Towering over the village of Vandorf is the deserted Castle Borski; according to lore, the castle is inhabited by a monster, with these tales given currency due to a recent string of mysterious deaths which occur during the full moon. In the latest incident, young Bruno is painting a portrait of his naked girlfriend one night when she tells him she's pregnant—he runs off through the woods to ask for her hand in marriage, and she follows, but the next morning, both are found dead. Bruno is hanging from a tree, but what only the local doctor Namaroff (Peter Cushing) knows is that the girl was found turned to stone—we see one of her fingers chip off of her hand while her corpse is on an autopsy table. It is assumed by the villagers that Bruno killed the girl and then himself, and the doctor doesn't say otherwise at the inquest. Bruno's father comes to town to clear his son's name but winds up turned to stone himself, and we learn that the monster haunting the village is the snake-haired gorgon Megaera, sister to the legendary Medusa, who turns people to stone with just a glance. Bruno's brother Paul (Richard Pasco) comes to the village to investigate, along with his mentor, Prof. Meister (Christopher Lee), and they begin to realize that whatever is going on, Dr. Namaroff knows more than he's telling, actively hiding the presence of this creature, and (maybe) his assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley) is in on it as well. Will our heroes crack this case before the next full moon? It was nice of Hammer to try something different for their monster, going to Greek mythology for inspiration, but ultimately the monster aspect of this movie leaves something to be desired—the gorgon is rather disappointing looking and a little sluggish, like a mummy. Overall the film works best as a mood piece, eschewing sensationalism and gore for an atmosphere of doom and a little sex appeal in the figure of Barbara Shelley. Pasco is a passable hero, and it's fun to see Lee and Cushing playing against type, with Cushing as the villain and Lee as the hero. Fans of fantasy and atmosphere will like this, while viewers wanting action and blood may not stick with it to the end. [DVD]
Thursday, October 03, 2019
THE GORGON (1964)
Towering over the village of Vandorf is the deserted Castle Borski; according to lore, the castle is inhabited by a monster, with these tales given currency due to a recent string of mysterious deaths which occur during the full moon. In the latest incident, young Bruno is painting a portrait of his naked girlfriend one night when she tells him she's pregnant—he runs off through the woods to ask for her hand in marriage, and she follows, but the next morning, both are found dead. Bruno is hanging from a tree, but what only the local doctor Namaroff (Peter Cushing) knows is that the girl was found turned to stone—we see one of her fingers chip off of her hand while her corpse is on an autopsy table. It is assumed by the villagers that Bruno killed the girl and then himself, and the doctor doesn't say otherwise at the inquest. Bruno's father comes to town to clear his son's name but winds up turned to stone himself, and we learn that the monster haunting the village is the snake-haired gorgon Megaera, sister to the legendary Medusa, who turns people to stone with just a glance. Bruno's brother Paul (Richard Pasco) comes to the village to investigate, along with his mentor, Prof. Meister (Christopher Lee), and they begin to realize that whatever is going on, Dr. Namaroff knows more than he's telling, actively hiding the presence of this creature, and (maybe) his assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley) is in on it as well. Will our heroes crack this case before the next full moon? It was nice of Hammer to try something different for their monster, going to Greek mythology for inspiration, but ultimately the monster aspect of this movie leaves something to be desired—the gorgon is rather disappointing looking and a little sluggish, like a mummy. Overall the film works best as a mood piece, eschewing sensationalism and gore for an atmosphere of doom and a little sex appeal in the figure of Barbara Shelley. Pasco is a passable hero, and it's fun to see Lee and Cushing playing against type, with Cushing as the villain and Lee as the hero. Fans of fantasy and atmosphere will like this, while viewers wanting action and blood may not stick with it to the end. [DVD]
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