Gargoyles (1972)

Fantastic!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Arriving in the American Southwest, an archeologist and his daughter investigating claims of a strange discovery by a local farmhand finds that he's uncovered evidence that a race of gargoyles have been unleashed in the desert and much race to find a way of appeasing them before they run amuck.Overall this here wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the better aspects of this one is the rather enjoyable manner in which this one goes about building up the titular creatures as threats. From the beginning, it gives the impression that the creatures are out and wandering the desert with their shadowy flyovers and sudden appearances giving this one some rather fun times here. The first encounter at the ramshackle motel where the creatures appear and attack the shack with the blazing inferno creating a spectacular visual of the burning building while they try to escape is a fine start, and the series of encounters that take place in the motel are great fun as the various creatures emerge to try to steal the bodies of their kind to remain hidden from society. A later ambush on the hunting party out looking for everyone has some great shots of the gargoyles jumping everyone while the wild finale in the underground caves where they're all stored has some chilling ideas deep in their cave homes. This here manages to give this one plenty of fine and loving looks at the distinctive creatures as they're given plenty of screen-time to show off individual looks and themes, replete with male and female characteristics and at various ages which is a great feat. These here do manage to hold this one up over it's few if somewhat detrimental flaws. The main issue with the film is the rather comical manner of gargoyle attack where the film goes into slow-motion whenever they get moving with any kind of intensity and it turns the whole sequence into a hysterical romp. There's little about these scenes that actually inspires fear when the creatures are shown in such slow-motion that it actually renders their appearance comical with the ability to see the costumes as exactly that, costumes rather than living creatures. When used for scenes other than the attacks, the creatures are just plain silly and cheesy with the tactics and it wholly reduces their fear factor considerably. The other problem here is the lack of explanation offered for the creatures' appearance, as they seem to show up out of nowhere simply because the heroes arrive nearby which the coincidental nature doesn't really seem like a worthwhile excuse. While there are times where the made-for-TV origins show up in here, these here are the main elements that lower this one.Rated Unrated/PG: Violence.

I hate going against the grain here, especially since I'm one of those 70s kids scarred by Gargoyles and all the other made-for-TV horror cheapies back in the ancient days of 4 TV channels. Back then these movies would premiere on Friday or Saturday nights, and then re-run in the afternoon for years, so our parents had no idea we were watching them. I vividly remember the claws on the bedframe and the gargoyles bursting through the door -- this movie kept me from sleeping for a long time. But watching this now is nothing short of painful. The costumes are basically "Land of the Lost" Sleestak rubber suits plus wings and hair, except not as effective. Worse still, the "eagle" breeder gargoyles look like those vultures from H.R. Pufnstuf. I mean seriously -- did the director actually watch his own rushes, a hilarious hodgepodge of rubber suits in slow motion, and say "EUREKA! THAT'S THE SHOT!" Godzilla vs Ghidrah had more battle drama, and better rubber suits. And the acting here ain't much better either. For me the only bright spots are Bernie Casey as the lead gargoyle, and especially Scott Glenn, knowing he had such a wonderful career ahead of him. I guess my biggest problem is comparing this joke of a film to something that still works, like the original "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." Now there's a fine example of low-budget 70s TV horror.

Gargoyles is one of the better 1970s made-for-TV horror/suspense films in a decade which produced many such; for those who saw lit at a young age, it's stuck in the memory through the years.I won't add hugely to what's been posted by others already save that I think the shock scenes, or scares are very well-done; the gargoyle at the foot of Dr. Boley's bed in the hotel room, the earlier attack on Uncle Willi's shed where Willie has the gargoyle skeleton, the sequence of the gargoyle chasing down the Boley's station wagon, then jumping atop the vehicle, etc. The fact that my parents owned a service station/garage of exactly the same design as the one Boley takes the station wagon to gave me an extra thrill, of course. Those seemed to be Shell station designs of the 1960s, and early 1970s for those interested -a small office, rest of space devoted to the garage, tires, and so on.I have to make mention of how terrifying Bernic Casey's Leader gargoyle is, very demonic with his batwings, and way he was photographed made him seem about eight feet tall plus that erie metallic voice. His interest in Diana Boley as more than a teacher(from her father's books) is quite obvious, although how gargoyle, and humans could have mated seems a problem since the gargoyles are egg-layers. Then, it's a short film, and there wouldn't have been room in 75 minutes to go deeply into all details in any case.Highly recommended for those who aren't jaded by today's CGI effects spectaculars - Stan Winston's genius was clear this early in the design of the monster's suits which still work quite well.

Gargoyles (1972) *** (out of 4)Fun made-for-TV horror film has an anthropologist (Cornel Wilde) and his daughter (Jennifer Salt) traveling out West so that he can do research on his book about demons. He's pretty much a non-believer that something could be out there today but that all changes when he runs into a pack of gargoyles who are just waiting to take the world over. At just 74-minutes GARGOYLES packs enough fun to make it worth viewing even though some rather silly moments and flaws. I thought director Bill Norton actually did a very good job at building up the anticipation of the monsters early on and I thought some of the best moments happened before we ever actually got to see the creatures. There are a couple examples early on where we just hear the monsters or see their shadows as they fly across something and these moments are very effective. Once we do get to see the creatures the suspense dies out but I think the effects are still so good that you can't help but have fun with them. I thought the monsters were a lot of fun and their outfits and looks were certainly a major plus. I think there are a few too many silly moments during the final act and I must say that all the scenes with the head gargoyle and the daughter talking are somewhat embarrassing. The voice alterations for the monsters were also a bit silly and brought on some unintended camp value. The film offers up some performances from Wilde and Salt as well as supporting players Grayson Hall, William Stevens and a young Scott Glenn. GARGOYLES certainly deserves to be a classic of this era's made-for-TV movies and it's clearly one of the best of its kind.