The Gorgon
A 1964 Hammer horror film about a Gorgon whose face turns victims to stone.
The Gorgon is a 1964 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Richard Pasco and Barbara Shelley. The screenplay was by John Gilling and Anthony Nelson Keys. It was produced by Keys for Hammer Films.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Ship (mentioned in lore)
- Affiliation
- Unknown (not established in the games)
- First appears
- Referenced in logs and background material in System Shock 2 (1999)
Lore & Background
In 1910 Germany, the village of Vandorf suffers a series of murders where victims are turned to stone. The culprit is the Gorgon Megaera, a creature whose face can turn human skin to stone. The story follows Professor Jules Heitz, his son Paul, and Professor Karl Meister as they confront the monster. The Gorgon's spirit haunts Castle Borski and occasionally takes over the body of a human being, later revealed to be Carla Hoffman, an amnesiac who arrived in Vandorf prior to the first murder.
Reader's Guide
The film was distributed in the United Kingdom by Columbia Pictures/BLC Films on 18 October 1964, supported by The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. It was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on 17 February 1965, also supported by The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. The film holds a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Did You Know?
- The Gorgon was based on a story submitted to Hammer by their Canadian fan J. Llewellyn Divine.
- For the role of the monster, former ballerina Prudence Hyman was recruited because the monster was supposed to float gracefully like a wraith.
- Filming occurred at Bray Studios in Berkshire.
- The film was adapted into a 17-page comics story in The House of Hammer issues #11 and 12 (1977).
More in World & Locations
Elsewhere in System Shock
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