Re-viewing THE GORGON (1964)

Revisted THE GORGON (1964) because it's now available on Blu-Ray and it has been years since I last watched it. I've always liked this Hammer fantasy/horror story but this time I was surprised by the power of my reaction. I actually loved the film this time and found myself drinking it in and, once it was over, thinking about immediately watching it again. Director Terrance Fisher is often quoted as saying that, for him, the Hammer horror films he made were fairy tales and surely THE GORGON is a perfect example of this idea. Stepping outside the usual horror tale types for a story rooted in myth but still set in the vaguely mid-European local that all Hammer films seem to inhabit, the script is extremely tight. John Gilling is a known quantity for crafting some of the studio's odder 1960's efforts including THE REPTILE and THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES but I hadn't realized he wrote this film. Indeed, his list of script credits reveals a set of films that add to my appreciation of his career.

The standard complaint leveled against THE GORGON has always been that the central mystery of 'who is actually the mythic creature come to life' is obvious. It had been so many years since my last viewing of the film that I had allowed that criticism to seep into my opinion, so I was surprised this time through. The script very definitely sets up a more probable person to be the human form of the hideous Mogera. I had forgotten this! Of course, the presence of the lovely and talented Barbara Shelley generally indicates that her character will play a larger than average role, but the film does present a good argument for the frequently escaped old lady lunatic than my memory or the film's reputation had indicated.

Also, I found myself much happier this time around with the admittedly weaker than I would like snake-head effect. No, it's nowhere near Harryhausen levels of effects brilliance but it is much better than my general recall suggested. In fact, the whole film looks so beautiful in high definition that I feel almost like it's the first time I've ever really seen the movie. I think my last viewing was from a TV broadcast with washed out colors and fuzzy details. This time, seeing was loving! This is Hammer still at the top of it's game and trying to stretch outside their usual set of monsters. I think they succeed very well!

Plus - Christopher Lee is the hero! In a huge mustache! And bonus Patrick Troughton!