Gargoyles

The thing about made-for-tv movies is that the networks have a requirement that there is a chill and/or spill on every commercial break. If the formula is followed successfully, it definately pays.

Gargoyles is proof of this. It is a low-budget film, but is well-paced. I was thoroughly chilled by this when it first showed on TV, and saw it again a few years ago, then caught it again today on MoviePlex, sans commercials. It holds up very well over time, and the acting is quite good in most places. I especially liked Bernie Casey as the lead Gargoyle, though I don't know if I should call it especially inspired or deliberatly hammy. Doesn't matter, still enjoyable either way.

The effects were on the very lowest budget, so you get a whiff of 'cheese' to enjoy as well, but the monster suits were actually quite good. I only saw 'rubber stretches' once or twice. I can think of big budget films that didn't have costumes as good as these. Bernie Casey's voice was filled with some kind of static. A cheap effect, but an effective one.

The plotline was a bit slanted, the Gargoyles were dedicated to taking over the Earth, completely evil and therefore must be destroyed, something that wouldn't likely be passed today due to politcal correctness, but the ending still works nicely despite that.

I would highly recommend it to any horror fan.

Gargoyle creatures are living in a small American town in 1972.

Generally speaking, I don't review horror films, but by today's standards the horror element here is very mild, in fact this reads more like an episode of The Outer Limits (1963) complete with the same narrator at the start. It also has a very regular cast member from the Dark Shadows (1966) TV series.

This low budget gem proves that so much can be done without CGI and violence, maybe today's film makers should watch this film and learn from it. I am told this movie has a few obvious errors, such as wires holding up the creatures in flight, but my small YouTube screen could not pick up on these things.

I have to say that I'm largely impressed with the seventies made for television horror movies that I've seen, and while Gargoyles isn't exactly a great film; it has more than enough going for it to ensure that my overall opinion of these films has gone up after seeing it. The film is not exactly original, although it goes about portraying its subject matter well. The film professes that Satan sent his minions, the Gargoyles, down to Earth and they have been subdued by humankind. We follow the fortunes of Dr. Mercer Boley and his daughter Diana as they travel across the desert, and end up finding a colony of the aforementioned Gargoyles. The film doesn't take itself very seriously, and this turns out to be a good thing as director Bill L. Norton is not held back by trying to make the film credible, and instead is given licence to fully explore the subject material. It's hard not to laugh at certain points during the film, but the ideas on show are mostly good and that is all you can really expect from a film like this. The story is entertaining too and more than adequately fills the 75 minute running time, and the director also manages to create a creepy atmosphere and a fair few scares. Well worth seeing.

OK... In this day and age of CG graphics and $100M budgets, some would say this movie wouldn't stack up. Of course most of us who have seen it love it for its nostaglic value and some very genuine scares. It always seemed to come on really late at night (was that on purpose?) and I remember at least once watching it when I was about 10 years old at our neighbors lake house when I was the only one awake and there was a nice storm going on outside. All I can say is that I jumped a number of times that night and although I've seen plenty of horror films since, I'd probably still jump during this one today. Hopefully I'll get to see it again, if not just to hear the lead gargoyle say "Diana" in that metallic, evil-sounding voice.

The original airing of this film on ABC's Movie of the Week program in the early 70s is a happy childhood memory for me. Definitely a period piece. It was made as a pilot for a series that was never optioned by the network. The movie is distinguished by some witty performances by the actors in the supporting roles. My favorite is Grayson Hall as lush on the make Mrs. Parks. Grayson is always a lot of fun to watch and she clearly had a blast with this role. Her son Matt helped paint ping pong balls which were used in making the gargoyle costumes.