| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dana Andrews | ... | John Holden | |
| Peggy Cummins | ... | Joanna Harrington | |
| Niall MacGinnis | ... | Doctor Julian Karswell | |
| Maurice Denham | ... | Professor Henry Harrington | |
| Athene Seyler | ... | Mrs. Karswell | |
| Liam Redmond | ... | Mark O'Brien | |
| Reginald Beckwith | ... | Mr. Meek | |
| Ewan Roberts | ... | Lloyd Williamson | |
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Peter Elliott | ... | Kumar |
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Rosamund Greenwood | ... | Mrs. Meek |
| Brian Wilde | ... | Rand Hobart | |
| Richard Leech | ... | Inspector Mottram | |
| Lloyd Lamble | ... | Detective Simmons | |
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Peter Hobbes | ... | Superintendent |
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Charles Lloyd Pack | ... | Chemist (as Charles Lloyd-Pack) |
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>
This piece has stuck with me since I saw it as a child in about 1960. Our family enjoyed horror films, and we always thought that this one was memorable. Seeing it again recently, I haven't changed my mind. Given the effects available at the time and the creepiness factor, I've always though this was one of the better of the older horror movies around.
It is quaint, British, and builds slowly after the initial shock. Some comments say it was boring, shouldn't have shown the creature, Dana Andrews was drunk and sucked, etc. It isn't perfect, but like "The Haunting" and a few others made around that time, it succeeds well in creating an unsettling and generally engaging mood, including some humor, on a very small budget. I still think that the creature F/X was excellent for its time. I can imagine the film without seeing the creature, and maybe that would have been even more effective, again like "The Haunting".
I give it "A-" for effort and execution, and for avid horror buffs, it's definitely worth a watch or two. I've tested this one out with some younger folks, and they seem to really like it. Even a jaded younger horror fan used to blatant gore and in your face monsters said, "That creeped me out." FYI, the "Night" vs. "Curse" versions are different by several minutes of extra footage, which I recall was the séance scene and some connective dialog.