The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920)

The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920) - Paul Wegener

This movie is among the greatest silents to have ever graced a silver screen. Der Golem is truly superior work, it shows that famous brand of expressionism almost better than Dr. Caligari. The effects alone are enough to make you fall in love with it and beg for more.

The story, shows the Jews who are under persecution from the kingdom of Prague. Rabbi Lowe, the main character in this story, has enough of the persecution. He creates a giant Golem out of clay to protect his Ghetto. Then he brings the Golem to life by placing a star of David, emblazoned with a ‘magic word’ on it. The Golem does the Rabbi’s bidding and helps rid the kingdom of its evil emperor and evil citizens.

Its not enough for the Rabbi’s right hand man though. Who is jealous that the Rabbi’s daughter is dating some shiksa! Furious the Rabbi’s buddy sicks the Golem on the shiksa and all hell breaks loose. The only way to stop the Golem now is if there is some little girl who will rip the star from the Golem’s chest! Whats that? Oh there is!? Well, i guess you’ll have to see it to see if that happens.

So not only does Paul Wegener direct this classic of the silver age of horror, he also acts in it! He is a friggin’ powerhouse that is batting 1000. He really hits it out of the park with this one though. The Hero/Antagonist Golem is a very, very imposing force. His expressions are great, it makes the movie worth watching just for the expressions. I was thoroughly impressed with this gem and you should all see it. Top 100 movies to see before you kick the bucket! I think so. Excellent film, all be it a little Anti-Semite.

Dir: Paul Wegener
Country: Germany
Style: Expressionist

Did ya know...

This was a remake of the lost film Der Golem from (1915) and it was remade as The Golem (1936)

Comments

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...

Not scared yet? »

Humanoids From the Deep (1980) - Barbara Peeters and Jimmy T. Murakami

This is your standard old drive-in Creature Feature that has tons of gore and boobs. It's great if your in for a cheap thrill. This film goes right up along side any Roger Corman produced picture from the eighties. It's rumored that Joe Dante was approached to direct this movie but he turned it down. Humanoids from the Deep, also known as Monster, is a strange but forgettable piece of exploitation that failed to make it's notch in history. Don't let that detour you though. This is a really fun little film that doesn't fail to be entertaining. A small sea town in California is terrorized by some mutated creatures from the deep. They look like some sort of mutated fish, merman-thing. They seem to have one goal in mind and that is raping and impregnating the females of the town. Also the town is being taken for a ride by a shifty businessman and his new corporate cannery. Could this evil cannery corporation be responsible for the Extreme Creatures of the B...

Not scared yet? »

Escape From Tomorrow (2013) - Randy Moore

This review may contain spoilers. An American independent horror movie from filmmaker Randy Moore. It stars Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Jack Dalton, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Lees-Taylor. It premiered at the official selection of Roger Ebert, at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18th, 2013. Synopsis Jim is a depressed middle-aged man that despises his family life but wants to try to hold it together for a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. Jim receives a call before they leave and, unfortunately, Jim has lost his job as well. It proves too much to handle as this trip to the Magic Kingdom becomes a hellish nightmare. Jim’s mind cracks as we watch him deal with Disney’s seedy underbelly. Complete with elaborate corporate conspiracy, undercover sex workers, and demons. Oh and two very young French girls that Jim lusts over. It’s gross. Analysis The acting is amateurish. It’s nothing that’s going to win any awards or anything. The wri...

Not scared yet? »

Horror Movie Project

Search This Blog