Zombat5 I have watched this film many times and it just gets better.Fantastic set pieces such as the seance scene and also in the lunatic asylum.Niall MacGinnis absolutely steals the show as the sinister Dr Karswell.Ok the demon itself is a bit 'rubber bands and bits of string' (hell, it was made 60 years ago) but that absolutely does not matter as the film is pure atmosphere from start to finish.If you haven't seen it already you're in for an absolute treat!

Prichards12345 Night Of The Demon has drawn criticisms of its decision to show the monster right at the beginning of the movie, and of course, the admittedly crude effects; but the very fact that we know the Demon exists means we begin to view Holden as trapped by his closed mind. Despite his constant denials of the existence of the supernatural, the audience KNOWS he's due a nasty fate if he doesn't change his view. This creates dramatic tension and is at the heart of the movie's effectiveness.The original script by Charles Bennett included the shots of the Demon from the very beginning - something that is not widely known considering Jacques Tourneur's later comments - in fact Tourneur was pretty happy with the movie at the time he made it. There are only two or three brief inserts of the Demon that were added to the script. The big close up of the monster was always intended. So while one may prefer the Demon to have remained hidden, I would contend that it was part of the original concept, does not harm the movie, and Tourneur only changed his mind after audiences' adverse reaction to the appearance of the monster.The plot of Demon is based on M.R. James' Casting The Runes, which was also filmed and updated by ITV in 1979; both versions considerably change and add to the plot, but the basic idea remains the same.Night of The Demon concerns Dr. John Holden's (Dana Andrews)attempt to expose the devil cult of Julian Carswell (Nial MacGinnis), a practising black magician who holds his followers to him by fear. By means of a parchment containing a runic curse, he is able to summon a ghastly apparition to murder his rivals.MacGinnis, going against the trend of most horror movies, actually makes Carswell a charming and quite likable person - except for when his mask slips, and we see the evil and fearful man lurking under the surface. Macginnis gives a fantastic performance, stealing the movie from the two leads. Peggy Cummins plays Joanna Harrington, niece of a professor murdered by Carswell's demon at the beginning of the movie. In truth both she and Andrews give boring, stilted performances, and it's left to various British character actors like Liam Redmond, Athene Seyler and Brian Wilde to save the day.The horror sequences are beautifully handled by Director Tourneur, as you'd expect from the man at the helm of Cat People, I Walked With A Zombie, and The Leopard Man. All of these films have at their heart the same theme as Night Of The Demon - is belief in the supernatural mere superstition, or is there really something at the bottom of it?Many of the sequences in this film are landmarks of horror - Holden's flight through the woods while a strange glowing trail of smoke pursues him, his explorations in Carswell's house where a guardian has been set, the eerie passing of the runes at the British Museum, by which Carswell condemns Holden to a ghastly death at the hands of a Demon from hell; the superb children's party sequence, which both humanises and demonises Carswell at the same time. And the tremendously suspenseful ending, with a now convinced Holden attempting to pass the parchment back to Karswell before the Demon gets him.Overall the film is fantastically gripping and entertaining.

Jellybeansucker A movie in the vein of The Haunting and other light horror classics involving spooks and middle class witches and warlocks and academic sceptics. It's so nice to have these lighter movies in what's become a hugely broad Horror genre with real extremes. So if you tire of flesh eating zombies or insane serial slashers give this a try. It's a film you can watch with the lights off after midnight, it boosts the mild scare factor nicely and should make it effectively creepy.Imo it's up there with The Haunting on entertainment, it's about as credible (not very), but its story is more involving. It builds tension to the end and has a decent creepy feel mainly down to a very good performance of the wealthy aristocratic warlock. Much of it is shot in the dark which also heightens the creepy atmosphere and the story involves the summoning up of an evil entity which has gained its master the wealth and status he enjoys. Technically well made and directed with tightness. Creep factor is high. Good acting, good tension building, great atmosphere, memorable ending. An old fashioned classy type of psycho horror.

john_vance-20806 This is a superbly done combination of horror and suspense featuring top-notch actors, engaging dialog and excellent atmosphere.My only criticisms are that the demon appeared too early in the film and by modern standards is not very compelling as an object to frighten or terrify. One wonders if the film would have been better with just the preliminary special effects and no visible demon. In any case the movie is otherwise stunning and engaging.Niall MacGinnis' performance as an extremely intelligent but narcissistic villain who has gotten in over his head and sees no way out is captivating. I actually feel some sympathy for the man despite his amoral nature.Today's kids would lose interest quickly and find the demon rather laughable, but anyone who enjoys getting into the heads of believable characters as they try to grapple with the unbelievable won't be sorry to spend a little time with this work.