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Poster for Curse of the Demon (1957)

Curse of the Demon (1957)

Also known as Night of the Demon

1957 · Feature film · 96 min · dir. Jacques Tourneur

Who will be the next in line to defy the curse?

  • Fantasy
  • Horror
  • Mystery
Watch now On the Internet Archive

Synopsis

American professor John Holden arrives in London for a conference on parapsychology only to discover that the colleague he was supposed to meet was killed in a freak accident the day before. It turns out that the deceased had been investigating a cult lead by Dr. Julian Karswell. Though a skeptic, Holden is suspicious of the devil-worshiping Karswell. Following a trail of mysterious manuscripts, Holden enters a world that makes him question his faith in science.

Synopsis from TMDb

Details

Director
Jacques Tourneur
Writer
Hal E. Chester
Composer
Clifton Parker
Cinematography
Edward Scaife
Studio
Sabre Film Productions Ltd.
Released
1957-11-09
Running time
96 minutes

Cast & crew

Reviews on the Internet Archive

★★★★★ · Horror Film Noir Classic! · Elvin Posey · 2024-01-17

While the title might suggest this is typical blood gore Demon movie it isn't! It's a mix of horror film noir mystery with great actor Dana Andrews known for playing tough guys mostly cops. The story of a demon who is used by a leader of a cult to destroy non believers is well written directed and acted by all. The 'demon' is not terrifying but scary with some great special effects especially scene where it's just smoke chasing Andrews in woods. The ending is very Hitchcock and worth the wait.

★★★★★ · Demon Action Figure · AntiquatedDelirium · 2023-10-26

Originally the script didn’t include the demon action figure. The producers knew that the masses would feel cheated without one. Rightfully. But it put too much monster movie into an otherwise atmospheric, intelligent, and psychological occult thriller. Same thing with “The Wolfman”. In the original script the character was written as he may or may not have actually been a werewolf. But again the producers knew a Wolfman movie without a monster wouldn’t be profitable. Audiences would be pissed off. Colorization here gives it a 3d quality and highlights and heightens clarity vividly. It…

★★★★★ · Curse Of The Night Of The Demon · Grrr687 · 2024-08-21

Whatever version (US or UK) you watch, you're in for a suspenseful, eerie treat! Interesting sidebar: before he played the villain Julian Karswell in this film, Niall MacGinnis played the title role in MARTIN LUTHER (1953), then went on to play Friar Tuck in SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1960) , and Zeus in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963), amongst dozens of other roles, from 1935 - 1978 !

★★★★★ · Tonester55555 · Anthony Sachetti · 2023-06-18

There are 2 versions of this film...an 83min and an 96min. I have only seen the long B&W version once before on an old 70's broadcast of "Chiller Theater" on WPIX from back in the day. Thank you Mr. Fergus and well done.

★★★★★ · UK title different · Poleydog · 2024-02-01

Called The Night of the Demon for British audiences. Movie based on a short story - Casting the Ruins - by M.R. James.

★★★★★ · Great flick! · John Phillips 279 · 2024-04-12

I love this movie and have seen it many times. I think the colorized version is a real improvement! Thank you very much, Mr. Fergus. Sincerely, John F. Phillips.

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