Just perfect...

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

British film studio Hammer made its reputation in the 1960s as a producer of better than average horror films. The Gorgon, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, all three veteran horror film stalwarts, retells the story from Greek myth of the snake-haired woman so ugly that anyone who looks directly at her is turned to stone. The most interesting thing about the film is the mise-en-scene: the story is reset in a supposedly Eastern European village but the environment seems like a cross between Transylvania and Sussex; the interiors and costumes are richly detailed and credible. The acting is as good as you would expect from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, with the latter rather atypically playing the good guy rather than a villain.The film is good enough that it might have been a minor classic of the horror genre, except for one huge flaw. (Possible spoiler ahead, but if you know the myth at all you will know what happens anyway.) At the end of the film, in what is supposed to be the peak of the horror, when we finally get a closeup of the Gorgon's decapitated head, it is ridiculously obvious that it is the head of a mannequin. It is about as convincing a special effect as you would expect in a movie made by high school students in their garage.That aside, the rest of the film is good enough to be watchable and will be of interest especially to fans of the horror genre. It's available in various DVDs; I saw it on the Icons of Horror Hammer DVD set, which is of acceptable quality.

This may not be one of their best offerings, but it's still solid and enjoyable genre storytelling done in the typically colourful, atmospheric Hammer style. Of course, any film of this sort that stars both Sir Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing is automatically worthy of some interest. It's also fun to see any film featuring the Gorgon character from Greek mythology. As directed by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, this doesn't really work as a mystery but all of the expected trappings do make this easy enough to watch. Perhaps the greatest asset to the tale is the overwhelming sense of tragedy to all of it.The setting is the European village of Vandorf in the early 20th century. The Gorgon Megaera has supposedly taken up residence in a nearby castle, and people periodically turn up dead, turned to stone as we are told was the fate of any person who looked a Gorgon in the face. Headstrong Paul Heitz (Richard Pasco) learns of the bad ends that befell his brother and father, and determines to solve the mystery; he is eventually joined by his colleague Professor Karl Meister (Lee). They believe that the cagey Dr. Namaroff (Cushing) holds the key to all of it.It's a treat to see the usually heroic Cushing play a much more dubious character than usual, and to see the often villainous Sir Christopher in a good guy part. They don't share any screen time until 71 minutes into the film, but the resulting scene is riveting as they square off. The other performances are all excellent: Pasco as Paul, who falls in love with Carla (Barbara Shelly), the gorgeous assistant to Namaroff, Michael Goodliffe as Pauls' father, Patrick Troughton as the officious Inspector Kanof, and Jack Watson as thuggish orderly Ratoff. Prudence Hyman dons the makeup as the monstrous form of the Gorgon, whose visage may come as a disappointment to some viewers.Technically well made overall, with a great score by frequent Hammer composer James Bernard, "The Gorgon" does have protagonists worth rooting for, and a fairly formidable monster.Seven out of 10.

