It!

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 ****

'It!' AKA 'Curse of the Golem' (1967).

Been many years since I've seen this one - had a chance to see it again recently. It is an odd film, something a bit different from the normal horror films.

The first of the film is how the statue came in to the hands of Arthur Pimm (McDowall) and the museum he works for, then comes some history on the statue of the golem, and after about 40 minutes you will watch Arthur (Roddy McDowall) go mad with power for he controls the golem. But how can the golem be destroyed?

Not a bad film - it's quite fun! BTW it's Roddy McDowall's performance that makes this film good.

7/10

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. ****

As I continue working my way through several old style horror films of the 1950s and 60s, I just have to weigh in on this double feature which I found to be among the best of the many retro horror twofers that are out there on the market. I somehow managed to miss both of these on their initial releases and never saw them on TV so they were brand new to me. Most of the previous reviews focus on THE SHUTTERED ROOM which got far more exposure and certainly boasts the stronger cast as well as the H. P. Lovecraft name (even though August Derleth wrote most of it).

Very little Lovecraft/Derleth is left and what you essentially have is a tense little thriller that seems like a dry run for STRAW DOGS (1971) without all the ultra-violence. The real stars of the movie are not the performers (although Oliver Reed and Flora Robson know what to do with the material) but rather Ken Hodges striking cinematography and Basil Kirchin's modern jazz score which combine to make the picture a tense viewing experience until the ending which is singularly disappointing. The Norfolk (U. K.) locations, especially the abandoned lighthouse and old mill, are also very effective.

While THE SHUTTERED ROOM is clearly the better movie, I enjoyed IT a lot more because, as one U. K. website said, the film is absolutely "barking mad". What starts off as a deliberate PSYCHO ripoff evolves into a kooky film experience with Roddy MacDowell playing the script for all the dark humor he can get out of it. His Arthur Pimm is such a polite madman that he becomes a parody of every proper upright Englishman. He is actually fun to watch even more so after he really starts to lose it.

Grafting PSYCHO onto THE GOLEM story deserves credit for chutzpah if nothing else. As for the statue itself, the real Golem was made out of clay not stone, was far from indestructible, and didn't resemble a petrified tree with a Conehead. Details...IT was originally made back to back with a creepy Dana Andrews vehicle about resurrecting Nazis called THE FROZEN DEAD which was made for an outfit called Gold Star Productions. Both were written and directed by Herbert J. Leder and would have made an ideal double feature. THE SHUTTERED ROOM could have been coupled with another WB/Seven Arts feature THE ANNIVERSARY with Bette Davis or just released on its on..For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

...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!