Wuchak Released to TV in 1972, "Gargoyles" is just simply grand entertainment of the highest order. Yes, it's a Grade B cartoony TV flick, the precursor to notorious modern SyFy flicks, but imagination and legend are about good versus evil and the power of selfless courage against impossible odds. In other words, there's nothing more heroic, suspenseful and spooky than man against monster, and "Gargoyles" delivers the goods.THE PLOT: A professor/writer and his daughter (Cornel Wilde & Jennifer Salt) come across a bunch of recently re-birthed gargoyles in the desert and mayhem ensues.Highlights include: An excellent and mysterious beginning (the first 20 minutes or so where some desert rat shows the professor and his daughter a gargoyle skeleton in some dark shack out in the middle of nowhere; night comes down and then the gargoyles attack), nice spooky atmosphere, haunting soundtrack, excellent gargoyle costumes for that era (and considering it was a TV movie), good cast, dirt bikers (led by a young Scott Glenn), chases, hellish cave sets, cool gargoyle voices, grisly gargoyle murders, etc. Hey, there's a reason for all these high ratings. The majority of the reviewers probably saw it when they were kids and were totally spooked-out.Bottom Line: "Gargoyles" is proof that you don't need a big budget to make a great, engrossing, creepy, adventurous flick.The film doesn't overstay its welcome at 74 minutes and was shot in Carlsbad, NM, and Laredo, TX.GRADE: A

jefffisher65-708-541158 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.

Scarecrow-88 A professor, known for literature on demonology, and his daughter, encounter ancient demonic creatures known as gargoyles while traveling in the desert—to visit an old timer known as Old Willie who claims to have a special skeleton worthy of his attention—that have been in an incubation stage for centuries, now hatched and building an army with the ultimate goal of wiping out mankind and assuming control of the planet! Not bad television horror has a cult following, mainly by those who watched it as kids in the 70s. Cornell Wilde (High Sierra) is the professor who realizes that if the gargoyles are allowed to leave the cave as a large group that man will probably be rendered extinct. Not only does that motivate him though: the lead demon gargoyle (played by Bernie Casey!) has kidnapped Wilde's daughter, Jennifer Salt (Brian DePalma's "Sisters"), holding her prisoner in the cave, perhaps desiring her sexually (it seems more and more evident that his interest in her goes beyond just holding her captive as bait). Scott Glenn even has a part in this early part of his career as a stone-faced dirt biker wrongfully accused, along with other friends just found in the wrong place at the wrong time by Chief William Stevens and Deputy John Gruber. Woody Chambliss (looking rather gruff and in need of a shower) is Uncle Willie whose skeletal remains of a gargoyle piques Wilde's interest has a little supporting part that gets the ball rolling. Even under quite a costume, with protruding teeth and eye contacts, Casey is successful in parlaying a menace that should be taken seriously and when he warns Wilde of what is to come, you know his lead demon gargoyle means business. If I were to criticize this movie, it would be the mistake of shooting the gargoyles during the day when the costumes are more obvious and less authentic-looking. And, during this film, the gargoyles are seen visibly more during the day than at night, especially in the cave where the last half is primarily set. Still, Casey's costume, make-up, and face are quite impressive, and the addition of those wings looks pretty gnarly. When the gargoyles destroy windows, doors, and Wilde's station wagon, I think these moments are when the movie really hums. You really understand here the kind of damage in store for the Earth if the creatures are able to breed into an army. The plot is fairly simple and straight-forward. It becomes Wilde, Stevens, Glenn, and the bikers against the gargoyles, led by Casey's chief gargoyle. Rather violent for a 70s television film, Wilde and company shoot several of the gargoyles at close range during desert fights. The sight of Grayson Hall (Dark Shadows; she steals her scenes as a hotel owner always carrying a glass with booze) hanging upside down from an electrical pole and the truck driving in circles (it once housed Hall and driver/gas station attendant/mechanic Jim Connell) without occupants are also memorable moments in this television movie. "Gargoyles" has a nice reputation and while it doesn't quite live up to the expectations I had, I still enjoyed it, particularly as a creature feature. I think the costumes, which are reminiscent to me of the work of Milicent Patrick (creature designer of "Creature from the Black Lagoon"), have "personality" and are provided with expressively designed faces and scaly bodies (some even have wings and beaks). I do recommend this to fans of rubber suited monster movies. A bit of trivia: Stan Winston was one of the make-up designers. Good use of New Mexico locations. For a film shot in a manner of days in sweltering heat, "Gargoyles" benefits from this, I think, and the score has that unnerving quality that fits the overall tone of potential global terror if Wilde and others don't stop the monsters.

flapdoodle64 In 1972, the sixties were over, the flower child days having been killed off by the Rolling Stones at Altamont, or by the Manson Family at LA, or by the National Guard at Kent State. America was tired, scared, and hung-over and the hippies were devolving.... either into apolitical burn-outs, or, worse-yet, Jesus-freaks.The Jesus-Christ-Superstar fad eventually inspired a more Bible-oriented type of horror movie. Also, as a traumatized America turned more and more toward to the Christian Bible, more and more people indulged in Apolcolyptic thinking...the Book of Revelations being filled with lurid and horrifying images, and with ambiguous prophecies such as would allow a reader from any time or place to believe that he was truly living in the End of Days.The clever writer of this film combined a bit of Biblical mythology, plus Miltonic concepts, and medieval demonology to create a set of very original and effective monsters. The opening of this film has Vic Perrin (greatest scifi/horror voice ever!) narrate this mix of mythology, adding a new bit about every 500 years or so the gargoyles returning to plague the human race. The spooky Perrin intro is played over a montage of medieval gargoyles from Gothic Cathedrals, plus demonic images by Hieronymus Bosch and Peter Bruegel.A year after this film, the big budget 'The Exorcist' was released, which lead to 'The Omen' and sequels, 'Carrie,' and 'Amityville Horror'...all horror films with strong religio-Biblical elements and themes. Eventually, this sub-genre morphed into the execrable 'Left Behind' books and videos. But this film beat them all to the punch.Considering the time, budget and technological constraints, this is actually a finely made and very original little horror film. The cast is up to the task, and there are no bad performances...weak moments in the script are dealt with quickly, so the audience doesn't get much time to notice them.Cornell Wilde, whose career was rapidly fading in his rear-view mirror, does a good job here and the director wisely had the lovely Jennifer Salt wearing halter tops throughout the film. Ahhh, but I am nostalgic for the days when women still had natural bodies and halter tops were in fashion! The Gargoyle Supreme Commander make-up for Bernie Casey is excellent, and Vic Perrin's voice-over is great. The supporting gargoyles are all very good as well.In classic 1970's style, the gargoyles are battled by youth riding dirt bikes and grown-ups riding Off-Road Vehicle's. In true American fashion, fossil fuels are the main weapon to stave off the apocalypse. We now know, with the benefit of hindsight, that a real apocalypse, either ecological, economic, or a combination, is the most likely result of our faith in fossil fuels. But that's the upside of the Biblical Apocalypse...it frees you from worrying about real problems.