Arima Neko

The Golem

January 1915 •German

This mostly lost film is often confused with director Paul Wegener third and readily available interpretation of the legend; Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920). In this version of the golem legend, the golem, a clay statue brought to life by Rabbi Loew in 16th century Prague to save the Jews from the ongoing brutal persecution by the city's rulers, is found in the rubble of an old synagogue in the 20th century. Brought to life by an antique dealer, the golem is used as a menial servant. Eventually falling in love with the dealer's wife, it goes on a murderous rampage when its love for her goes unanswered.

The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen

November 1938 •Japanese

A quintessential example of the period "ghost cat" (bakeneko or kaibyo) movie, this was one of at least six such titles released by the studio Shinko Kinema between 1937-40 featuring Japan's first scream queen, Sumiko Suzuki. Here she plays Mitsue, the possessive onna-kabuki actress betrothed to apprentice shamisen player Seijiro. When one day Okiyo, a beautiful young girl of samurai class, is led to Seijiro's house by his lost cat Kuro, she becomes besotted with him. Dark jealous passions are invoked in Mitsue, which are intensified when Seijiro gifts Okiyo his precious shamisen. The cat is the first to suffer at the end of Mitsue's hairpin, but returns from the grave to assist Okiyo's younger sister Onui avenge her sister's murder.

Resurrecting "The Street Walker"

January 2009 •English

Whilst documenting his life as a lowly intern, James Parker (James Powell) uncovers the long forgotten film, The Street Walker. Desperate to make a mark on the film industry and to prove his ever-doubting parents wrong, James endeavours to complete the unfinished horror movie, resulting in a murderous obsession.

Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit

July 1968 •Japanese

Nabeshima Naoshige murders his lord, Ryuzoji Takafusa, seeking to gain power and steal his Lord’s wife. To avoid her fate, Lady Takafusa drowns herself along with her cat in a nearby marsh. A decade later, Naoshige’s efforts to steal another woman trigger a curse on him when she also commits suicide at the same marsh — forcing him to suffer the consequences of his past actions.

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

November 1918 •English

In a dream Uncle Jack looks through a magic telescope owned by the ghost of a hermit and sees what life was like millions of years ago, including a battle between prehistoric monsters.

A Page of Madness

September 1926 •Japanese

A man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.

The Pit and the Pendulum

July 1913 •English

Alice Guy's version of Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum. This film is partially lost.

The Portrait

October 1915 •Russian

A man is increasingly unnerved by a mysterious portrait. Based on a story by Nikolai Gogol, the film is thought to have run about 45 minutes long, but only an 8 minute fragment is known to have survived.

The Ancestress

October 1919 •German

The long dead ancestress of a noble family returns to haunt her last two remaining descendants. She can not rest until the entire family line has passed away. When she reappears, the household knows it is an ill omen. The patriarch of the family is old, and without a son. He is eager for his daughter to marry. She has her eye on a handsome young nobleman named Jaromir, but he isn't quite who he appears to be. This may be the opportunity the restless spirit has been waiting for for so long...

Fragments of Archives #76 - #77

August 2025 •French

Fragments retrieved from Archives 76 & 77 have recently been digitized. They appear to document a divine corpus with no known equivalent in mythological, historical, or religious records. The exact origin of these materials remains unclear. No official trace has been found in any consulted database to date. Independent researchers are currently investigating their content.

Banshû sarayashiki

January 1928 •Japanese

The Devil's Church

January 1919 •German

In a prologue and four acts (the prologue and the first act are lost so is necessary to describe what happens with title cards) the film depicts the terrible dream of Asmus wherein the devil joins the human world disguised as a tinker. He meets Frau Ane, Asmus' wife; Ane yearns to have a baby but in vain so the devil takes advantage of Frau Ane's motherly inner desire by making a deal with her but for his own purposes. As a result, the farmer's wife comes under the devil's spell and then seduces the local priest, giving the devil to chance to build his own church to replace the old church that has burned down.

The Lightning Raider

January 1919 •English

A beautiful young woman is a daring master thief. She meets the young millionaire Thomas Babbington Norton, while fleeing from the scene of her latest theft.

The Hunting of the Hawk

April 1917 •English

On a voyage from Europe to the U.S., Desselway meets and falls in love with Diana Curran. Diana has a dark past, however -- she is married to Wrenshaw, a criminal known as "the Hawk." Diana got involved with Wrenshaw because she thought he was honest, and he keeps her under his thumb by making her believe she killed a man.

The Awakening

December 1917 •English

Abandoned on the church steps at birth Jacques Revilly is a pariah in his small hamlet finally heading to Paris to fulfill his dream of being an artist. After three years he has become quite adept but due to his slovenly ways and appearance he has been nicknamed “The Beast” and is once again exiled among society. One night he discovers a young girl who has collapsed in the roadside snow, with the assistance of his one friend Varney they nurse her back to health and “The Beast” begins to mend his ways.

Chicken Casey

January 1917 •English

A young author, Everett Dryden Hale, has written a book of such strength and originality that it becomes one of the best sellers. The book is entitled "Waifs" and deals with the underworld, a subject of which Hale, who is a New Englander with a Puritanical strain, knows by personal experience, practically nothing at all.

Satan Junior

March 1919 •English

Famous playwright Paul Worden decamps to a country bungalow to work on a new play, rehearsing with his leading lady, Marjorie Sinclair, who is staying nearby. Going riding one day to relax, Paul rescues his neighbor, teenager Diana Ardway when her horse runs wild. The pair clash initially, as she does with Marjorie, but after a series of misunderstandings true love triumphs.

The Recoil

May 1917 •English

When Richard Cameron, a secret service agent tracking down international spies, is kidnapped by the enemy, Mirian Somerset, to whom Richard has been surreptitiously married, believes that he is dead.

Sir Arne's Treasure

September 1919 •Swedish

Three Scottish officers, including Sir Archi, murder Sir Arne and his household for a coffin filled with gold. The only survivor is Elsalill, who moves to relatives in Marstrand. There she meets a charming young officer- Sir Archi- and she soon understands that he was one of the murderers.

The House of Hate

January 1918 •English

A young heiress of an American gun factory is threatened by a masked man after her father was murdered. This criminal might be a member of her family or a German agent, who wants to get information about the factory's products, perhaps his mystery has a combined solution - we will probably never know...