The Gorgon

In early 20th century Europe, people in the village of Vandorf have been mysteriously murdered, each body turned to stone.

When local girl, Sascha Cass (Toni Gilpin), is found turned to stone, her innocent boyfriend, Bruno Heitz (Jeremy Longhurst), is an immediate suspect of her murder. The authorities believe Bruno's ensuing suicide proves his guilt, but his father, Professor Jules Heitz (Michael Goodliffe), who knows of the horrors of Vandorf, believes they are trying to hide the truth, as they are afraid to admit it. He vows to uncover the truth and clear Bruno's name. He recounts the myth of the Gorgons, demonic women from Ancient Greece who turn anyone who looks directly at their face to stone. The spirit of Megaera, one of three Gorgon sisters, is believed to be possessing one of the locals. Unfortunately, however, Heitz falls victim to who he believes is Megaera, but lives long enough to be able to write a letter his other son, Paul (Richard Pasco), in Leipzig, warning him of the horror that haunts Vandorf.

Paul arrives in Vandorf after receiving his father's letter. Dr. Namaroff (Peter Cushing), the local physician, attributes Heitz's death as heart failure, but Paul does not believe him. When he almost falls victim to Megaera (Prudence Hyman) after seeing her reflection in a pond, Paul, with the help of his friend and mentor, Professor Karl Meister (Christopher Lee), vows to put an end to her reign of terror and bring peace to Vandorf.

Paul soon falls in love with Namaroff's assistant, Carla Hoffman (Barbara Shelley), who Namaroff is implied to be in love with. Namaroff has his orderly, Ratoff ( Jack Watson), spy on Carla every night. She confides to Paul about this, and he offers to take her away with him once the horror is over, but she fears it will be too late by then. Overhearing this, Ratoff ambushes Paul and tries to kill him, but Meister scares him off.

Meister and Paul find a file on Carla showing that she suffered from amnesia after every night Megaera attacked. Meister believes Megaera's spirit is possessing Carla, which explains why Namaroff is protecting her, but Paul believes Namaroff is just jealous of him and Carla. To ensure Carla's safety, Paul sends her to Leipzig and will join her once the horror is over, but when he later telephones Leipzig to ensure she has arrived, there is no sign of her.

Fearing Carla is in danger, Paul searches for her at the local abandoned castle, which is believed to be Megaera's hideout. There, he finds Namaroff waiting for him, and they have a fight. Megaera emerges from the shadows, and Namaroff faints from seeing her reflection in a mirror. Meister arrives and destroys Megaera by beheading her from behind, finally bringing peace to Vandorf. Paul watches in grief as Megaera's severed head change back into its human form, which is revealed to have been Carla all along.

• Christopher Lee as Professor Karl Meister
• Peter Cushing as Dr. Namaroff
• Richard Pasco as Paul Heitz
• Barbara Shelley as Carla Hoffman
• Michael Goodliffe as Professor Jules Heitz
• Jack Watson as Ratoff
• Patrick Troughton as Inspector Kanof
• Prudence Hyman as Megaera
• Joyce Hemson as Martha
• Tony Gilpin as Sascha Cass
• Jeremy Longhurst as Bruno Heitz
• Joseph O'Conor as the Coroner
• Alister Williamson as Janus Cass
• Michael Peake as the Constable
• Redmond Phillips as Hans

The Gorgon was based on a story submitted to Hammer by their Canadian fan, J. Llewellyn Divine.[3] Director John Gilling and producer Anthony Nelson Keys expanded on Divine's outline, developing it into a screenplay.[3] For the role of the monster, former ballerina Prudence Hyman was recruited because the monster was supposed to float gracefully like a wraith.[3]

The Gorgon was distributed in the United Kingdom by Columbia Pictures/BLC Films on October 18, 1964 where it was supported by The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb.[2] It was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on February 17, 1965 where it was also supported by The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb.[4]

The Gorgon was released in the U.S. on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment in March 2018 as a double feature along with the Hammer movie, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. The title of the film is misspelled as “The Gorgan” on the spine.[5]

Variety wrote, "Though written and directed on a leisurely note, 'The Gorgon' is a well-made, direct yarn that mainly gets its thrills through atmosphere. The period storyline is simple and predictable, but John Gilling has turned out a well-rounded piece and Terence Fisher's direction is restrained enough to avoid any unintentional yocks."[6] The Monthly Film Bulletin found that the monster's appearance was "belated, vague and insufficiently spectacular. Still, it makes a change from vampires, and though the film has little genuine flair for atmosphere it is quite well acted by Richard Pasco and an appropriately blank-eyed, statuesque Barbara Shelley."[7]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 9 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 6/10.[8]

The Gorgon was adapted into a 17-page comics story by Scott Goodall, with art by Trevor Goring and Alberto Cuyas, which was told in two parts in the magazine The House of Hammer, issues #11 and 12, published in August 1977 and September 1977 by General Books Distribution (an imprint of Thorpe & Porter).

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• The Gorgon at IMDb
• The Gorgon at AllMovie
• The Gorgon at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Gorgon at BFI Screenonline