christopher-underwood
A real plod, this one and although things perk up when Christopher Lee enters the tale properly, he really cannot save things, despite his 'famous five' like rushing about with such gusto. Peter Cushing seems bored and in truth his part is rotten, Barbara Shelley is just about okay but not really up to receiving such male attention. Now if that had been Barbara Steele in the role perhaps I could have been persuaded to engage a little more with the preposterous tale, so drably presented. Being repetitive with uninspired dialogue and flat direction does nothing to help raise this ridiculous story or even lift it to an interesting level more than once or twice throughout its entire ponderous length.
jellopuke
Atmospheric and slow moving, this movie may not be for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a solid Hammer horror about people turning to stone, then check it out. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are their usual solid selves and the mood of dread permeates everything. Sure it has an obvious "set" look, but that only adds to the etherealness of it all. Track it down if you like classic horror.
Leofwine_draca
THE GORGON is one of the second-tier Hammer Horror offerings made during the 1960s. It's not one of their classic films but fans of the studio will probably be pleased regardless by the heady Gothic atmosphere which pervades the whole production. It's also the last time that the studio's most famous stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing teamed up with arguably the studio's best director, Terence Fisher, who of course was responsible for their 1950s classics like THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. This one's again set in an unspecified European country, where mysterious deaths have been plaguing the local countryside leaving the victims literally petrified.There's not much mystery served up in the story here, because what's going on is pretty obvious at the outset. In addition, the pacing is quite slow so there's some twiddling of the thumbs involved. However, watching a good cast going through the motions is always a pleasure, so you can overlook these shortcomings and the dodginess of the heavily dated special effects to boot. Cushing relishes his subdued, almost sad, part, Lee is always great fun as the hero for a change (possibly a warm up for THE DEVIL RIDES OUT), and others like Michael Goodliffe, Richard Pasco, and Patrick Troughton shine.
FlashCallahan
When his father Professor Jules Heitz and brother Bruno die under mysterious circumstances, Paul Heitz travels to a small town to determine what is going on.It's the early 1900s and he finds villagers who are wary of strangers and apparently live in fear, particularly when there is a full moon.He hears of the legend of Megaera, a Gorgon so hideous that to look at her will turn you to stone.Of particular interest to him are Dr. Namaroff and his attractive assistant Carla Hoffman.Namaroff is obviously hiding something and is very possessive of Carla, who suffers from blackouts and memory loss....It's one of those typical Hammer movies that comes on TV late at night and you just cannot help but watch the absurdity of it all.All the familiar faces are here, Cushing, Lee, Matte Paintings, but Hammer movies never fail to entertain, even if they do fail to shock.Not unlike Nosferatu, we have one man who is an outcast in a village, which hides a secret. The secret is, it's Medusa's not so famous sibling, who can turn a man to stone with her red eyes and awful hair.The effects are funny in a Hammer way, but Lee and Cushing put a bit of class into the proceedings.Not as good as the Dracula films, but has a little kookiness to it all.
AD
