The Golem (1920) is a bit rough around the edges and a little slow at times, but contains some beautiful imagery and a good story. An obvious progenitor of Frankenstein, The Golem is an important classic of the horror film.
Rabbi Loew of Prague, in order to save his people from being forced out of the ghetto where they live, creates a golem out of clay. He uses the golem to perform menial labor, then to help him convince Emperor Luhois to let his people stay where they are. The rabbi them deactivates the golem before the demon Astaroth, who provided the secret for bringing it to life, can turn it to a force of destruction. Unfortunately, the rabbi's assistant reactivates the golem for selfish purposes setting it on a path of destruction.
I've always been really fond of the physical design of the golem in this movie, and used it as the basis for the two golems in Xombi. The movie itself lacks some sophistication, which is not too surprising given when it was made, so it may be hard for some people to sit through, but I think everyone should try and see it at least once.
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