It!

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.

Long before "The Golem" (1915, 1917, 1929 and, again, in 1936), the story of this mythical clay statue was a Jewish folktale. The most famous version (portrayed in these three movies) is set in Prague. The local Jews are being persecuted and a rabbi builds a clay man. And, invoking the powers of darkness, he can control it and make it kill with impunity. Now, decades later, "It!" is an updated version--going on the assumption that this creature somehow was discovered in the 20th century and its secret is revealed to an unhinged young museum assistant curator (Roddy McDowell). You know he's unhinged in the opening scene, as he apparently keeps his mother's corpse at home--dressing it and talking to it as if she is alive! Later, when he discovers how to control the Golem, he uses it to exact revenge against people who have mistreated him.

"It!" is a very nice update to the old story. While the creature is a bit hard to believe at times, watching McDowell play such a crazy guy was actually a lot of fun. Overall, a very good horror film provided you suspend disbelief and just enjoy.

By the way, during the film McDowell's character refers to the movie "The Golem" but apparently incorrectly says that it's a 1924 film. A minor mistake, I understand.

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.

Disturbed museum curator is haunted by a hideous hulking stone statue, but when he discovers the power to control the indestructible thing he seeks out harsh vengeance.

Well-made British horror film is an engaging and unique treat for those that enjoy clever and untraditional genre films. The story is solidly engulfing and nicely paced, pulling the viewer into the mystery of the Golem statue and its deranged master. The late great Roddy McDowall does a splendid performance, as usual, as our lead who's on the verge of madness. The supporting cast isn't half bad either, though they admittedly pale compared to McDowell. The other big star of this film is the Golem statue itself. The makeup work on the imposing statue is quite good and the image of that statue is something that's stayed with me for over 10 years.

All around, a solid genre film that's definitely worth tracking down for both fans of British horror and fans of McDowell.

*** out of ****

...and the production expenses are laughably low. Tongue-in-cheek to begin with, this unpretentious "shocker" is quite funny in its absurdity. The secondary characters are remarkably earnest, and Jill Haworth is exceedingly gorgeous. Love the nuclear warhead!