A scientist creates a living creature called a
Homunculus (a Latin word which means
little man) in a laboratory, and the creature strives to find love. When it discovers it is unable to feel emotions, it goes on a rampage and starts creating havoc in a nearby German village. Although it looks human, it is a soulless being. The scientist hunts down the creature in an attempt to destroy his creation. The
Reinert's script is loosely based on epic poem
Homunculus written by
Robert Hamerling in 1888. The theme of an artificially created being turning against its creator is also similar to the
Golem films of
Paul Wegener and the silent film versions of
Henrik Galeen's
Alraune. The plot is very similar to
Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, wherein a living creature (called a homunculus) is created artificially in a laboratory and strives to develop emotions like a human being. (
Frankenstein had previously been filmed by
Thomas Edison in the United States in 1909.) == Cast ==