page_title: The Golem (2018 film)
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: The Golem (2018 film) / Production / Development
caption_attribution_description: Rabi Loew and Golem.
context_page_description: The Golem is a 2018 Israeli period supernatural horror film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz, and written by Ariel Cohen. It stars Hani Furstenberg, Ishai Golan, Brynie Furstenberg, and Konstantin Anikienko.
  The Golem is based on the Jewish legend of the same name, and the film's creators felt that the legend, which they referred to as "the Jewish Frankenstein", had never been properly developed into a film since the 1951 version The Emperor and the Golem. Originally it was intended to retain the original appearance of the title character for the film, "In the beginning, when we just started on the idea for the movie, we tried to tell the story as it is. That is with the real giant creature made of mud and clay,". The idea was soon abandoned, however, after realizing that it would not fit with the story they wanted to convey, deciding instead to reimagine the classic tale for a more contemporary audience while staying true to its original themes. Principal photography for The Golem commenced in the summer of 2017 near Kiev, Ukraine, for a month and a half, with the majority of the film was shot in an isolated outdoor set, "in the middle of nowhere".
context_section_description: The Golem was written by Ariel Cohen and directed by the Paz Brothers. The film marks the Israeli filmmakers third directorial effort, whose previous efforts include Phobidilia (2009), and JeruZalem (2013). The film itself is partially based on Jewish legend of the same name, specifically the legend of the Golem of Prague, which dates back to 1834, and involves the creation of a golem by a rabbi to defend the Jewish ghetto based in Prague, which results in the golem going on a murderous rampage.
  The sons of famed Israeli filmmaker Jonathan Paz, Doron and Yoav grew up with hearing the stories of the golem: "The Golem stories are well known in Israel and we think every kid knows about it in some way or another... We didn’t grow up in an orthodox house, but this story, about a giant monster who saves the Jews from their enemies – it blew our minds." After the success of their 2013 film JeruZalem, the Paz Brothers wanted their next project to be based on Jewish culture and legends, "we thought there’s an appetite for more, so we said we’re Jews in Israel with so much culture and so much mythology around us. Nobody had handled it yet, so we thought this is the path we should go by". After looking into the various Jewish myths and legends, the brothers decided upon adapting the Jewish legend of the Golem. The Paz Brothers felt that the legend, which they referred to as "the Jewish Frankenstein", had never been properly developed into a film since the silent 1920 version The Golem: How He Came into the World. In an interview with PopHorror, the brothers also stated that they were drawn to the elements of Cohen's script which they felt was a very dark, and emotional drama. Originally it was intended to retain the original appearance of the title character for the film, "In the beginning, when we just started on the idea for the movie, we tried to tell the story as it is. That is with the real giant creature made of mud and clay,". The idea was soon abandoned, however, after realizing that it would not fit with the story they wanted to convey, deciding instead to reimagine the classic tale for a more contemporary audience while staying true to its original themes. The brothers later explained, "We like character-driven horror so dealing with just a giant monster wasn’t that appealing for us. That’s how we came up with the idea of dealing with a golem KID." Unlike their previous effort JeruZalem, which they felt relied too much on jump scares, the Paz Brothers stated that they wanted the film to be "a slow burn", focusing more on building atmosphere, and tension as well as the development of the lead character Hanna. "[W]e wanted people to be inside Hanna, to show what she’s going through and tell her story – and not to give thrills every few minutes. The film's bigger budget also allowed the filmmakers to focus more on creating the proper tone and scope for the film. As Doron Paz stated in an interview, "Having a much bigger budget this time allowed us to create the scope needed to re-tell the legend of the Golem." With Yoav Paz further adding that the film's producer Shalom Eisenbach and Epic Pictures "believe in our vision and excited to get it in front [of an] audience".
caption: The Golem was partially based on the Jewish legend of The Golem of Prague
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