In the early 20th century a village experienced a series of inexplicable murders. All the victims were young men who had been turned to stone. The perpetrator of these deaths was a being so repulsive that she transformed the onlooker using the power of her deadly stare. Much of the time the creature took the form of a beautiful and seductive woman, but during periods of the full moon she becomes a living horror, vicious and deadly. A professor has come to investigate the deaths, bringing with him his beautiful assistant whose knowledge of the Gorgon is more intimate than anyone would ever realise.
Acting
Barbara Shelley's tragic duality—victim and monster in one.
Production
Gothic sets so moody you can smell the damp Bavarian stone.
Practical Effects
The Gorgon head: charmingly cursed stop-motion that terrifies and delights.
Director
Terence Fisher
Peter Cushing
Dr. Namaroff
Christopher Lee
Prof. Karl Meister
Richard Pasco
Paul Heitz
Barbara Shelley
Carla Hoffman
Michael Goodliffe
Professor Jules Heitz
Patrick Troughton
Inspector Kanof
Joseph O'Conor
Coroner
Prudence Hyman
The Gorgon
Jack Watson
Ratoff
Toni Gilpin
Sascha Cass
Alister Williamson
Janus Cass
Redmond Phillips
Hans
Michael Peake
Constable
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Gorgon's face was played by a male stuntman in heavy makeup because the producers feared the female lead couldn't handle the physical demands—Shelley was furious when she learned.
This was the only Hammer film to feature both Cushing and Lee where they share significant screen time as allies rather than enemies, though their real-life tension reportedly bled through.
GB
