Yeah, yeah, I know the phrase is “statute”, but you’ll get the idea if you tune in to MeTV tonight- when Hammer studio’s top stars- Peter Cushing AND Christopher Lee must battle a mythological monster lurking in early 20th century Prussia- turning its victims to stone- as petrified victims of ‘The Gorgon”!

We look in on a modelling session, in which a barely-clad beauty is posing for her artist boyfriend. When the lass dares to bring up the subject of the two of them being wed, the artist young Bruno brushes it off, claiming he has business to attend to before he can even consider marriage. This upsets the young lady who reveals the (ahem) reason they NEED to get married. Bruno, despite his Bohemian lifestyle, is an honorable man, and, since he wants to do the right thing, heads out into the night to speak with the girl’s father. The poor young woman, not sure if that’s their best course of action, chases after him to stop him- only to run into something unexpected –and deadly- in the dark woods!

The girl’s dead body is discovered, and delivered to the medical facility of physician Dr. Namarov by the local police inspector, who requests an autopsy. Perhaps they should enlist a mineralogist rather than a physician- because the girl has somehow been turned to stone! Unable to explain the woman’s condition, the police set out to locate and question Bruno- only to find him hanging from a tree limb- dead!

A coroner’s inquest is held, and the prevailing opinion is that Bruno murdered his sweetheart, and then committed suicide ( which does not quite explain how exactly he turned her to stone?!) Heitz , Bruno’s father, has come in for the inquest, and knowing his son’s character, refuses to believe he would commit murder. He vows to remain in the area to clear his son’s name, only to find himself harassed by an angry mob! The local police barely seem to offer any help, and even Dr. Namarov will not go into any detail about the incident- which leads him to believe that there is something the locals are hiding from him.

That night, Heitz suddenly finds himself answering some strange siren’s call which draws him to the nearby ruins of a castle- where he encounters something so terrifying that he flees, screaming, back to the house! His butler is shocked by his appearance, as a transformation is occurring, changing his master in a hideous manner. Heitz struggles to write a letter to his other son, Paul, and, before his horrid condition overtakes him, entreats the butler to summon the son, and give him – and no one else -the letter.

Soon enough, Paul arrives in town, only to find the authorities- and most everyone else- have no interest in helping him find out what has happened to his father. When he asks to see the body, the request is refused. Paul doubts Dr. Namarov’s claim that his father simply had a heart attack- and his suspicions seem valid when Namarov’s lovely nurse Carla, seemingly taking pity on the young man, reveals she has reason to believe that an ancient supernatural evil that once plagued the area has returned- and is behind recent deaths! Paul shares the belief, after having read his father’s letter- and then actually has his own encounter with the legendary creature, barely surviving!

It is five days later after the encounter that Paul awakens in the hospital. Though he is in bad shape, he gratefully has not succumbed to the petrifying curse that has befallen the others. Carla shows feelings for him while rejecting the advances of her boss Namarov.

Meanwhile, Paul’s old teacher, Professor Meister, arrives in town, determined to discover what has happened to his student- and what is plaguing the town. Suspicions are raised about Namarov- and soon the realization that the thought-to-be mythological Gorgon now lurks in the shadows of every full moon leads to secrets finally being revealed- while the chance of being turned to stone becomes an ever-present danger!

This 1964 full-color Hammer film boasts a cast with Cushing, Lee, the beautiful Barbara Shelley, and even an actor best known to most as one of the first reincarnations of the Dr. Who character! We’ll talk about them and explain some facts about the Gorgon of mythology- as well as showing a commercial for a Gorgon business offshoot. We’ll serenade you with a song, and throughout the show-we’re proud to present some segments from our live onstage talk show at Flashback Weekend last year, with two well-known filmmakers- Joe Dante of “Gremlins” and “ The Howling” fame, and Barbara Crampton, actress and producer and star of several Stuart Gordon horror films, who will explain why she does not necessarily like the monicker “scream queen”.

“The Gorgon” appears on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central- you can find out when and where it airs in your area in your local listings and at www.metv.com. Remember, you can join in on the live-Tweeting on Twitter, and live commenting on Bluesky during the program- please remember to use the hashtag #svengoolie . Chicago area viewers will get another big chance to see “War of the Colossal Beast” at 11 am today on WCIU the U.

Check out our store for great Sven Valentine’s gifts that will even make Cupid look stupid! And- whether for your loved ones or for yourself- the Svengoolie collector cards and the amazing Sven 3-D poster could just be what your heart is longing for!

You may have seen that a name that’s a finalist in Chicago’s “name the snowplow” contest is actually a nod to me! Among the names is “Svencoolie”- and you can vote for it, with a Chicago zip code, at ChicagoShovels.org .The voting is open until February 14, and only six of the names will make the cut, thanks to your votes!.

And lastly, all this week on social you've seen the Squad and me announcing the categories that make up the 2025 Series of Svengoolie Trading Cards. Now, the full checklist is available to download so you can track your progress to collect them all!

Join us tonight- our show has victims who are frozen in a far different way- tune in for some petrifying horror!