1972’s Gargoyles had its production limitations, but it overcame those to deliver a creepy genre film that strikes a nerve and sticks with the viewer.
What Is It?
This early-70s horror/fantasy TV movie follows paleontologist and occult expert Dr. Mercer Boley investigating the existence of legendary gargoyles in the Southwest desert. Ancient tales claim that gargoyles descended from a race of beings cast out from Heaven with Lucifer when he defied God. They have lived on the Earth for many millennia and they reappear about every five to six hundred years to battle with humans for supremacy of the planet. Dr. Boley and his daughter discover that the gargoyles have indeed returned and are preparing for their war against the human race.
Aired: CBS, November 21, 1972
Cast: Cornel Wilde, Jennifer Salt, Grayson Hall, Bernie Casey, Scott Glenn
Crew: B. W. L. Norton (Director), Stephen Karpf (Writer), Elinor Karpf (Writer), Stan Winston (Makeup)
Legacy:
Despite its production limitations, Gargoyles delivers a sufficiently creepy tale with just enough substance and mythology to make a lasting impression on the viewer and turn it into a must-watch genre film.
A Closer Look:
Gargoyles came out at a time when the TV movie-of-the-week was a staple on the Prime Time schedule. These films ranged from smarmy dramas to cheap crime thrillers to horror-focused scare fests, and many have long since been forgotten. Some were designed to launch television shows while some just filled out a couple of hours on the schedule. And some arrived with little fanfare but ultimately turned into television classics from a past era.
At first blush, Gargoyles seems to fit the bill as a throwaway film designed to fill up time in the weekly lineup. The budget is limited, the acting is wooden at best (except for the late Bernie Casey’s animated portrayal of the lead gargoyle), the dialogue is stilted, and the motivations for the characters often seem driven more by the scriptwriter’s desire to move the action along than how you would actually expect people to behave. But all that aside, this movie managed to get under the skin of many of us who watched it when it first aired and it has worked its way into our psyches, leaving a lasting impression. Just the scene where the gargoyles attack Uncle Willie’s shed could be considered one of the scariest moments ever from that television era. But that is only one example of how this film succeeds at striking a primal nerve in the viewer.
Part of the film’s staying power is the striking and brilliant gargoyle faces that Stan Winston created for the film (even if the rest of the costumes look like rubber suits with at times very visible zippers). Part of it is the menacing performance by Bernie Casey as the lead gargoyle (you may remember him as U.N. Jefferson from Revenge of the Nerds and he also stopped by Star Trek: DS9 and Babylon 5 for a few guest appearances). And part of it is the modern-day manifestation of a battle between humans and an ancient demonic foe that has lurked perennially in our subconscious because of its recurrence in our cultural legends and lore. These factors push Gargoyles into more than just TV movie-of-the-week fodder, helping it to offset its budget limitations and turning it into a must-watch genre movie. Understand that it is a cheesy production, but don’t let that stop you. It still manages to deliver a memorable tale and several scares, and it will stick with you for years to come.
Why Was There No Sequel or Series?
I cannot find confirmation anywhere but it sure seemed like this was intended as a pilot for an ongoing series, or maybe the writers hoped to produce a few more movies. But apparently, it did not pull strong enough ratings when it originally aired, and/or it would have been too expensive to produce the show (because of the gargoyle makeup) on a weekly ’70s TV show budget. To my knowledge, a follow-up for the movie was never considered, nor did it receive a novelization. It did become a staple in reruns for at least a decade after it originally aired, but no attempt was made to continue the story on television or in any other medium.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Yes. This movie worked quite well for its day and set up a potential ongoing storyline that would have followed a war between humans and gargoyles. If a reboot could tap into the same creepiness of the original film and build upon that as well as the mythology it established, it could turn into a decent series (or at least a few movies). Current-day CGI would make it easier to create the gargoyles (though they should still rely on Winston-esque makeup for closeups), but it need not go overboard with the sfx. A hidden war between humans and gargoyles would be a good starting point that could keep costs down and keep the scares on the screen. And even though this movie is not well known these days (and would probably be confused with the Gargoyles animated series), the concept is strong enough that it could carry a television series without relying on name recognition.
Interesting Facts:
This was Stan Winston’s first film working on makeup. Winston of course would go on to become a genre legend for his work on films like Aliens, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Terminator 1 & 2, Predator, Edward Scissorhands, and more. But he was a newcomer when he took on the job to do the makeup for the gargoyles in this film. His exceptional work here, though, apparently helped him on to bigger and better things.
The late Bernie Casey did not provide the voice for the lead gargoyle because the producers felt his natural voice did not fit the character. The vocal duties were given to Vic Perrin who had a long history of voice work on television including the Control Voice from The Outer Limits, Dr. Zin from Johnny Quest, Metron from Star Trek, and more.
Where Can You Watch It?
The movie was released on DVD, but unfortunately it is out of print and the price has soared on the remaining copies. It is available to stream for free (with ads) on free services like TubiTV, FreeVee, and Crackle.
