Press Release from Dragon's Domain:
Dragon’s Domain Records proudly presents the third volume in a new ongoing series of music from classic horror films from the Golden Age, featuring two world premiere releases of music from THE GORGON and THE MANSTER.
Released in 1964, was directed by Terence Fisher (CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, HORROR OF DRACULA, THE MUMMY), written by John Gilling and J. Llewellyn Devine, starring legendary actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, along with Richard Pasco, Barbara Shelley, Michael Goodliffe, Patrick Troughton, Joseph O’Conor and Prudence Hyman. THE GORGON begins in 1910, in Vandorf, a seemingly idyllic German village which is harboring a horrific secret: Seven people have died after encountering a mysterious force that turns bodies into stone. When Bruno Heitz, a bohemian artist believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself is blamed for the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, his father challenges local officials who he suspects of conspiring to hide the truth. An esteemed academic, he sends for help from his good friend Professor Meister (Lee), who is tutoring his other son Paul (Pasco). That night, the elder Heitz is drawn to Borski Castle by a strange and haunting melody, sung by a shadowy figure who appears to have writhing snakes on her head instead of hair. Staggering back to his son’s studio, he desperately scribbles a note while slowly turning to stone...
Paul arrives the following day to learn that his father has also passed away, allegedly from a heart attack. His questions are rebuffed by Dr. Namaroff (Cushing), a medical doctor who also runs the local asylum, though he does find a sympathetic ear in Carla (Shelley), who is Namaroff’s assistant. Later that night, Paul finds himself compelled to visit the castle. He merely gets a glimpse of a mysterious figure reflected in the garden pool before passing out and awakening five days later, only to learn that he has noticeably aged.
Professor Meister arrives to help Paul who, after exhuming his father’s stone corpse, is determined to locate and kill the monster. Namaroff insists publicly that the killer is one of his escaped lunatics, but in private he confides to Carla what he truly believes, that the murderer is someone else, a person possessed by the spirit of one of the mythical Gorgon sisters who, when gazed upon, turn people to stone...
Composer James Bernard was the man responsible for creating Hammer Studio’s unique sound, having begun scoring for the studio with THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT. He had commenced his music studies later in life, after completing his service during the Second World War. Following his work on X THE UNKNOWN and QUATERMASS 2, Bernard scored Hammer’s first major horror film, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Each of these scores featured his trademark blend of harmonies and themes that often melodically spelled out the protagonists’ names. Unlike many composers, Bernard frequently orchestrated his own scores and THE GORGON represents one of his more romantic horror efforts, undoubtedly inspired by the film’s central female character.
Released in 1959, THE MANSTER was directed by George P. Breakston and Kenneth G. Crane, written by William J. Sheldon and Breakston, starring Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Tetsu Nakamura, Terri Zimmern, Norman Van Hawley, Jerry Itô, Toyoko Takechi, Kenzo Kuroki and Alan Tarlton. THE MANSTER tells the story of Larry Stanford (Dyneley), an international journalist based inTokyo. His latest assignment sends him to an isolated laboratory located near a volcanic mountain. His efforts to interview a reclusive scientist (Nakamura)yields what he perceives to be a new friendship, but in reality Stanford has been secretly injected with an experimental serum, becoming the latest guinea pig in a mad, genetic experiment...
The doctor’s beautiful assistant (Zimmern) is tasked with seducing Stanford in an attempt to observe how the drug changes his personality. He soon becomes more aggressive, ignoring help from his friend and editor Ian (Van Hawley), who has also flown Larry’s wife (Hylton) in to help. Soon, the city of Tokyo finds itself in the grip of terror as several young women are brutally murdered, and a police inspector (Itô) suspects a link between Stanford and the killer. Unbeknownst to all, Larry has begun a physical transformation with the appearance of an eye on his right shoulder that grows into an animalistic head, later evolving into a second beastly body...
The music for THE MANSTER was composed by Hirooki Ogawa. The composer was born in Tokyo, Japan. Among his most notable scores were for the GEKKÔ KAMEN and MOONLIGHT MASK television and theatrical series in the 1950s.Some of the films featuring his scoring work has been recently released in the U.S., including WATARI THE NINJA BOY (Daininjutsu eiga Watari) and NINJA SCOPE (Tobidasu Boken Eiga: Akakage).
This third volume in Dragon’s Domain Records series of classic horror films has been mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland, featuring exclusive liner notes by Starlog Magazine’s David Hirsch with Sam Scali on the music featured on the album.
SPECIAL NOTE: These recordings were originally taken from analog masters and music & effects tracks and therefore certain limitations from the source tapes may be evident. We have tried to preserve as closely as possible, the quality of the original recordings.
