It! (1966 film)

Plot

A London museums warehouse burns down leaving undamaged a statue, that the museum curator, Mr. Grove, identifies as "Mid-European Primitive." He is accompanied by his assistant, Arthur Pimm. While Pimm goes to get a flashlight for Grove for his further investigation of the statue, Grove is killed and found at the foot of the statue. This begins a series of unexplained deaths connected with the statue, which is later positively identified as the Golem of Judah Loew of the 16th century.

Arthur Pimm, a Norman Bates character, who keeps his mothers corpse in his apartment and borrows museum jewel exhibits to adorn her, brings the golem to life by placing a small scroll into its mouth, which he finds in a compartment located at the top of the golems right foot. The golem then becomes Pimms accomplice in murder and mayhem. When the golem is suspected of bringing about the catastrophic destruction of Hammersmith Bridge, Pimm tries to destroy it, but as the golem inscription indicates (see below), it cannot be destroyed by anything created by man. This is borne out by the detonation of a small nuclear warhead in the attempt to overcome it.

Caught up in all of this is Ellen Grove, the daughter of the first deceased curator, who is a love interest for Pimm, but 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 museums annex in the country, known as "The Cloisters." Jim Perkins dramatically saves Ellen before the detonation of the nuclear warhead that annihilates Pimm and "The Cloisters" but not the golem, which retreats into the ocean.

"Power bringeth destruction; beware, lest it be unleashed." "He who will find the secret of my life at his feet, him will I serve until beyond time. "He who shall evoke me in the 17th century, beware, for I cannot by fire be destroyed. "He who shall evoke me in the 18th century, beware, for I cannot by fire or by water be destroyed. "He who evokes me in the 19th century, beware, for I cannot by fire or by water or by force be destroyed. "He who in the 20th century shall dare evoke me, beware, for neither by fire, nor water, nor force, nor anything by man created can I be destroyed. "He who in the 21st century evokes me must be of Gods hand himself because on this earth the person of man existeth no more."

Cast

Roddy McDowall as Arthur Pimm

Jill Haworth as Ellen Grove

Paul Maxwell as Jim Perkins

Aubrey Richards as Professor Weal

Ernest Clark as Harold Grove

Oliver Johnston as Curator Trimingham

Noel Trevarthen as Inspector White

Ian McCulloch as Detective Wayne

Richard Goolden as the old rabbi

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 museum guard

Mark Burns as first officer

Raymond Adamson as second officer

Lindsay Campbell as policeman

John Baker as second museum guard

Alan Seller as the golem

Release

Since Seven Arts Productions acquired Warner Bros. in 1967 the film was released by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in the United States. The film was widely released in the US in 1967 on a double bill with The Frozen Dead.

Home media

It! was released on home video on December 9, 2008 when Warner Home Video released it with The Shuttered Room in its new series of "Horror Double Feature" DVDs.