O2D This is definitely the best made for TV movie I have seen.The story makes sense and it's not boring. That's really all it takes to be good in the world of television movies. There's only a couple things that don't make sense. Two gargoyles break into a motel room without making a sound or breaking anything and then the professor chases them. Seems a bit far fetched but whatever. Then the lead gargoyle has taught himself to speak English, a little bit lamer. But the thing that really gets me is that all the gargoyles are very different. Some have horns, some have hair, it's a bit silly. I'm sure they did it because they didn't have the ability to make them all exactly the same so they tried to make it a non-issue by making them all very different. But those are just minor flaws in an otherwise good movie. And I must say that I really joined how the gargoyles gently caress their eggs to make them hatch, comedy gold. This is the best movie I've seen in weeks, watch it.

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

Michael_Elliott Gargoyles (1972) *** (out of 4)Fun made-for-TV horror film has an anthropologist (Cornel Wilde) and his daughter (Jennifer Salt) traveling out West so that he can do research on his book about demons. He's pretty much a non-believer that something could be out there today but that all changes when he runs into a pack of gargoyles who are just waiting to take the world over. At just 74-minutes GARGOYLES packs enough fun to make it worth viewing even though some rather silly moments and flaws. I thought director Bill Norton actually did a very good job at building up the anticipation of the monsters early on and I thought some of the best moments happened before we ever actually got to see the creatures. There are a couple examples early on where we just hear the monsters or see their shadows as they fly across something and these moments are very effective. Once we do get to see the creatures the suspense dies out but I think the effects are still so good that you can't help but have fun with them. I thought the monsters were a lot of fun and their outfits and looks were certainly a major plus. I think there are a few too many silly moments during the final act and I must say that all the scenes with the head gargoyle and the daughter talking are somewhat embarrassing. The voice alterations for the monsters were also a bit silly and brought on some unintended camp value. The film offers up some performances from Wilde and Salt as well as supporting players Grayson Hall, William Stevens and a young Scott Glenn. GARGOYLES certainly deserves to be a classic of this era's made-for-TV movies and it's clearly one of the best of its kind.

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.