and menacing lines from Meister that don't feel out of place (Meister's line about using long words and his answer to Heitz's 'I've been ill' did get a good laugh). It also didn't feel too talky, like some Hammer films can do, and the suspense level is never dropped too much. As silly and absurd the story can be, it very rarely harms the atmosphere which is tense and unnerving and didn't feel too predictable. While the characters are not the most well-developed, they are ones that are not too hard to care for.

It is because of the great performances from a talented cast that play a large part of as to why that is. Peter Cushing's dignity and restraint was very much appreciated and Christopher Lee performs with terrific gusto, and relishes his dialogue. Richard Pasco has fun too, Prudence Hyman horrifies as the Gorgon and Barbara Shelley has got to be Hammer's best ever femme fatale. Patrick Troughton, more than just a cameo this time, is great as well.

All in all, The Gorgon is not flawless but it's a good film with a lot of merits, and has to be one of Hammer's most under-appreciated. 7/10 Bethany Cox