American genre TV movies of the 1970’s hold a fascination for me. Growing up they were often the big event of the week and the major topic of discussion for kids at school for a long time after their premiere. In some cases, these movies have lived on in the larger public consciousness with reruns adding to their fanbase as it can take more than just excited playground conversations to grow their legends. In the past few years more and more of them have made the jump to Blu-Ray with lavish care taken to bring these sometimes difficult to find tales to a new audience. The biggest of the decade’s TV films are well represented, especially the fantastic and groundbreaking one-two punch of THE NIGHT STALKER (1972) and THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973) or even the excellent failed pilot THE NORLISS TAPES (1973). But there is much more of interest to horror fans seeking obscure telefilms than just Dan Curtis productions and, in this episode, we dive into a discussion of the fun CBS creature feature GARGOYLES (1972). There is much to talk about!
John Hudson and I tackle the film from several angles starting with our own histories with it. John got to see it on it’s premiere and has some holdover nostalgia for the movie while I caught up to it much later. We both still love the monster design, the desert southwest setting and the fact that very little time is wasted getting into the meat of the story. John has some information gleaned from the DVD director’s commentary track that sheds some light on the production and answers a couple of minor questions. We lament the lack of a certain actor’s voice and find ourselves still impressed with the ambition of the film. I openly wonder about the dropped idea of the Satanic element of the backstory and do a little guesswork on some missed opportunities that the restrictions of television in the 70’s might have made impossible.
If you have any memories tied to this mad monster film tell us about it at thebloodypit@gmail.com or over on the show’s Facebook page. What was your favorite TV movie from your childhood? Thanks for listening!
#73 - The Mummy's Hand (1940)
The Bloody Pit #72 - LADY FRANKENSTEIN (1973)
The Bloody Pit #71 - HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES (1940)
The Bloody Pit #70 - VENGEANCE (1968)
The Bloody Pit #69 - BLACK FRIDAY (1940)
The Bloody Pit #68 - SEX & FURY (1973)
The Bloody Pit #67- AT MIDNIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL (1964)
The Bloody Pit #66 - THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940)
The Bloody Pit #65 - NAKED...YOU DIE! (1968)
The Bloody Pit #64 - ROLLERBALL (1975)
The Bloody Pit #63 - DALEKS INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (1966)
The Bloody Pit #62 - 'And All Through The House (1972 - 1989)
The Bloody Pit #61 - Road Tripping With Maddox!
The Bloody Pit #60 - SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT'S EYE (1973)
The Bloody Pit #59 - DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS (1965)
The Bloody Pit #58 - GAMERA (1965)
The Bloody Pit #57 - KILLER FISH (1979)
The Bloody Pit #56 - HERCULES, PRISONER OF EVIL (1964)
The Bloody Pit #55 - The Outer Limits (1963-1965)
The Bloody Pit #54 - THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932)
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