The Gorgon (1964)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

John Gilling (screenplay)
J. Llewellyn Devine (original story)

Release Date:

17 February 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

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

Plot:

In the early 20th century, a Gorgon takes human form and terrorizes a small European village by turning its citizens to stone.

Plot Keywords:

Gorgon | Stone | Full Moon | 1900s | Turned To Stone

Cast

Christopher Lee	...	Prof. Karl Meister
Peter Cushing	...	Dr. Namaroff
Richard Pasco	...	Paul Heitz
Barbara Shelley	...	Carla Hoffman
Michael Goodliffe	...	Professor Jules Heitz
Patrick Troughton	...	Inspector Kanof
Joseph O'Conor	...	Coroner
Prudence Hyman	...	The Gorgon
Jack Watson	...	Ratoff
Redmond Phillips	...	Hans
Jeremy Longhurst	...	Bruno Heitz
Toni Gilpin	...	Sascha Cass
Joyce Hemson	...	Martha
Alister Williamson	...	Janus Cass
Michael Peake	...	Constable
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sally Nesbitt	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Terence Fisher

Writing credits
John Gilling		(screenplay)
J. Llewellyn Devine		(original story)

Produced by
Anthony Nelson Keys	....	producer

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Michael Reed		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Eric Boyd-Perkins		(as Eric Boyd Perkins)

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Don Mingaye

Makeup Department
Roy Ashton	....	makeup artist
Frieda Steiger	....	hair stylist
Richard Mills	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Weeks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Batt	....	assistant director
Hugh Harlow	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Stephen Victor	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Arthur Banks	....	construction manager (uncredited)
Stan Banks	....	master plasterer (uncredited)
Eric Hillier	....	props buyer (uncredited)
Tom Money	....	property master (uncredited)
Lawrence Wren	....	master painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Hyde	....	sound editor
Ken Rawkins	....	sound recordist
Alan Thorne	....	sound assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Sydney Pearson	....	special effects (as Syd Pearson)
Ray Caple	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	fight arranger
Peter Diamond	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cecil Cooney	....	camera operator (as C. Cooney)
Albert Cowlard	....	camera grip (uncredited)
Jack Curtis	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Tom Edwards	....	still photographer (uncredited)
John Shinerock	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe mistress
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Marcus Dods	....	musical supervisor
James Bernard	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Pauline Harlow	....	continuity
W.H.V. Able	....	chief accountant (uncredited)
Ken Gordon	....	accountant (uncredited)
Arthur Kelly	....	studio manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Hammer Film Productions (as A Hammer Film Production)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1964) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Bavaria Filmgesellschaft m.b.H. (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Included in "Hammer Films Icons of Horror Collection")
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (video)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2010) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Portugal:M/18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:T | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #20685) | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Actress Barbara Shelley, who played the possessed heroine, Carla Hoffmann, wanted to play the part of the gorgon as well for continuity, and suggested to producer Anthony Nelson Keys that she use a special wig with live green garden snakes woven into it for a more realistic effect. Her idea was rejected by Keys due to budget and time considerations. When Keys saw the abysmal gorgon effects in the finished film, he told Shelley that he should have listened to her suggestion. As Christopher Lee quips, "The only thing wrong with "The Gorgon" is the gorgon!"

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the climactic scene in the castle, during the fight between Namarof and Heitz, Namarof tries to secure his balance by holding on to an iron candlestick which bends, revealing itself to be made out of rubber.

Quotes:

Professor Jules Heitz:I want to ask you a simple question.
Dr. Namaroff:Pleas...
Professor Jules Heitz:You were once a guest in my house in Berlin. You met both my sons - Bruno. in particular. You talked to him at some length.
Dr. Namaroff:I believe I did.
Professor Jules Heitz:What impression did you form of him?
Dr. Namaroff:Well, I thought he was...
[Pausing to light a match]
Professor Jules Heitz:Normal?
Dr. Namaroff:Why, yes, of course.
Professor Jules Heitz:Yet capable of murder?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Girl Ghouls (1996) (V)

Excellent Hammer Horror!

I have to say that I'm really surprised that The Gorgon isn't one of the better known Hammer Horror films. Aside from the fact that it stars Hammer's two biggest actors - Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing - The Gorgon also features a fairly original cinematic monster, and it makes for a great fun watch! This film reminded me a lot of The Reptile in the way it plays out, in that it focuses on a mystery surrounding the central monster. It has to be said that, like a lot of Hammer Horror films, the plot is very simplistic; but that's hardly a problem as there's plenty to enjoy outside of the plot in this film. As the title suggests, the film focuses on a mysterious 'Gorgon', a woman with a head full of snakes that can turn people to stone just by looking at them. She's creating quite a problem for the local village, as citizens begin turning up dead - but unlike most dead people, they've turned to stone! The authorities try to cover it up, but as the murders continue, the son of one of the victims decides to investigate.

The film is very typical of Hammer in that it features a lush colour scheme and a lot of eerily Gothic settings. The Gorgon is directed by Hammer's most prolific director, Terence Fisher, and as usual - he does a solid job. The fact that this film stars both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee is definitely to its advantage, although it is unfortunate (as is the case with many of their joint ventures) that they don't get to spend a lot of screen time together. Neither one is at their very best; but even Lee and Cushing on autopilot makes for great viewing, and neither one disappoints. It has to be said that the special effects are a bit shoddy and the monster doesn't look particularly scary; but stuff like that is part of the charm of Hammer Horror, and personally - I wouldn't have it any other way! It all boils down to a pretty standard conclusion, but while nothing about this film stands out too much next the rest of Hammer's output - it still stands up as a more than decent little horror film and I'm certain that my fellow Hammer fanatics wont be disappointed with it!