Night of the Demon

Night of the Demon

1957

Director- Jacques Tourneur

Cast- Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis

            Not to be confused with the similarly titled 80s B-movie, Night of the Demons, this movie is a thoughtful examination of the occult in the same vein as The Devil Rides Out.

            Dana Andrews plays Dr. John Holden, an investigator of the occult who is a skeptic that likes to debunk superstitions. He has arrived in England to join a group investigating a Crowleyesque cult leader Dr. Julian Karswell (wonderfully played by Nial MacGannis). The problem is that Holden’s predecessor was murdered by a demon sent by Karswell to eliminate anyone who opposes him. Entered into this is the murdered man’s niece (played by Peggy Cummins) who is not nearly so skeptical as Dr. Holden.

            Early in his investigation, Holden is confronted by Karswell. When Holden refuses to back down, Karswell puts a hex on him that will kill him in a few days’ time. Holden and Karswell cross paths a few more times as the night of the demon draws closer.

            Nial MacGinnis’ portrayal of a cult leader makes this film. Genre fans will recognize him as the benevolent Zeus from Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts. He’s not a hissable villain, in fact, he is quite likable. He doesn’t present with any of the ominous theatrics of Anton LeVay. Rather he seems pleasantly matter of fact about the whole business.

            Night of the Demon, like The Witches(1966) poses the question does the supernatural have sway over us because of its intrinsic power or because of the power we grant it through belief? Unlike The Witches, which never answers the question, Night of the Demon comes down clearly on the side of the supernatural. The titular demon was originally never supposed to be shown which would have made the movie’s message much more ambiguous. However, the producer went over the head of the director and had it inserted. I hate to say it, but the producer was right because the demon effects look pretty good for when this movie was made, and probably added to the movie being so memorable.

 If looking for this film, be aware to avoid the American release, retitled as Curse of the Demon. That film had 12 minutes chopped out of it to speed up the pace. Stick with original.