Gargoyles (1972)

Too much of everything

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

When I was a kid, I remember asking my dad what movies he thought were scary. He answered Night of the Living Dead and Gargoyles, so I was always nervous to watch this movie. It just looked strange and in the late 70s, it wasn't like I could on demand find it. Even today, it's hard to find on DVD (but YouTube is a whole different story).]Originally airing on CBS on November 21st, 1972, it was directed by Bill L. Norton (Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, More American Graffiti) and written by Steven and Elinor Karpf (Devil Dog: The Hound from Hell, The Jayne Mansfield Story), Gargoyles may be uneven, but has moments of pure joy.It's one of the first films Stan Winston (Terminator, Aliens) worked on, providing a variety of gargoyle makeup. The look of the creatures is wonderful, as they don't all look the same. And the leader (Bernie Casey (Felix Leiter in Never Say Never Again, UN Washington in Revenge of the Nerds) has the perfect look that balances a regal bearing with an otherworldly aura. You can see why this won an Emmy. It's big budget worthy work on a shoestring budget.Speaking of budget, the film was shot with just one camera over 18 days; a fact that chased away the original director. Temperatures at the Carlsbad, NM location baked the cast and crew, reaching 100 degrees or more the entire shoot. So it's amazing that what emerged is so interesting.Read more at http://bit.ly/2xXAaGS

Cornel Wilde was never a top tier actor in Hollywood. However, in the 1940s and 50s, he worked steadily and starred in a decent number of films. By the 60s and 70s he was still working...but not as steadily and not on films as prestigious as he'd been in earlier in his career. By the time "Gargoyles" came along, I guess he just needed the money. Now I am NOT saying it's a terrible film...but it certainly wasn't the sort of thing to help him jump-start his career.The film begins with Professor Boley (Wilde) and his daughter, Diana (Jennifer Salt) traveling out into the desert Southwest. It seems that someone has contacted the professor and has something exciting to show him. The lead turns out to be an odd crank living in the middle of no where. The old guy shows him a weird skeleton he's found...something that looks like a demon or gargoyle*. Suddenly, the house is attacked and the professor and Diana barely get out alive...and the old man isn't so lucky. They know it was some sort of gargoyle-like creature but cannot prove it. What's next? Watch it and see...or not.Despite a silly premise, the film does have some very good things going for it. The lead gargoyle's costume and makeup are awfully good for the 1970s. Some of t he others don't look so great...though he was impressive. What also helped was dubbing Vic Perrin's voice for this gargoyle, as it was quite creepy--and his was the voice at the intro of the old "Outer Limits" TV show. The other thing that helped is that the story does NOT go where you expect and has more to it than just weirdies jumping out at people in the night! Now this is not to say that this is a brilliant or must-see film...it isn't. But it is mildly interesting and different enough that you might enjoy watching it. Just be sure to have an open mind and don't dismiss it too quickly.*I know this will sound weird, but a few months ago I visited Dinosaur National Monument in the Utah desert. There, they had some petroglyphs are seriously looked much like these gargoyles. I know it sounds crazy, but if you visit you can see them as well. I sure wish I could post a picture of them but IMDb doesn't allow this with reviews.

Gargoyles is not a down right horrible film - it does have some entertainment value for fans of B-films, sci-fi and horror. I didn't find the movie scary at all but it did entertain me - and that is what counts.It's not a top quality film but the Gargoyles look really cool... pre-CGI and for a low budget made for TV movie I'm pleased with their look. Pretty menacing looking and elaborate considering.The story is basic - really not all that cheesy but it's certainly not a "deep" type of story. The movie is what I expected it to be - so I wasn't completely disappointed with it.This is pretty good movie to kick back with on an otherwise boring afternoon if you like these type of films.5/10

In 1972, the sixties were over, the flower child days having been killed off by the Rolling Stones at Altamont, or by the Manson Family at LA, or by the National Guard at Kent State. America was tired, scared, and hung-over and the hippies were devolving.... either into apolitical burn-outs, or, worse-yet, Jesus-freaks.The Jesus-Christ-Superstar fad eventually inspired a more Bible-oriented type of horror movie. Also, as a traumatized America turned more and more toward to the Christian Bible, more and more people indulged in Apolcolyptic thinking...the Book of Revelations being filled with lurid and horrifying images, and with ambiguous prophecies such as would allow a reader from any time or place to believe that he was truly living in the End of Days.The clever writer of this film combined a bit of Biblical mythology, plus Miltonic concepts, and medieval demonology to create a set of very original and effective monsters. The opening of this film has Vic Perrin (greatest scifi/horror voice ever!) narrate this mix of mythology, adding a new bit about every 500 years or so the gargoyles returning to plague the human race. The spooky Perrin intro is played over a montage of medieval gargoyles from Gothic Cathedrals, plus demonic images by Hieronymus Bosch and Peter Bruegel.A year after this film, the big budget 'The Exorcist' was released, which lead to 'The Omen' and sequels, 'Carrie,' and 'Amityville Horror'...all horror films with strong religio-Biblical elements and themes. Eventually, this sub-genre morphed into the execrable 'Left Behind' books and videos. But this film beat them all to the punch.Considering the time, budget and technological constraints, this is actually a finely made and very original little horror film. The cast is up to the task, and there are no bad performances...weak moments in the script are dealt with quickly, so the audience doesn't get much time to notice them.Cornell Wilde, whose career was rapidly fading in his rear-view mirror, does a good job here and the director wisely had the lovely Jennifer Salt wearing halter tops throughout the film. Ahhh, but I am nostalgic for the days when women still had natural bodies and halter tops were in fashion! The Gargoyle Supreme Commander make-up for Bernie Casey is excellent, and Vic Perrin's voice-over is great. The supporting gargoyles are all very good as well.In classic 1970's style, the gargoyles are battled by youth riding dirt bikes and grown-ups riding Off-Road Vehicle's. In true American fashion, fossil fuels are the main weapon to stave off the apocalypse. We now know, with the benefit of hindsight, that a real apocalypse, either ecological, economic, or a combination, is the most likely result of our faith in fossil fuels. But that's the upside of the Biblical Apocalypse...it frees you from worrying about real problems.