Hammer took the worn-out vampire shtick and slapped an old woman's face onto the blood-sucking Romanian count. Except that a vampire needs human blood in order to survive, but what's the Gorgon's motive for killing? There's a full moon, and off she goes, turning humans into stone: it almost sounds like a hobby. I'd understand if she turned them into gold or diamonds, but stone…? It's not as if there isn't an endless supply of rocks anyway. Some gorgons just don't feel the need to add something of value to society.The way Doctor Cushing has the entire local police wrapped around his little finger, one would think he is involved in a sexual affair with the Chief of Police. There is very little sense in how easily Cushing manages to hide the fact that all murder victims turned to stone, throughout all those years, just as there is very little sense in the locals organizing a lynch mob party for the guy who tried to solve the murders. "There's the father of one of the murder victims! Let's kill him!" Duh. One would think the small local population would be supportive of his efforts to solve the riddle, but this is a Hammer Horror production and this means that nonsensical plot-devices are used by force just to advance the plot in the desired direction.Anyway, how did the painter's father intend to fight this beast? By putting a blind-fold and then waving around with a sword in random directions? In the end, the only character that made any sense at all was Lee's. Although, even Lee managed to commit a stupid movie act by not informing the police that Cushing's assistant tried to kill whassisname. Instead, the cops get an arrest warrant for whassisname even though there is no body, and the ginger girl had been missing only a few hours or so. Again, am I to assume that Cushing was a closet homosexual who had a torrid affair with the Chief of Police? (Alright, alright, a bisexual then, coz he's in love with the ginger maiden.) TG breaks a rather crucial unwritten law of human behaviour. The story would have us believe that the inhabitants of a remote German village from the early 1900s have DIFFICULTY in believing in the supernatural; this alone seems far-fetched. But when you add to this that they have ample proof that something bizarre and unexplainable is going on, the stupidity of this plot-device becomes monumental. Reality is the complete opposite: people tend to believe in the biggest bull's dung - especially supernatural bull's dung - when there ISN'T a speck of proof to back it up.TG has decent dialogue and OK acting, but the story is predictable and at times very stupid. That Cushing was somehow involved with the murders was obvious early on. That the red-head was in fact Gorgonzolla was evident a little later, much before Lee tells the viewers. It's one of those movies that bore you because you are always one step ahead of the detectives. What isn't clear is whether the Gorgon was killed by having the ginger decapitated, or whether she'd merely left to look for a new host. Perhaps she went to Japan? If she ever met Godzilla there and married him, they could name their first child Gorgonzilla.In the end, whassisname doesn't get the girl, and frankly, he doesn't deserve to! Anybody who can't beat up a skinny old man such as Cushing in a scuffle shouldn't be getting any girl, not even a gorgonzollian killer such as Ginger.

Hammer took a break from the Dracula and Frankenstein movies to focus on the Gorgon character, a witch with snakes as hair, her face turning those that look at her into stone. Seven victims in the forest near the village of Vandorf have fallen victim to the Gorgon, but Dr. Namaroff (Peter Cushing) and the police (specifically Inspector Kanof played by the second timelord, Patrick Troughton of Dr. Who fame) have concealed her crimes—the question is why? When a painter is found hung after the death of his girlfriend, Namaroff will have a hard time keeping a lid on the Gorgon any longer. Professor Jules Heitz (Michael Goodliffe) pursues justice for his son, considered the one responsible for his girlfriend's murder (she was in fact turned to stone), found hung from a tree, and also falls prey to the Gorgon. Before he succumbs fully to the stone affliction of the Gorgon, Jules gets a letter to his son Paul (Richard Pasco), informing him of Vandorf's corruption and this instigates an investigation which could once and for all uncover who houses the evil witch's spirit that comes to life at the fullness of the moon. The ruins of Castle Borski is the location where the Gorgon spirit Magera seems to frequent. Paul is a student of Professor Karl Meister (Christopher Lee), and needs his mentor's help after an encounter with the Gorgon. Paul is in love with a nurse of Namaroff's, Carla Hoffman (Barbara Shelley), which produces further complications. Karl and Paul know that Namaroff is hiding something, but he will not cooperate with their investigation of the Gorgon—but what is he hiding and why? I have to admit that this film is more fun before the Gorgon is actually revealed (she is pretty cheesy, I must confess), when the face of this creature is obscured and we see frightened faces of those unfortunates who look at her (I think the acting does really sell how horrific she looks, but Hammer couldn't cheat their audience without at least showing Magera at the end, now could they?), especially as characters like Paul go looking around the ruins of Castle Borski. Lee is particularly fun as the formidable Meister who doesn't tolerate the same sort of bullying tactics that Paul's father did by the citizens and police. Determined to find an answer to who the Gorgon is and what Namaroff is keeping secret, Meister is needed because Paul becomes misguided by his love for Carla (Namaroff is also in love with Carla). Cushing has a complex character in this film, so in love with Carla that he could be contributing to the murders instead of stopping them. The ending is quite tragic as Paul pays a heavy price for his love of Carla (as does Namaroff), with Lee saving the day. With the sinister ruins of the castle and plenty of atmosphere to spare, I think "The Gorgon" is a nice little sleeper worthy of discovery for Hammer fans.