It! (1966)

I think it really is how you look at the film that depends on whether or not you get a kick out of it or just find it laughable. The golem statue is what assistant curator of a London museum calls a primitive work since its details are not particularly elaborate or extravagant. Designed as a protector and defender, McDowell's oddball Pimm finds a script in Hebrew thanks from help of an American visiting from a New York museum noticing the writing, getting the language deciphered by an expert at a library, later locating a scroll in the statue's foot. A series of dump decisions by Pimm, after it kills the museum curator and an electrician, ordering it to kill the replacement curator and destroying a bridge to impress his deceased boss's daughter, land him in hot water with the police. The New York museum American visiting and the London detective work together to find him once the golem breaks him out of his prison.

I definitely saw a familiarity to The Mummy, except instead of an Egyptian scholar getting revenge against the British scientists robbing his ancestors' tombs by using Khakis, Roddy's Pimm commands the golem to protect him from military and police (and New Yorker, Perkins). Lovely blond Jill's Ellen, for whom Pimm is infatuated with, is "brought along", snatched right out if her bed, by the golem and Pimm, taken to a castle, in a hearse, along with Pimm's mother's decayed corpse!

As mentioned, Norman Bates is an obvious connection with loony McDowell, who just plays the Pimm part all wacky and on the verge of mad when we are introduced to him. I think if you just don't take this seriously, it will go over better. It has that Hammer second tier creature feature robust color and sound effect that won me over. Of course, set at a museum full of artifacts and antiques, designed with great attention to detail, is always alluring to me. Seeing McDowell struggle with the option of having access of the powerful golem for his own use amused me because if anyone should not have that kind of control it is the unbalanced Pimm. I think the endgame for the film is flimsy because there really isn't a threat to Pimm that isn't of his own making since it is his own clumsiness and mismanagement that drags him into the military dropping a nuclear bomb on the castle after burning alive a kind old lady (willing to store the statute but trying to help kidnapped Ellen is enough to earn his wrath.)

Truthfully I had fun with this because McDowell is just almost always batshit crazy, keeping his dead mom at home, just carrying on conversations with her. And the golem as a weapon for him to use as he sees fit Pimm tries to destroy once the bridge collapse causes a lot of damage as well as murdering the curator replacement due to the old "fusspot" being a cranky, short-tempered jerk just looking to fire him leaves him guilt-stricken, his inability to deal has obvious repercussions.