Curse of the Demon (1957)

American professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshiper Julian Karswell.

Director:

Jacques Tourneur

Writers:

Charles Bennett (screenplay), Hal E. Chester (screenplay)

Stars:

Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

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
Peter Elliott	...	Kumar
Rosamund Greenwood	...	Mrs. Meek
Brian Wilde	...	Rand Hobart
Richard Leech	...	Inspector Mottram
Lloyd Lamble	...	Detective Simmons
Peter Hobbes	...	Superintendent
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Chemist (as Charles Lloyd-Pack)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

runes | psychotronic film | library | demon | witchcraft | 

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Taglines:

Chosen... singled out to die... victim of his imagination or victim of a demon?

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Curse of the Demon

Filming Locations:

A.B.P.C. Studios, Elstree, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sabre Film Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 82 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie "The 'Burbs (1989)", Tom Hanks' character (Ray) is in his basement with the paranoid neighbor (Art) who is trying to convince him that the Klopeks next door are actually Satanists. When he shows Ray an old book to make his point, take a look at the title and especially the author. "The Theory and Practice of Demonolgy" is supposedly written by none other than Julian Karswell. Someone....perhaps a writer, the director or the props manager was apparently out to pay homage to Curse of the Demon.

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Goofs

At the end when Dr. John Holden passes the parchment to Dr. Julian Karswell and it flies away, a thin wire is visible that special effects used to guide the parchment along the tracks as Karswell chases it.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

This film exists in three English language versions: (1) The original British release under the title "Night of the Demon," (2) Columbia's edited version for release in the U.S. under the title "Curse of the Demon" and, (3) over 20 years later, Columbia replaced their edited U.S. version with the original British version but with the title also changed to "Curse of the Demon." Columbia's DVD release contains both the edited and restored U.S. versions. Although the cover remains the same, Columbia's more recent copies of the their DVD release removes the U.S. version with the restored footage with a print of the original British release with the title "Night of the Demon."

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Sorcerers (1996)

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Soundtracks

Plain Song
(uncredited)
Music by Fela Sowande
Chappell Recorded Music Library

User Reviews

Superbly and thought-provokingly sinister.

A skeptical American psychologist comes to England to investigate and disprove the concept of the supernatural. But before long he finds himself cursed by the leader of a witch cult and disbelief becomes terrifying reality.

Some superbly brooding shots of Stonehenge accompanied by a haunting speech about runic powers start what is without doubt one of the darkest and most solemnly atmospheric films ever made. The cult leader Dr Karswell is brilliantly portrayed and the film is filled with memorable dialogue, well-realized characters and powerful horrific/psychological imagery, all accompanied by a grippingly sinister soundtrack. Whether you're a horror fan or not, this is unmissable.