Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon

Starring:Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham, Athene Seyler, Liam Redmond, Reginald Beckwith, Ewan Roberts, Peter Elliott, Rosamund Greenwood, Brian Wilde, Richard Leech, Lloyd Lamble, Peter Hobbes, Charles Lloyd Pack, John Salew, Janet Barrow, Percy Herbert, Lynn Tracy, Ballard Berkeley
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

After establishing his signature style with such moody classics as Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie, Jacques Tourneur returned to peak form with the first-rate supernatural thriller Curse of the Demon. It's a horror-noir set in England, adapted from the M.R. James story "Casting the Runes" and built around the ominous notion that black arts--particularly the use of ancient runic symbols--can summon a deadly beast from hell. Dana Andrews is the stubborn American skeptic, determined to debunk a genteel occultist (Niall MacGinnis) whose evil powers are ultimately incontestable. The briefly seen demon may be cheesy by latter-day standards, but its nightmarish appearance--and Tourneur's masterful use of subtle suggestion, threatening atmosphere, and eerie special effects--make Curse of the Demon one of the best horror films of the 1950s. This splendid DVD offers the longer British version Night of the Demon for film-buff comparison; it's essentially the same film with a few extended scenes. Both are highly recommended. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

50's classic.......2007-04-07

i prefere to watch old black n white films simply becuase there is a lot of profesanal work and deadication put into these films and not just for fame and fortune.no computor images just makeup artists doing there work no graffic scenes of blood and gore.

Curse of the Demon/Night of the Demon.......2007-02-24

What a great evening of chills! It was just as scary & creepy as I remember from watching this movie with my family during my childhood. Holds up well even after all these years. I highly recommend to anyone who loves scary movies.

It's In The Trees! It's Coming!.......2007-01-21

Filmed in England, this 1958 film was originally released with a running time of 95 minutes under the title NIGHT OF THE DEMON; when it reached the United States it had a running time of 83 minutes and the title CURSE OF THE DEMON. Both versions are contained on this DVD, with the English version the better for those twelve minutes, but in truth there is little significant difference between the two, and if you are a conniseur of 1950s horror films you will find both equally fascinating.

Based on the short story "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James, DEMON offers the tale of American psychologist John Holden (Dana Andrews) who travels to a conference in England, planning to debunk a devil worshipping cult led by Karswell (Niall MacGinnis.) Unfortunately for the professionally skeptical Holden, Karswell's powers are genuine: he has successfully translated an ancient text and, through runes written on parchment, casts a curse first against Holden's collegue and then against Holden himself.

DEMON was directed by Jacques Tourneur, who worked with producer Val Lewton to create a series of memorable and distinctly noir-ish horror films at RKO in the 1940s: CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and THE LEOPARD MAN. All three films created a sense of unease and scream-aloud fear by implication and suggestion, and although DEMON is much more explicit in its effects, Tourneur brings the same sensibility to bear on DEMON, endowing it with remarkable authority and power in spite of several distinct flaws.

Chief among these flaws is the script, which can best be described as somewhat abrupt in terms of dialogue, and leading man Dana Andrews, whose performance is remarkably unsubtle even in a decade noted for a lack of cinematic restraint. Film lore also has it that Tourneur lobbied against showing the demon on screen, and given the fact that the visual is hardly inspired this clearly would have been the better choice. None the less, DEMON has jolts and jars aplenty, not the least of which is Karswell: Niall MacGinnis' performance, with its mixture of the commonplace and the flatly evil, is remarkably fine. The film also sports a host of memorable set pieces: the storm, the flying parchment, Dr. Holden's exploration of Karswell's mansion, Dr. Holden's run through the night forrest, and the final train sequence, to name but a few.

Although it is not well known today, like Tourneur's films with Lewton, DEMON has cast a very long shadow in terms of influence, and it is very difficult to imagine such films as ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE CHANGELING without both this film and those that proceeded it. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Gave me nightmares for years..........2007-01-05

I saw the American version on late night TV when I was about 7 or 8-late 1960's and the cheezy monster is still in my subconscious! I love the cast and for the genre, this is is easily one of the top 5 or 10 films of that era. Any student of horror films will have to include this in their library.

Classic Horror Tale Still Chills.......2007-01-05

This atypical fifties horror film is more concerned with suspense and character development than the eponymous creature; but when the hoary beast does appear you'll agree it's one of the better screen monsters. Jacques Tourneur was already the recognized master of restraint in the horror genre by the time he directed this British production in 1957. His earlier collaborations with producer Val Lewton generated a series of minor masterpieces, including "Cat People" and "I Walked With A Zombie." Not content to direct a standard episodic thriller, Tourneur's films are imbued with a certain intelligence and respect for the audience. "Night of the Demon" is no exception. Charles Bennett's and Hal E. Chester's thoughtprovoking and thoroughly frightening screenplay forms the framework on which Tourneur hangs several remarkably well directed sequences. And, his work with actors Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins yields fine, workmanlike performances; however, he gleans brilliant work from Niall MacGinnis and Athene Seyler in supporting roles that are richly drawn and invested with real humor. This is not to say they are comic relief, these characters are indeed tragic and evil. Nearly everything about "Night of the Demon" is perfect. The production is first rate and its artistic merits are undeniable; from Ted Sciafe's black and white cinematography to Ken Adams production design, the care with which this tale is wrought is evident. Based on M.R. James' story "Casting the Runes," the film deals with an investigation into the witchcraft related death of a colleague by an American psychologist (Andrews). Aided by the dead man's niece (Cummins), the doctor must determine whether the power of a local magician (MacGinnis) to conjure up "demons" is truth or fiction; and if that power was used for murder. "Night of the Demon" has all the elements of a great mystery, with just the right mix of the supernatural. It is among the best horror films, and remains a literate and scary film. ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

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