Gargoyles (film)

Gargoyles, a fantasy horror television film produced in the United States, was directed by Bill L. Norton. It aired on November 21, 1972, as part of the CBS anthology series *The New CBS Tuesday Night Movies*. The film marks the first credited work of special effects artist Stan Winston, who jointly won the 1973 Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for his designs.

The story follows Dr. Mercer Boley and his daughter Diana as they travel through Devil’s Crossing, New Mexico, for his research. At Uncle Willie’s Desert Museum, they examine a skeleton of a large, winged, horned creature. Mercer dismisses it as a hoax, but Willie insists the bones were found together. As Willie recounts local Native American folklore about demons, an unseen force destroys the building by fire, killing Willie. The Boleys escape with the horned skull and take it to a motel.

The next morning, they report the fire to police and return to the site. A group of motorcyclists, led by James Reeger, is riding nearby. Police arrest them on suspicion of arson. That night, two gargoyles break into the motel to retrieve the skull. One is killed by a truck; the other escapes with the skull. Diana pleads for the bikers’ release at the police station, but the deputy says only a judge can act. She tells Reeger about the dead gargoyle, but he does not believe her.

More gargoyles arrive at the motel to recover the dead one. They knock Mercer unconscious and kidnap Diana. In their cave, the gargoyle leader explains to Diana that they hatched only weeks earlier after a 500-year incubation. He claims humans have repeatedly killed them in the past but vows they will survive now. He has several of Mercer’s books and insists Diana read to him. Mercer convinces the police chief to release the bikers, and Reeger joins the search. Hotel proprietor Mrs. Parks and her helper drive off for assistance, but the search party later finds her dead and the helper missing.

The gargoyle queen warns the leader that humans approach. He sends his soldiers to fight. Both sides suffer casualties. The leader boasts to Mercer, “This is the end of your age, the beginning of mine.” The queen, jealous of the leader’s attention to Diana, leads Mercer to her and lets them escape. Reeger sacrifices himself to destroy the gargoyle eggs. Mercer disables the queen’s wing with a rock, grounding her.