The Golem Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Golem Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 15, 2019

Directors Doron and Yaov Paz set out to create a slightly different haunting with “The Golem.” Working through the history of Jewish mysticism, the siblings (along with screenwriter Ariel Cohen) come up with a different take on the average bloodbath, traveling back 400 years to make a period piece about revenge and empowerment. “The Golem” boasts some fine tech credits and a wonderful lead performance from Hani Furstenberg, who delivers powerful work for the helmers, who are always better with defined acts of frustration and rage, searching for subtle ways to provide agitation before the whole picture ends up in a mess of gore and fire.

“The Golem” explores the fury of Hanna (Furstenberg), a Jewish woman in 1673 Lithuania who doesn’t want to lose a second child, refusing to give her husband a new baby. She’s smart and inquisitive, making her trouble for village elders, but fresh terror arrives with nearby locals who blame the community for spellcasting that’s unleashed the plague. Facing certain doom, Hanna elects to turn to the supernatural for help, summoning a demon, the Golem, who resembles a sever-year-old boy. Such weaponry skirts the line of good taste, but Cohen puts in the time to create a mood of mourning for Hanna, making such a manifestation a primal connection to all she’s lost, getting comfortable with evil that’s innocent in appearance, yet is motivated by the woman’s bulging resentment of her own complacency, adding an additional level of meaning to the eventual rampage.

The Golem Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Golem" deals with a fairly dark feature overall, finding the tale largely taking place during the evening or inside dimly lit interiors. Delineation holds up relatively well, providing deeper blacks to support frame information. Sunlight provides full display of cinematographic achievements, exposing strong detail that favors intense close-ups, getting a full feel of facial surfaces and focused thespian commitment. Period costuming does well, surveying coarser fabrics with defined texture. Village community retains dimension and decoration. Colors are satisfactory, preserving greenery for outdoor events, and clothing, while respectfully muted, delivers shades of gray and brown. Skintones are natural, and Furstenberg's red hair is a highlight. Posturization is an occasional issue.

The Golem Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix delivers some power to back up the violent mood of the endeavor. Dialogue exchanges are sharp and true, detailing accents and languages, keeping information clear enough to understand. Scoring offers strong instrumentation, digging into the suspense needs of the feature, presenting furious strings when threat arises. Surrounds push out atmospherics, and they offer some directorial activity. Low-end provides weight with demonic wrath and thundering horses.

The Golem Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features directors Doron and Yoav Paz.

• "The Making of 'The Golem'" (3:48, SD) is a brief set visit, taking a look at the daily labor of shooting the picture. There's no context here, just a random assembly of cast and crew experiences, some a little bewildering, but the general atmosphere of filmmaking is provided, helping to understand how "The Golem" came to be.

• Deleted Scenes (2:04, HD) offer more time with Hanna and her sister, the sibling's ultimate fate, and a domestic moment with Hanna and the Golem.

• "Making 'The Golem' Soundtrack" (3:00, HD) visits an unnamed recording studio to take a peek at the process of creating the film's score. While he's not identified, composer Tal Yardeni is here to observe the orchestra's skill and give notes.

• "FrightFest Interviews" (2:02, HD) catch up with the Paz Brothers as they debut "The Golem" at the horror film festival.

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:12, HD), an International Trailer (2:01, HD), and a Teaser Trailer (:37, HD) are included.

The Golem Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Golem" plays like a Hammer Films production, only its payoff isn't quite as interesting as its set-up. The Paz Brothers don't skimp on the gruesome details for their grand finale, but the saga of Hanna as a woman pushed down by this society offers greater dramatic value, with the slow creep of demonry adding interesting intensity to the production. Everyone loves carnage, but "The Golem" is the rare genre feature that does better with personal matters than supernatural ones.