|
Curse of the Demon
(1957)
|
| 0Share... |
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Curse of the Demon (1957)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
The Night Flier
(1997)
Fantasy
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Mark Pavia
Stars:
Miguel Ferrer,
Julie Entwisle,
Dan Monahan
The Uninvited
(1944)
Fantasy
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Lewis Allen
Stars:
Ray Milland,
Ruth Hussey,
Donald Crisp
The Devil's Backbone
(2001)
Drama
|
Horror
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Stars:
Marisa Paredes,
Eduardo Noriega,
Federico Luppi
In the Mouth of Madness
(1994)
Horror
Director:
John Carpenter
Stars:
Sam Neill,
Julie Carmen,
Jürgen Prochnow
The Gorgon
(1964)
Fantasy
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Terence Fisher
Stars:
Christopher Lee,
Peter Cushing,
Richard Pasco
New Nightmare
(1994)
Horror
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Wes Craven
Stars:
Jeff Davis,
Heather Langenkamp,
Miko Hughes
Cat People
(1942)
Horror
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Jacques Tourneur
Stars:
Simone Simon,
Kent Smith,
Tom Conway
Let Me In
(2010)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Matt Reeves
Stars:
Kodi Smit-McPhee,
Chloë Grace Moretz,
Richard Jenkins
Carnival of Souls
(1962)
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
Herk Harvey
Stars:
Candace Hilligoss,
Frances Feist,
Sidney Berger
The Legend of Hell House
(1973)
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
John Hough
Stars:
Pamela Franklin,
Roddy McDowall,
Clive Revill
Nosferatu
(1922)
Horror
Director:
F.W. Murnau
Stars:
Max Schreck,
Gustav von Wangenheim,
Greta Schröder
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dana Andrews | ... |
Dr. John Holden
|
|
| Peggy Cummins | ... |
Joanna Harrington
|
|
 |
Niall MacGinnis | ... |
Dr. Julian Karswell
|
|
|
Maurice Denham | ... |
Professor Henry Harrington
|
|
|
Athene Seyler | ... |
Mrs. Karswell
|
|
|
Liam Redmond | ... |
Professor Mark O'Brien
|
|
|
Reginald Beckwith | ... |
Mr. Meek
|
|
|
Ewan Roberts | ... |
Lloyd Williamson
|
|
|
Peter Elliott | ... |
Professor K.T. Kumar
|
|
|
Rosamund Greenwood | ... |
Mrs. Maggie Meek
|
|
|
Brian Wilde | ... |
Rand Hobart
|
|
|
Richard Leech | ... |
Inspector Mottrarn
|
|
|
Lloyd Lamble | ... |
Detective Simmons
|
|
|
Peter Hobbes | ... |
Superintendent
|
|
|
Charles Lloyd Pack | ... |
Chemist
(as Charles Lloyd-Pack)
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Dr. John Holden ventures to London to attend a paranormal psychology symposium with the intention to expose devil cult leader, Julian Karswell. Holden is a skeptic and does not believe in Karswell's power. Nonetheless, he accepts an invitation to stay at Karswell's estate, along with Joanna Harrington, niece of Holden's confidant who was electrocuted in a bizarre automobile accident. Karswell secretly slips a parchment into Holden's papers that might possibly be a death curse. Recurring strange events finally strike fear into Holden, who believes that his only hope is to pass the parchment back to Karswell to break the demonic curse. Written by Rick Gregory <rag.apa@email.apa.org>
Taglines:
Chosen... singled out to die... victim of his imagination or victim of a demon? See more »Genres:
HorrorParents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
July 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Curse of the Demon See more »Filming Locations:
Associated British Picture Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Narrator: It has been written since the beginning of time, even unto these ancient stones, that evil supernatural creatures exist in a world of darkness. And it is also said man using the magic power of the ancient runic symbols can call forth these powers of darkness, the demons of Hell.
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Fela Sowande
Chappell Recorded Music Library
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Peggy Cummins's convertible sports car is a Sunbeam Alpine Mark I - manufactured by the Rootes Group in Ryton and Park Royal, London, England from 1953 to 1955, license plate NLJ 666. See more »Goofs
At the beginning, when the doomed Professor Harrington is driving to Dr. Karswell's place, the steering wheel is on the left, and the POV is from the shotgun seat, looking at the right side of his face. On his way back to his home, it's a mirror image of the original (flipped shot). See more »Quotes
[first lines]Narrator: It has been written since the beginning of time, even unto these ancient stones, that evil supernatural creatures exist in a world of darkness. And it is also said man using the magic power of the ancient runic symbols can call forth these powers of darkness, the demons of Hell.
See more »
Soundtracks
"Plain Song"(uncredited)
Music by Fela Sowande
Chappell Recorded Music Library
See more »
This film comes with two quality labels: it stars Peggy Cummins (best known for 'Deadly Is The Female' a.k.a. 'Gun Crazy') and is directed by Jacques Tourneur who had already shown his talent for suspenseful films with the RKO classics Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie. So you know what to expect: suspense and quality.
By now of course, technology changed a lot of how films look and it is the "show less - scare a lot" attitude of Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie that made them into the classics that they are. 'Night of the Demon' (a far better title than the American 'Curse of the Demon' - and if you see the film, you'll know why) has one nasty side effect: you see the demon and it's a film demon from the 50s. No matter how scary the film makes the demon, he looks like the thing you see on the cover of the movie box. It could be scarier. But now comes the best part... it doesn't matter! Because the suspense comes from something else in the movie and that is what makes this film so great. Dana Andrews is coming to England to prove that a so-called satanic cult is nothing more than a bunch of fakers and illusionists. The cult leader, however, puts a spell on him and warns Andrews that he will die in a few days. Other 50s film that depend more on the monsters and demons do have that problem: e.g. Roger Corman made some movies that could've been a lot better and scarier if the monster had either been more convincing or given less screen time.
Like in the other two films by Tourneur I mentioned, you always sense something scary could happen. That is what makes films work. In 'Night of the Demon Tourneur' succeeds in scarying you on some occasions when you least expect it. Combine that with cleverly built-up suspense and you know why you should watch this classic. Even if you don't like horror films in general.