''It!'' (alternate titles: ''Anger of the Golem'' and ''Curse of the Golem'') is a 1967 British horror film made by Seven Arts Productions and Gold Star Productions, Ltd. that features the

Golem A golem ( ; he, , gōlem) is an animated, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the l ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

as its main subject. Herbert J. Leder is the film's producer, screenwriter, and director. The film was made in the style of the Hammer Studios films both in sound and cinematography. ''It!'' stars Roddy McDowall as the mad assistant museum curator Arthur Pimm, who brings the Golem to life.John Hamilton, ''The British Independent Horror Film 1951-70'' Hemlock Books 2013 p 174-177

Plot

A London museum's

warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

burns down, leaving undamaged a statue that the museum curator, Mr. Grove, identifies as "Mid-European Primitive". Grove is mysteriously killed while inspecting the artifact when his assistant, Arthur Pimm, is sent to fetch a flashlight for him. This begins a series of unexplained deaths and calamities connected with the statue, which is later positively identified as the

of Judah Loew of the 16th century. An inscription in Hebrew heightens the suspense and horror of the plot: Arthur Pimm, a

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...

-like character, who keeps his mother's corpse in his apartment and borrows museum jewelry exhibits to adorn it, brings the Golem to life by placing a small scroll containing the Hebrew word "emeth" ("truth") into its mouth, which he finds in a compartment located at the top of the Golem's right foot. The Golem then becomes Pimm's accomplice in murder and mayhem, contrary to its original purpose to defend its community. When the Golem is suspected of bringing about the catastrophic destruction of

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

, Pimm tries to destroy it. This is impossible, as the inscription predicts: ''"for neither by fire, nor water, nor force, nor anything by man created"'' can it be destroyed. This is borne out in the final scenes of the film by the detonation of a small nuclear warhead in an attempt to stop it. Caught up in all of this is Ellen Grove, the daughter of the first deceased curator whom Pimm is in love with, but she falls in love with Jim Perkins of the New York Museum, who identifies the Golem and seeks to acquire it for his museum. Perkins exposes Pimm to the police, and Pimm is committed to an insane asylum. He breaks out of the asylum and kidnaps Ellen with the help of the Golem. Pimm holes up in the museum's annex in the country known as "the Cloisters". Perkins dramatically saves Ellen from the aforementioned nuclear explosion that vaporizes both Pimm and "the Cloisters", but not the Golem which, for unknown reasons, retreats into the sea.

Cast

* Roddy McDowall as Arthur Pimm * Jill Haworth as Ellen Grove *

Paul Maxwell Paul Maxwell (born Maxim Popovich; November 12, 1921December 19, 1991) was a Canadian actor who worked mostly in British cinema and television, in which he was usually cast as American characters. In terms of audience, his most notable role w ...

as Jim Perkins * Aubrey Richards as Professor Weal *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sc ...

as Harold Grove * Oliver Johnston as Curator Trimingham * Noel Trevarthen as Inspector White * Ian McCulloch as Detective Wayne *

Richard Goolden Richard Percy Herbert Goolden, OBE (23 February 1895 – 18 June 1981) was a British actor, most famous for his portrayal of Mole from Kenneth Grahame's ''Wind in the Willows'' in A A Milne's stage adaptation, ''Toad of Toad Hall''. Goolden t ...

as the old

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

* Dorothy Frere as Miss Swanson * Tom Chatto as the young captain * Steve Kirby as Ellis the electrician * Russell Napier as boss * Frank Sieman as museum workman * Brian Haines as first museum guard * John Baker as second museum guard * Mark Burns as first officer * Raymond Adamson as second officer * Lindsay Campbell as policeman * Alan Seller as the Golem of Prague

Release

Theatrical release

Since Seven Arts Productions acquired

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in 1967, the film was released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in the United States. The film was widely released in the U.S. in 1967 as a double feature with ''

The Frozen Dead ''The Frozen Dead'' is a 1966 British science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Herbert J. Leder and starring Dana Andrews, Anna Palk and Philip Gilbert. In this film, Nazi scientist Dr. Norberg (Dana Andrews) attempts to ...

''.

Home media

''It!'' was released on DVD on 9 December 2008 when Warner Home Video released it with ''

The Shuttered Room ''The Shuttered Room'' (a.k.a. ''Blood Island'') is a 1967 British horror film directed by David Greene and starring Gig Young and Carol Lynley as a couple who move into a house with dark secrets. It is based on a short story of the same name ...

'' in on ''Warner Home Video Horror Double Feature''.New Warner Bros. Horror Double-Features
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Reception

Jason P. Vargo from IGN awarded the film a score of 4/10, calling it "a sub-par creature feature". Author and film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

gave the film a mixed two out of four stars. David Camak Pratt from

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, reviewing the double feature DVD release, awarded it three out of 10 stars. In his review, Pratt called the film "uneven" and "ridiculous", while also criticizing the film's '' Psycho''-like plot points as being both obvious and pointless.

References

External links

* * {{Amg movie, 25495, It! 1967 films 1967 horror films British horror films Films directed by Herbert J. Leder Golem films 1960s monster movies Warner Bros. films 1960s English-language films British monster movies 1960s British films