Night of the Demon
| Night of the Demon | |
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Original UK quad poster
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| Directed by | Jacques Tourneur |
| Produced by | Frank Bevis |
| Screenplay by | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Ted Scaife |
| Edited by | Michael Gordon |
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Production
companies |
Sabre
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| Distributed by | Columbia |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Night of the Demon is a 1957 British horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur, starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis. An adaptation of the M. R. James story "Casting the Runes" (1911), the plot revolves around an American psychologist investigating a satanic cult suspected of more than one murder.
The film's production was turbulent due to artistic differences between producer Hal E. Chester on one side and Tourneur and writer Charles Bennett on the other. Although the original plan was not to show a literal demon, producer Chester inserted a monster over the objections of the writer, the director, and lead actor Dana Andrews. To accelerate the pace, the film was trimmed down to 83 minutes (and retitled Curse of the Demon) in the US where it played the second half of a double feature bill with both The True Story of Lynn Stuart and The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958).
In England, Professor Harrington (Maurice Denham) visits his rival, Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis). Harrington promises to cancel an investigation of Karswell's involvement in Satanism if Karswell will rescind a threat he has made against Harrington. After learning that a parchment given to Harrington has disintegrated, Karswell glances at the clock and ushers Harrington out, promising to do all that he can. As Harrington drives home, a gigantic demon materialises and pursues him. Losing control of the car, Harrington crashes into an electrical pole and is electrocuted.
Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) arrives in England to attend a convention at which Harrington had intended to expose Karswell's cult. Holden is informed of Harrington's death and that the only link between it and Karswell's cult is an accused murderer, Rand Hobart (Brian Wilde), who has fallen into a catatonic stupor. While Harrington's collaborators consider the possibility of supernatural forces, Holden rejects the idea as superstition.
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Wikipedia