Gargoyles

Gargoyles may refer to a creature of mythological folklore, or it may pertain to a style of statuary, found in various types of Gothic architecture, in which stone accents are carved in the forms of demonic looking figures or animals. In masonry, gargoyles are generally used either for just plain decorative purposes or they may be used to channel water, similar to a gutter or a fountain. Stone gargoyles may often be seen as a protective ward, used to frighten off evil spirits. They may also be referred to as chimera, though popular fiction often distinguishes such beings as different creatures entirely.

As a creature of folklore, stories of gargoyles date back to the 7th century when a winged four-legged dragon called Gargouille terrorized the region of Rouen in northwestern France. The archbishop of Rouen, Saint Romain, tamed the dragon-like creature by making the sign of the cross with his fingers, and then lured it from the River Siene onto dry land where it was then killed.

In fiction
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France is well-known for its gargoyles, which serve as both water spouts as well as support columns. These can be seen in every film and television depiction of the cathedral, but is most widely known for its usage in the original 1923 silent film classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame as well as its many remakes and re-interpretations, all of which are based on the 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo. In the 1996 animated version of the story by Walt Disney Prodcutions, three of the cathedral Gargoyles are actually sentient creatures and friends with the main character, Quasimodo. Their names are Victor, Hugo and Laverne (the first two of which are obviously named after author Victor Hugo).

In Marvel Comics continuity, there is a character named Isaac Christians, who was cursed to take on a monstrous form and became part of a demon sect known as the Six-Fingered Hand. He rebelled against his demonic heritage and took on the name the Gargoyle, whereupon he became a superhero member of the team known as the Defenders. There have been other characters named Gargoyle in the Marvel Universe, but only the Isaac Christians character bore any connection to the legendary creature.

Of lesser reknown in the Marvel Universe is the Silver Age era gargoyle known as Gara. This creature appeared in issue #16 of the superhero series Venus in October, 1951. Gara was a gargoyle who claimed to be a king to his people. Gara's female counterpart assumed the human guise of Sylvia Corpo - alleged daughter of Henry Corpo, the founder of the Corpo Construction Company. Sylvia kept Gara and the rest of their nest trapped in stone form for an indeterminate amount of time. The Corpo Construction Company built the Graycar Building in Los Angeles as a means of secretly housing the gargoyles. Gara and the others were hidden in a secret chamber, room 1319 on the hidden 13th floor of the building. In 1951, Sylvia brought Gara and the others back to life, but they turned against her and tried to kill her. A siren adventurer named Venus became involved in the affair and got into a fight with Sylvia as well. Gara attacked the gargoyle queen and the two tumbled down an elevator shaft. The cables supporting the elevator car snapped and it came crashing down on top of them, killing them both

From 1994-1996, Walt Disney Television produced an animated series called Gargoyles. In the series, the city of New York was defended by a team of heroic nocturnal avengers who were all Gargoyles. They named themselves after notable New York locales including Brooklyn, Bronx, Hudson, Lexington and Broadway. The leader of the team however, took on the more heroic name, Goliath.

In 1972, Bill L. Norton directed a horror film entitled Gargoyles. Made as a television movie, the film featured a colony of living Gargoyles that inhabited a warren in the southwestern United States. The film starred Cornel Wilde as Doctor Mercer Boley, Jennifer Salt as Diana Boley and Grayson Hall as Mrs. Parks. The gargoyle featured in the film was played by actor Bernie Casey.

A more modern film interpretation of this bizarre animalistic chimera is the 2004 direct-to-video film, Gargoyle, also known as Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness. The film was directed by Jim Wynorski and features a single evil gargoyle that is found terrorizing Bucharest, Romania.

Another television film focusing on this monster of lore is Reign of the Gargoyles, which premiered on Syfy on March 24th, 2007. The film was directed by Ayton Davis with a script written by Chase Parker.

2009 provided fans with another horror-themed gargoyle movie, Rise of the Gargoyles. This film takes the legend of Gargoyles back to its roots in Paris, France and was directed by Bill Corcoran and starred Texas Chainsaw Massacre actor Eric Balfour.

In the 2014 feature film, I, Frankenstein, directed by Stuart Beattie, gargoyles are presented as the chosen warriors of the Archangel Michael, pledged to wage an ongoing secret war against demons. The gargoyle queen, Lenore, recruits the Frankenstein Monster (whom she names Adam) to aid them in stopping the demon-prince Naberius from creating an army of the undead with demon souls. In the continuity of the film, gargoyles may assume a human form as well as their natural gargoyle form. When they died, they are set to "ascend", as their spirits go directly to heaven.