Overview
A tale of creation and consequence unfolds in a mystical past, where clay becomes life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- macabre
- classic horror night
- silent cinema screening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually powerful classic of German Expressionist cinema whose performances, sets, and macabre imagery profoundly influenced later horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film's angular Prague sets, dramatic lighting, and highly stylized compositions are central to its macabre atmosphere.
Rabbi Loew animates the clay Golem to defend Prague's Jewish community, making the creature's agency the film's central dramatic tension.
The story draws on the Jewish Golem legend and places Rabbi Loew's protective ritual within the persecuted Jewish community of 16th-century Prague.
Paul Wegener's Golem is brought to life as a guardian against persecution while remaining an uncanny, potentially uncontrollable presence.
Films like The Golem: How He Came Into the World, and why
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
German expressionist horror, stylized black-and-white settings, and an iconic supernatural creature
Frankenstein
early cinematic monster mythology, expressionist visual design, and tragic supernatural spectacle
Nosferatu
silent-era fantasy horror, folkloric supernatural forces, and elaborate period atmosphere
Faust
German expressionist horror with uncanny imagery, persecution themes, and theatrical visual composition
Movie Details
- Directors
- Carl Boese, Paul Wegener
- Release Date
- 1920-10-29
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (249)
Cast
- Paul Wegener
- Albert Steinrück
- Lyda Salmonova
- Ernst Deutsch
- Hans Stürm
- Max Kronert
- Otto Gebühr
- Dore Paetzold
- Lothar Müthel
- Greta Schröder
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection, Bloodstream
- Rent
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Golem: How He Came Into the World about?
- A rabbi awakens a clay giant to defend Prague’s persecuted Jewish community, unleashing a landmark of expressionist supernatural horror.
- What is The Golem: How He Came Into the World like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Golem: How He Came Into the World as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Golem: How He Came Into the World violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Golem: How He Came Into the World as mild.
- What did critics think of The Golem: How He Came Into the World?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually powerful classic of German Expressionist cinema whose performances, sets, and macabre imagery profoundly influenced later horror.
- Which films are like The Golem: How He Came Into the World?
- Films with a similar feel include The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Frankenstein, Nosferatu, and Faust.
- How long is The Golem: How He Came Into the World?
- The Golem: How He Came Into the World runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Golem: How He Came Into the World?
- In United States, The Golem: How He Came Into the World streams on Kino Film Collection, Bloodstream.
