I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

hyped garbage

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

At the Full Moon people in the village of Vandorf are suffering bizarre deaths, not by a werewolf but by a Greek mythological creature known as a Gorgon. Merely looking at her face turns victims to stone. This film boasts fine sets which just ooze Gothic horror, is very well directed and boasts a great cast, including horror heavyweights Lee and Cushing. Sadly Lee only gets any significant screen time during the last 30 minutes. Also in the cast are British scream queen Barbara Shelley and Patrick Troughton, who was best known for playing Dr Who. Censorship was very strict at the time so there's little in the way of sex or gore, hence why it is now rated 12 in the UK. But it does pack in plenty of chills. Hammer were infamous for filming night scenes during the day but here they were thankfully filmed in the dark. A classic stand alone title.

From the opening credits, this could only ever be a Hammer film. James Bernard's trademark scores, a matte paining of a castle in the distance (which makes a very effective screensaver), a young girl in distress and Peter Cushing tinkering in an ornate laboratory: formulaic such an intro may be, but it produces an instant warm glow in retrospect – which is probably the polar opposite of the effect hoped for back in 1964.Wheeling in a fresh corpse, Nurse Hoffman (Barbara Shelley) is somewhat alarmed when the hand that falls from the stretcher breaks in half, as if it is made of stone. Pretty soon, the dead girl's bohemian fiancé has hung himself, revealed in close-up. The warm glow becomes distinctly frosty.So too, are the characters we meet in this production. On seeing the Medusa, or more specifically her glare, characters become aged. That is, they appear to be sprinkled with talcum powder in a cheap looking effect that is never convincing. Christopher Lee's Professor Karl Meister comes already doused in talc, to lend maturity to such a man of learning, pompous and aloof. Even the avuncular Cushing is starchy in this. Only Richard Pasco succeeds in injecting some naturalism into his role, the almost-hero Paul Heitz. We cry out for a Michael Ripper or a Miles Malleson cameo to lighten up the mood.Whilst professional and polished, the production is somewhat perfunctory, and there is a damning coolness to the sporadic 'scares' – whereas in reality, only the finale, with Barbara Shelley's transformation into the deadly Megaera, succeeds in providing any shivers, and the less than stellar realisation of the creature – complete with adorable plastic snakes - ensures that even the climactic scares are pretty bloodless (which, considering Hammer caused a sensation in the late 1950s with its blood red horror that in turn both repulsed and fascinated audiences, is disappointing). Like 'Curse of the Werewolf (1960)', the thrills are strictly confined to the last ten minutes, which is asking too much of this particular audience member.

I probably missed a bit of dialogue and story development whenever the scene took place in Peter Cushing's home. I could concentrate on nothing but that wallpaper! Hammer sets are always designed to maximize the atmosphere, but this one took the cake! What was that about? Actually, it's one of many interesting things about this film. The basic premise (whether it's a true legend is irrelevant) makes for an unusual plot. I liked the downbeat resolution, which I felt was rather unexpected. The acting, though stilted and overwrought, is fine for this type of Gothic melodrama. Nice to see Peter Cushing as a villain for a change. He proves to be quite a versatile actor. Special effects are awfully primitive and cheesy, but they're easily overlooked - this is Hammer after all. Running time is mercifully brief. While it's no masterpiece of horror, "The Gorgon" is engaging entertainment.

Notable for a number of reasons, THE GORGON once again teams (though briefly) Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Both are at the top of their game, here, and Fisher was never finer. Dark and atmospheric, THE GORGON was one of those movies that held me enthralled as a kid- and again as an adult. Not an easy feat, that: all too often, the movies that spooked us as children prove something less than nerve-wracking when viewed through the jaded lenses of adulthood. Like ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE, THE GORGON is that rare exception to the rule. If you'd like to hark back to the good old days, when horror movies were truly horrifying, THE GORGON is a must-see.