Gargoyles (1972)

Dir: Bill Norton

So beloved was this ABC TV Movie of the Week, and so fondly remembered and cherished by young people of the early 70s, that a remake (nearly unheard of for a TV movie) was filmed for the straight-to-DVD and budget cable markets. Praised and revered in fanzines and cult movies websites galore, Gargoyles barely holds up under critical scrutiny 30+ years later, with its charms confined to that blissful place of childhood innocence and idolized naivety.

The preposterous plot has an anthropologist (Cornell Wilde) and his Swinging 70s daughter stumble upon a race of long extinct demonic creatures prowling the lonely deserts of the American Southwest. Surely the close proximity to Los Angeles accounts for the dozens of "desert horrors" of that recession-addled decade? Or maybe the sinisterly arid and sparsely populated landscapes reflected a nation's ever-growing trend towards urban living and detachment from rural environments? Probably because the crew set up on a back lot 90 miles east of LA, Gargoyles nonetheless captures the spooky quiet and isolation of the Mojave, not to mention the eccentric overflow of the human race who dwells there ("desert rats", the likes of Scott Glenn as a leader of a biker gang and the marvelous Grayson Hall, stealing every scene she's given as the boozed up proprietress of a lonesome highway motel). Eventually the creatures go on a rampage of sorts, kidnapping the daughter (Jennifer Salt, more than adequate in a role burdened by inane dialogue and zero character development) and retreating to Carlsbad Caverns ( I think). Though pleasantly campy the creature makeup and costumes further weaken a failing film, as does a plot device giving head gargoyle Bernie Casey a nearly human understanding and motivation.

THE POSSESSED (1977)

Dir: Jerry Thorpe

Obscure and relatively forgotten little TV movie, The Possessed is among the best of a handful of small screen horrors attempting to cash in on the success of 1973's blockbuster The Exorcist. It is in fact far better than several theatrical releases intent upon the same, including but not limited to: Abby (197), Beyond the Door (1975) and The Godsend (1979). The plot is simplicity itself - a girls' boarding school is beset by mysterious fires of a supernatural origin - but remarkably effective, unmarred even by the proliferation of stock characters (a priest who has lost his faith, the spinsterish headmistress still carrying a romantic torch, ubiquitous naughty schoolgirls, embodied here by the very prototype of the 70s, PJ Soles) and a hurried ending typical of TV climaxes scheduled between commercial breaks. Production values add considerable charm to this thriller, with superb locations, cinematography that is vibrant yet moody, and an overall structure of restrained, growing menace. The wintery shots of the bleak campus and creepy old dorms drip with atmosphere, even further enhanced by an eerie electronic musical score and literate script.

Inexplicably, the second act of The Possessed descends from a tone of restrained dread to a reliance on hokey effects and demonic bodily contortions (yup, the bedeviled headmistress ends up groaning terrifically and vomiting nails). Plenty more however to recommend here, from a strong cast (Joan Hackett, James Farrantino, Diana Scarwid, Harrison Ford and more) to the ambivalence of the final minutes, with a gaping mystery surrounding one of the characters striking an emotional chord with viewers. Try finding all that today in one of the triple-budgeted Lifetime network thrillers.