Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Gorgon (1964)

“Good heavens, Paul. What happened to you?”

Hammer Films surprised me with the unexpectedly well done The Gorgon. The atmospheric 1964 film was actually an original story submitted to Hammer Films by J. Llewellyn Devine, a fan of the production company. It was directed by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher. It takes the story of Medusa and her Gorgon sisters, rewrites one of the sisters as Megaera (who was actually a Fury in mythology), and places her in the small village of Vandorf. Megaera haunts the soul of an unknowing villager, attracts her victims to Castle Borski, and kills them by turning them to stone.

The film centers around Professor Heitz and his two sons. Bruno Heitz is introduced to viewers at the beginning of the film. He is sketching his lover, Sacha Cass. Sacha tells Bruno that she is pregnant with his child and he runs off into the night in order to tell her father. Worried that her dad will kill him, Sacha gives chase but soon finds herself face to face with the evil Megaera (who we don’t see until later in the film). Sacha is turned to stone and her body and the lifeless body of Bruno, hanging from a tree, are found. In the village, Doctor Namaroff gives a convincing testimony that pins Sacha’s murder on Bruno. It’s determined that he killed her and then killed himself. Bruno’s father, Professor Heitz, believes that there is more to the story. He attempts to find out what really happened and finds himself turned to stone as well. Before his death, however, he contacts his son, Paul, and a trusted colleague named Professor Meister. Both of them arrive in Vandorf with plans to solve the murders of Bruno, his father, Sacha, and the other villagers that have died over the years. In their way is Doctor Namaroff, who is apparently hiding a lethal secret, and the lovely Carla, who captures the heart of Paul.

I really enjoyed this film. It featured a wonderful cast that included Peter Cushing (Namaroff), Christopher Lee (Meister), Richard Pasco (Paul), and Barbara Shelley (Carla). Prudence Hyman portrayed Megaera in the film and, despite less than impressive special effects, turned in a sinister performance. The music was quite well done also.

I definitely recommend this one. It’s one of the best Hammer films that I’ve watched so far. If you’re looking for a solid Halloween flick, give this one a shot. While perusing other reviews of the film I noticed that critics and fans were fairly split on how much they loved or hated this film. I’m definitely a fan of this movie and hope that you get to watch it as well.