Villain(s)  The Golem

Actor(s):  Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch

Brief Description  The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920) is a German silent horror masterwork directed by and starring Paul Wegener. Set in 16th-century Prague, it follows a Rabbi who builds a giant clay creature and brings it to life using ancient magic to save the Jewish community from royal persecution.

Plot:
The Prophecy: Rabbi Loew reads the stars and sees a terrible threat coming for the Jews of Prague.

The Decree: The Emperor orders all Jews to leave the city because he fears their magic.

The Creation: Loew shapes a giant man out of clay (the Golem) and calls upon the demon Astaroth to learn the magic word of life.

The Miracle: The Golem saves the Emperor's palace from collapsing, and the Emperor gratefully cancels the expulsion order.

The Rampage: Loew tries to turn the creature off, but his assistant turns it back on out of jealousy, causing the monster to go wild, break out of the ghetto, and terrorize the city.

The Ending: The Golem carries off the Rabbi's daughter before an innocent young girl removes the magical amulet on its chest, causing the clay body to fall and shatter.

Style and Design:
Expressionist Sets: Designed by architect Hans Poelzig, the film features crooked, organic, and pointed archways that make the ghetto look like a chaotic, pressing labyrinth.

Visual Mood: Karl Freund’s shadowy, high-contrast cinematography helped define the look of classic horror and fantasy films for decades.

The Monster: Paul Wegener plays the Golem with a heavy, mechanical, and rigid movement that inspired later movie monsters, including Universal's Frankenstein.