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Curse of the Demon
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by Sony Pictures
Sales Rank: 17187
Price: $14.95
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After establishing his signature style with such moody classics as <I>Cat People</I> and <I>I Walked with a Zombie</I>, Jacques Tourneur returned to peak form with the first-rate supernatural thriller <I>Curse of the Demon</I>. 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 <I>Curse of the Demon</I> one of the best horror films of the 1950s. This splendid DVD offers the longer British version <I>Night of the Demon</I> for film-buff comparison; it's essentially the same film with a few extended scenes. Both are highly recommended. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Viewer Reviews
Fete of Death
From the outset of "Night of the Demon," when the uncle is racing his car at breakneck speed down a dark, tree-lined street in the woods, his shifting headlights illuminating the tunnel of overarching leaves, you feel you're in for a thrill ride of a film. And you will not be disappointed.
The director, Jacques Tourneur, has crafted a classic tale of the supernatural. He uses the full complement of noir ingredients--dusky, shadowy streets and drastic camera angles--to convey a tone of eerie dread.
The rational mind of Dana Andrews's Dr. Holden tackles the evil supernatural juggernaut conjured by Professor Karswell--and guess who wins? Who does win? It's never really clear whether Professor Karswell, the ringleader of the devil cult, is killed by the demon or by a train that runs him over. In the end, was Karswell actually killed by his overactive imagination that panicked him into running into the path of the onrushing locomotive? The ambiguity of the ending is artistically satisfying.
One of my favorite scenes is an obscure one of a dim-lit road, shot from above, with a cat skulking along a building's first-story ledge as Dr. Holden's car careers around the corner below it. The scene reminds me of that famous set piece in "The Third Man," wherein a kitten commences to wash its face at the feet of Harry Lime, who appears in the film for the first time, as he stands in the nocturnal shadows in a doorway overlooking the street.
"Demon" is a must-see for horror buffs, and for anyone who enjoys outstanding films, for that matter.
--Bryan Cassiday, author of "Fete of Death"
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