In a cottage by the woods, Sacha Cass tells her boyfriend Bruno Heitz she is carrying his child, so leaves to tell her father. She goes after him, but soon loses him in the dark woods, where she sees an evil pair of eyes and is turned to stone. The next day, Inspector Kanof brings the body to the hospital for Dr. Namaroff to examine. Kanof searches the woods for Bruno and finds him hanged from a tree. The court declares Bruno murdered Sacha, but Bruno's brother Paul and his father Jules believe he was innocent and vow to clear his name. Back at the hospital, Namaroff's assistant Carla Hoffman chides him for not speaking up in court. That night, Jules is drawn into the woods by an eerie sound and sees the eyes. Slowly turning to stone, Jules makes it back to his cottage and manages to leave Paul a note before dying. The next morning, Paul goes to visit Namaroff, who has issued Jules' death as a heart attack, but Paul refuses to believe him. That night, Paul is drawn to the abandoned castle on the other side of the woods by the eerie sound where he sees the reflection of the eyes in the fountain and passes out. The next day, Paul awakes in the hospital, where he and Carla fall in love with each other. Later, Namaroff discharges Paul, and on his way home, Carla follows him and confides to him that Namaroff is in love with her and that she is afraid of him. Paul offers to take Carla away with him, but she hesitates. Back at the cottage, Paul's friend and former mentor Professor Karl Meister arrives to help him investigate the mysterious deaths. Meister believes the murders are the work of a gorgon, a supernatural being who turn people to stone if they look into its eyes. Paul survived because he only saw its reflection. At the hospital, Carla confronts Namaroff about his mistreatment towards her and resigns from her job. Carla soon goes missing, so Namaroff searches Paul's cottage and threatens to press charges against him for abducting her. Paul confronts Namaroff about his mistreatment towards Carla, but he denies everything. After Namaroff leaves, Paul breaks down over Carla's disappearance, but Meister calms him down and locks him in his bedroom. However, he climbs out of the window and goes out to look for Carla. Kanof arrives to arrest Paul, but when Meister discovers his room empty, he goes out to look for him. Paul searches the castle, unaware Namaroff is there watching him, armed with a sword. Namaroff ambushes Paul, and they fight. The Gorgon appears, and Namaroff passes out from seeing its reflection on the blade of his sword. Paul sees the Gorgon's reflection in a mirror, but Meister arrives and beheads the Gorgon with Namaroff's sword. When the Gorgon's severed head reverts back to its human form, it is revealed to be Carla. Meister consoles Paul and assures him that Carla is now at peace. Paul weeps over Carla's severed head.
The Gorgon was based on a story submitted to Hammer by their Canadian fan, J. Llewellyn Divine. Director John Gilling and producer Anthony Nelson Keys expanded on Divine's outline, developing it into a screenplay. For the role of the monster, former ballerina Prudence Hyman was recruited because the monster was supposed to float gracefully like a wraith.
Release
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. 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. The Gorgon was released in the U.S. on Blu-ray by Mill Creek 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.
Reception
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." 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." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on, with a weighted average rating of 6/10.
