Gargoyles

OK... In this day and age of CG graphics and $100M budgets, some would say this movie wouldn't stack up. Of course most of us who have seen it love it for its nostaglic value and some very genuine scares. It always seemed to come on really late at night (was that on purpose?) and I remember at least once watching it when I was about 10 years old at our neighbors lake house when I was the only one awake and there was a nice storm going on outside. All I can say is that I jumped a number of times that night and although I've seen plenty of horror films since, I'd probably still jump during this one today. Hopefully I'll get to see it again, if not just to hear the lead gargoyle say "Diana" in that metallic, evil-sounding voice.

Gargoyle creatures are living in a small American town in 1972.

Generally speaking, I don't review horror films, but by today's standards the horror element here is very mild, in fact this reads more like an episode of The Outer Limits (1963) complete with the same narrator at the start. It also has a very regular cast member from the Dark Shadows (1966) TV series.

This low budget gem proves that so much can be done without CGI and violence, maybe today's film makers should watch this film and learn from it. I am told this movie has a few obvious errors, such as wires holding up the creatures in flight, but my small YouTube screen could not pick up on these things.

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).

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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.

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This is one of those childhood films that has always stuck in my mind. As a kid, I was freaked out by gargoyles because of this movie (unlike the next generation who saw gargoyles as defenders of evil, thanks to a Disney series). Seeing it again as an adult is a different matter entirely...

For 1972, this was one helluva TV movie. The effects, though dated by today's CGI-laden standards, were spectacular -- and the Stan Winston created gargoyle suits still look good pretty damn today.

What the film lacks is a coherant story. The bare-bones 74 minute movie had potential to be so much better than 50's b-movie fare, but instead the filmmakers opted to skip a solid story and add in a group of bikers and other silliness that reflected the times. Cornel Wilde was probably in the late stages of his alcoholism, and it showed in his hokey performance as the lead. His lines are delivered with a wooden tone and no conviction. Jennifer Salt, who I liked in "Soap," seemed miscast here, though she was effective. The only really memorable human character is the horny lady that owns the motel which Wilde and Salt stay in. The REAL stars of the film were Bernie Casey, Richard Moll and all the other Gargoyles, hidden under latex costumes... with the ability to scare young children. By today's standards, this comes close to "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," "Them" and other '50s drive-in films.

Another person commented the similarities to the gargoyles and "Jeepers Creepers." While I agree that The Creeper had certain similarities, there was only one Creeper and the impact of that character certainly couldn't be what Gargoyles had on a 1972 audience. More than any other TV movie I've ever seen, I think Gargoyles should be remade today with a big-screen release, and Winston should recreate his creature suits with modern makeup technology. Although it is just a minor cult film, Gargoyles has the potential to be so much more... Just a thought.

The original airing of this film on ABC's Movie of the Week program in the early 70s is a happy childhood memory for me. Definitely a period piece. It was made as a pilot for a series that was never optioned by the network. The movie is distinguished by some witty performances by the actors in the supporting roles. My favorite is Grayson Hall as lush on the make Mrs. Parks. Grayson is always a lot of fun to watch and she clearly had a blast with this role. Her son Matt helped paint ping pong balls which were used in making the gargoyle costumes.