Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon

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Film Description

Dr. Holden (Dana Andrews), a psychologist knowledgeable about the occult, is dismayed by a friend's strange death, leading him to investigate a demon-worshipping cult in England. But the leader of that sect, Prof. Karswell (Niall MacGinnis), resists Holden's inquiries by calling up an actual demon to fight the good doctor. Can Holden hold his own in a battle of good vs. evil?

Based on the M.R. James short story ‘Casting the Runes,’ Jacques Tourneur's film is considered to be one of the true classics of the horror genre, relying heavily on the power of suggestion to create a heavy atmosphere of fear and dread. The famous, much-debated monster was added by the studio against Tourneur's wishes.

Features both the shorter US cut (Curse of the Demon) and the extended British cut (under its original title, Night of the Demon).

Film Information

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Trailers for Fright Night and The Bride

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Review by Gary Ramsay on 17th August 2007

After successful chillers I Walked with a Zombie, Cat People and The Leopard Man, Jacques Tourneur trumped them all with this truly memorable slice of horror-noir. Based on the MR James novella Casting the Runes, the film sees Dana Andrews as urbane American psychologist Dr John Holden, who arrives in London to debunk the paranormal and expose sinister cult leader Julian Karswell – played with malevolent charm by Niall MacGinnis – as a charlatan.

In a psychic game of cat and mouse, Karswell warns Holden to leave him alone and be wary of the forces of nature and the underworld. Having decoded a satanic text he secretly slips a parchment to Holden containing various symbols – the runes have been cast – and the owner is now doomed to a hellish demise. Holden’s only solution is to secretly pass them back to Karswell along with the curse. Although arguments rumble on to this day about the merits of actually seeing the ‘demon’, everyone is agreed that it’s difficult to find a film filled with more tension, genuine menace and occult power.

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