The Gorgon is set in the small European village of Vandorf during the early part of the 20th Century where there the local population are nervous because of 7 unsolved murders in 5 years, one such unexplained killing is that of Sascha Cass (Toni Gilpin) who was found turned to stone! Her boyfriend Bruno Heitz (Jeremy Longhurst) was also found dead, hanging from a noose tied to a tree. The local authorities conclude Bruno was responsible for the murders & in a fit of guilt committed suicide, case closed right? Well, no not really because Bruno's father Jules (Michael Goodlife) sets out to clear his son's name. Unfortunately he ends up turned to stone as well so it's up to Paul Heitz (Richard Pasco) to find the truth behind his father's & brother's deaths & the local villagers don't seem to want to co-operate...
This British production was directed by Terrence Fisher & I didn't think The Gorgon was one of Hammer's best by any stretch of the imagination. The script by John Gilling takes it central idea from Greek mythology & plays around with it a bit to accommodate Hammer's particular forte, the Victorian set Gothic style horror mystery. I personally found the story a bit silly, even sillier than the average Hammer offering & it is one of the most predictable 'mysteries' I've seen as the identity of the Gorgon is utterly obvious. At only 80 odd minutes it moves along at a fair pace, I wouldn't say it's boring but at the same time I can't say that I really got into it, the story just didn't engage me or draw me in with forgettable character's, dull dialogue & the baffling decision not to have stars Cushing or Lee meet until the final 10 minutes & only then very briefly.
Director Fisher does alright & despite some obviously studio bound European exterior locations it looks nice enough with a strong colour scheme, forget about any style though as this is pretty much point & shoot stuff. I wouldn't call The Gorgon scary either, there's a reasonable atmosphere but not as strong as other notable Hammer productions of the period like The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). The Gorgon creature itself looks terrible with awful face paint & a poor fitting wig with rubber snakes, as Christopher Lee once supposedly said 'the only thing wrong with 'The Gorgon' is the gorgon!' & I'm struggling to disagree.
Technically the film is OK, it's well made but some of those sets really do look incredibly fake, as usual for Hammer at the time it was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire in England which is probably why it never convinced me for a second that the film was set in Europe. The acting is OK but as already mentioned Cushing & Lee only meet at the very end & Lee is only seen once during the first 50 minutes which just seems like a waste to me. Soon to be the second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963 - 1989) Patrick Troughton turns up as a copper with a silly helmet.
The Gorgon is an OK time waster, the Gorgon itself is barely in it & when it is it looks terrible, Cushing & Lee are somewhat wasted & overall I just didn't think it was anything special & it's as simple & straight forward as that.
This British production was directed by Terrence Fisher & I didn't think The Gorgon was one of Hammer's best by any stretch of the imagination. The script by John Gilling takes it central idea from Greek mythology & plays around with it a bit to accommodate Hammer's particular forte, the Victorian set Gothic style horror mystery. I personally found the story a bit silly, even sillier than the average Hammer offering & it is one of the most predictable 'mysteries' I've seen as the identity of the Gorgon is utterly obvious. At only 80 odd minutes it moves along at a fair pace, I wouldn't say it's boring but at the same time I can't say that I really got into it, the story just didn't engage me or draw me in with forgettable character's, dull dialogue & the baffling decision not to have stars Cushing or Lee meet until the final 10 minutes & only then very briefly.
Director Fisher does alright & despite some obviously studio bound European exterior locations it looks nice enough with a strong colour scheme, forget about any style though as this is pretty much point & shoot stuff. I wouldn't call The Gorgon scary either, there's a reasonable atmosphere but not as strong as other notable Hammer productions of the period like The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). The Gorgon creature itself looks terrible with awful face paint & a poor fitting wig with rubber snakes, as Christopher Lee once supposedly said 'the only thing wrong with 'The Gorgon' is the gorgon!' & I'm struggling to disagree.
Technically the film is OK, it's well made but some of those sets really do look incredibly fake, as usual for Hammer at the time it was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire in England which is probably why it never convinced me for a second that the film was set in Europe. The acting is OK but as already mentioned Cushing & Lee only meet at the very end & Lee is only seen once during the first 50 minutes which just seems like a waste to me. Soon to be the second Doctor in Doctor Who (1963 - 1989) Patrick Troughton turns up as a copper with a silly helmet.
The Gorgon is an OK time waster, the Gorgon itself is barely in it & when it is it looks terrible, Cushing & Lee are somewhat wasted & overall I just didn't think it was anything special & it's as simple & straight forward as that.