THE GORGON (1964)

THE GORGON (1964)

Tagline: A Monster With the Power to Turn Living Screaming Flesh Into Stone!

(Horror, Greek Mythology, Excuse Me…Do You Have any Gorgon Poupon?) [PG-13]

Note: This movie was not given an MPA rating, but would have likely gotten a PG-13. On streaming services, it is rated TV-14. 

That's one of the most unscientific remarks I have ever heard. I believe in the existence of everything which the human brain is unable to disprove.

In this one, a young girl is killed and a hearing is conducted to determine what caused the death. Dr. Namaroff lies about his findings and blames the woman’s fiancé Bruno. Bruno’s father Professor Jules Heitz is out to find the real killer. Carla, Dr. Namaroff’s assistant believes that the killer is a Gorgon and she is determined to get Dr. Namaroff to check into it. Dr. Namaroff is reluctant to go along even after Professor Jules raises the same concerns Carla brought up, more out of fear than anything. Has Megaera, the Gorgon returned to wreak havoc on this early-twentieth-century village? 

When I was younger, my father was definitely an ’80s horror fan (as am I), but every once in a while he would put on one of these gems and I remember being fascinated by the concepts but wasn’t old enough to really appreciate how well written these Hammer films are. I also love the attention to detail and even though I prefer the black and white of the 50’s, these look absolutely gorgeous in color. 

When it comes to the casting we’ve got some legends in this thing including Christopher Lee (THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH) who is not overly challenged here but does great in the role of Prof. Karl Meister. Peter Cushing (THE MUMMY) is solid as Dr. Namaroff. We get a really good effort from Michael Goodliffe (A NIGHT TO REMEMBER) who crushes it in his brief appearance as Professor Jules Heitz. I also really liked Richard Pasco (THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS) in this as Paul Heitz, Professor Jules Heitz’s other son. This is also another solid performance from Barbara Shelley (VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED) as Carla.

The village setting is awesome. I know they were on kind of a budget so there is some use of matte paintings in this, but I loved the production itself. It comes across as something made by a group of people who wanted to master this sort of old-school macabre period-piece horror flick. You really don’t see a lot of movies about Medusa, Megaera, or Gorgon’s in general so this one kind of stands out in the Hammer Films catalog. Yes, I know a series of films just got started in 2020 called MEDUSA, but I am not asking people to run out to see those in spite of the fact that both films thus far in the series have cool posters. 

The knock on this movie is that the snakes in Megaera’s hair look pretty rough. Apparently, Barbara Shelley suggested they use a special wig with live green garden snakes woven into it for a more realistic effect, but instead, we go with what we got. That doesn’t stop this film from delivering great sets, wonderful acting, a superb script, an eerie atmosphere, and one of the more obscure villains out there. I also enjoyed the pacing and the score is near perfect when it needs to be. This also isn’t an overly long movie that overstays its welcome at just 82 minutes long. 

THE GORGON gets a solid 5 out of 7. Aside from THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (which I gave the same rating), it’s my favorite film of theirs that I have reviewed thus far.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF HAMMER FILMS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.