It!

I saw this film in the theater when It came out when I was 11 years old. I'm surprised how much I remember of It after viewing It over 40 years later. The basic premise is if a Norman Bates type character(Roddy Mcdowall) had a Golem to do his bidding. It scared me in 1966 and its great fun to see again. The Golem reminds me of the tree creature in "From Hell It Came", great Saturday matinée movie fun. Roddy McDowall is always fun to watch and would have made a passable Norman Bates. His character in It, Arthur Pimm , Is sometimes crazed, sometimes remorseful, sometimes sad and definitely quite madly insane. The writer/director was also responsible for penning the "Fiend Without A Face", which still holds up as one of the most frightening movies of the 50's.

Anyone who has every followed the rich full and popular life of actor Roddy McDowall, knows and understands that here was a very underrated individual. Praised by the high and mighty for his unflagging integrity as well as his immeasurable friendship, he played many parts, but was seldom seen as a heavy. This film is called " IT " and has him playing Arthur Pimm, a museum curator who discovers a strange and powerful statue. It's original intentions were benign at first, the statue does whatever he is ordered to do. Eventually however it's limitless abilities leads to self-aggrandizement and disaster. From petty theft to ultimate murder, Pimm eventually realizes that such power in the hands of even the most innocent individual can and does lead to corruption. Despite becoming delusional and diabolical, his character is seen as pathetic and obsessively two dimensional, yet Roddy makes him dependent and sympathetic. The film is not considered among McDowall's best, indeed it is still a milestone for his many fans. Much time has elapsed and today stands as a cult Classic. Easily recommended to all. ****

When a museum warehouse burns down, the only item left intact is a stone statue from Czechoslovakia.

However, when the museum curator and his assistant go to inspect it...the curator winds up being killed.

His assistant is a bizarre young man, who lives with his mother's desiccated corpse.

And he steals jewels, in order to deck her out.

After the death of his boss, he gets excited, because he feels that he should be next in line for the job.

But the owner of the museum goes over his head, and hires an outsider...who's a bit of a fascist...to take his place.

That's when he discovers the mysterious powers possessed by this equally mysterious statue.

And it's ability to kill...

Because it turns out that it is a Jewish Golem from 1550...the oldest known of it's kind.

And, as the centuries have past...it has only become more impossible to destroy.

All you need to get it to do your bidding is a magic scroll.

And a few deaths later...he finds this scroll, for himself.

Now he holds unfathomable power in his hands.

But will all this power go to his head?

First things first, he uses it to take out his new boss, so as to implant himself as the new curator.

He's been trying to woo his old boss's beautiful daughter...and get he and his mother a new house.

So he seeks to exploit the Golem's power to achieve these ends.

A fellow curator from an American museum tries to warn him that using the abilities of the Golem for selfish reasons, could cause it to go rogue.

But is it already too late?

Has he lost control of this supposedly mindless killer?

He's certainly lost control of his own ego, anyways.

Now, the only way to stop them...is for the military to intervene.

Ultimattely leading to the film's explosive conclusion...

Produced by Britain's 7 Arts, the film is shot in the style of a Hammer Horror film.

And considering such, it has really beautiful colour and mise en scene.

It's biggest flaw is it's attempt to spin in the bizarre psychology of the main character, which seems a bit forced...even unnecessary.

And the ending is also a bit rushed.

That being said...the story really is quite entertaining.

6 out of 10.

This sure is a weird little horror film. In fact, there are not many real highlights -perhaps none- I can find in it in terms of the issues that make a movie (budget, direction, script, camera work, photo, colour, locations, settings, edition, music, cast ...). However, every time I catch it on TV -always by chance- I get hooked up and can't help watching it till the very end. I really couldn't say why.

This unpretentious not scary horror film, sort of silly too, has a strange fascination on me. Roddy McDowall's preserved dead mother on a chair is not original ("Psycho" was first and better by far); the Golem is no big deal as a monster and doesn't even look menacing enough; no frightening situations really; McDowall has done many better jobs in his career and though Jill Haworth is a beautiful woman no doubt she is not quite my type. In fact the only interesting sequence I can rescue out of "It!" is when the stone arms of the Golem appear in different positions between shots at the museum in front of an amazed Arthur Pimm (Mc Dowall).

A great film? not at all; a good film? not in my opinion; a watchable one? I wouldn't say that either. Yet I don't know why I am interested, perhaps because I find it sort of original and really odd. Who knows?

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of It!; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.50 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.50 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.75 out of 10.00

I am, have been, and will always be a Roddy McDowall fan. When I saw the movie stared the great man, I had to give it a look-see, and I am glad I did. It's not a great movie, but it is highly entertaining, thanks mostly to McDowall.

The story is your basic 1970s fodder. Man finds a monster he can control and uses it to kill his way to his heart's desires - who needs hard work? That said, I did enjoy the opening sequence as it kind of rings true. There's a raging fire at a museum's storage facility, and the only thing to survive is a seven-foot statue. Most of the treasures unearthed are indeed done so accidentally. It's an odd-looking effigy that looks crude in its workmanship but somehow manages to exude menace. Pimm quickly realises there's something supernatural about the figure and sets his mind to finding the truth. And once the murders start, Perkins - an American buyer - and Scotland Yard set out on another path of truth-finding. One thing I would have included in the story would be more on Pimm's background. I loved this character, even the individual's excentricities like stealing the jewels for a day or two so his mother could wear them. Is this something she would bully him into, or is it a recently formed transgression - Something he decided was a good idea after retrieving his mother's corpse from her grave? Oh, yeah! And why did he do that? These questions are unanswered, and I don't think that was a good idea. It makes the peculiar events feel excessive to the story's concept and not one of its components. However, McDowell does well with the scenes though he's no Anthony Perkins. I liked how Pimm realised he'd gotten too deep into the evilness of power and wanted to make amends. Most people in stories of this ilk are completely consumed and never see the error of their ways. It was refreshing.

The director of this little treasure is also the writer, and he's equally skilled in both fields. The direction could have been better. Though he subdues the lighting and adds thunder and lightning, it's not nearly atmospheric enough. There should be an underlying dread to all the preliminary and primary scary scenes. You should feel unnerved, but, sadly, you don't. But the worst thing is the painting. When the Golam topples a bridge, we get to see the aftermath. Though not having a great budget, instead of a set model, we see an artist's rendition of the devastation. Regrettably, the limited money didn't stretch to a good artist. I paused the scene for a few minutes but still couldn't recognise what I was looking at - It was a mess. They must have spent the cash on the cast and the Golam's outfit. Even though it's simplistic and not too frightful, it looks okay, and you cannot tell it's rubber. There are times when its arms are down and others when they're at forty-five degrees, and you cannot distinguish any creasing in the material. In too many similar films, the monster's garb unintentionally lets the film and the creepiness down.

The cast is more than adequate. McDowell, as always, is superbly entertaining. And though he appears to perform most of his roles with tongue firmly in cheek, his characters always come across as believable and relatable - as does Pimm in It! And even though he's broken in a twisted way, you still warm to him, which is a strange feeling to possess for the murderous villain of the picture.

It! Is a Sunday afternoon watch on a cold rainy day. You're happily stuffed with Sunday dinner, the fire's warming up the room nicely as rain streams down the window pane, and you need something easy and enjoyable to waste a little time. Should you have a copy of It! Or have found it on a streaming service, then get under the duvet, grab a warm drink, and enjoy It!.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror list to see where I ranked It!.

Take Care & Stay Well.