Lambeth Fantastical - November 2025
The Golem and the War Museum
'It', not to be confused with the Stephen King novel, TV serial and movie franchise, was released in cinemas fifty eight years ago on November 15th 1967. Produced by the Merton Park Studios in Wimbledon it's central location was the Imperial War Museum on Lambeth Road.
'It' starred Herne Hill born, Roddy McDowall, returning to the south London of his boyhood in the middle of his Hollywood career, a year before his legendary role in the original 'Planet of the Apes'. McDowall plays Arthur Pimm, mild mannered, but ambitious and deeply disturbed, deputy museum curator whose unrequited love is Ellen Grove, daughter of the museum curator, played by Jill Haworth.
Pimm believes he is attuned to the spirit world. He keeps his mother's mummified corpse seated in an armchair at home and regularly 'borrows' jewellery from the museum's displays for mother to wear. The trope of the mother's mummified corpse first appeared in Hithcock's 'Psycho' in 1960. McDowall had in fact been considered for the role of Norman Bates, a role which went instead to Anthony Perkins. There is possibly of another nod to 'Psycho' in that the wealthy American collector who is Pimm's rival for Jill Haworth's attentions is given the character name, Jim Perkins. Perkins was played by Canadian actor Paul Maxwell who'd previously provided the voice for Steve Zodiac in Gerry Anderson's marionation scifi series 'Fireball XL5'.
Directed by Herbert J Leder, who also directed Merton Park's 'The Frozen Dead' in 1966, the plot centres on a statue of the mythical Golem of Prague, which is the only artifact to survive a mysterious fire at the museum's warehouse. When the museum curator is killed while examining the Golem statue amongst the burnt out ruins of the warehouse Pimm begins to suspect that it can move on its own volition. Once the statue is installed in the museum Pimm discovers some ancient inscriptions carved onto its side which once translated by a Hebrew scholar are found to contain an ominous warning.
He who shall invoke me in the 20th Century, beware.
Neither by fire, water or force, or anything else can I be destroyed.
The subsequent discovery of a small scroll provides Pimm with the incantation he needs to invoke the Golem and bring it to life under his command, an act he comes to regret as the story unfolds.
The exterior of the Imperial War Museum was used for scenes showing the entrance to the fictional museum where Pimm works. Scenes were also shot to the side of the building in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park. The scenes provide an interesting cinematic documentation of how the entrance looked before the huge naval battleship guns were installed to the front of the IWM only six months later in May 1968. The film also reveals that cars could drive in from the main road right up to the entrance in a scene where the police arrive to investigate the death of the new museum curator who Pimm has had the Golem murder under his command. One of the other key London locations in the film is Hammersmith Bridge, which Pimm has the Golem destroy in a misguided effort to impress Jill Haworth.
The ominous warning inscribed onto the side of the Golem proves to be true when Pimm, in a fit of remorse, fails in his attempts to destroy the creature, first by drowning in the Thames and then by burning inside a shed. Even the army and air force fail to destroy it with a small hydrogen bomb. The Golem is last seen walking into the English Channel and disappearing under the waves.
'It' remains a good reflection of the type of horror film being produced at Merton Park in the 1960s and McDowall is perfect casting for the darkly disturbed and slightly befuddled Arthur Pimm.
The original Golem novel was written by Gustav Merink and published 1915. In the same year German film maker, Paul Wegener, wrote and directed his highly acclaim silent horror, Der Golem, which spawned two equally good sequels. Wegener has a slightly disjointed Lambeth connection. He appeared in the lead role of the 1926 British silent horror film 'The Magician' which was based on the occult novel of the same name written by W Somerset Maugham following his encounter with the Great Beast himself, Aleister Crowley. Maugham wrote his first novel, 'Liza of Lambeth' while studying as a medical student at St Thomas's Hospital.
At present a Golem totem can be found in the Vaults in Waterloo's Leek Street as part of the fascinating Dark Secrets Exhibition. Dark Secrets. Be careful when reciting any ancient incantations in close proximity to it though.
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