ALL SCI-FI

[Krel]

The first movie I watch during the Halloween season.

In England, Professor Harrington races to the grand estate of Julian Karswell and begs him to remove the curse from him. He will do ANYTHING Karswell wants. He will stop the investigation into Karswell and his cult, even publish a public apology. Karswell wants no publicity, just to be left alone. Karswell agrees to remove the curse and asked for the parchment that he was given. Harrington states that the parchment burned up and Karswell's demeanor changes slightly. He tells Harrington that he will do everything he can and Harrington should go home.

Harrington drives home relieved. As he is exiting his car, he sees a fire demon approaching. Panicking, Harrington gets in his car and backs into a utility pole causing the power lines to fall around his car. Harrington exits his car and is electrocuted by the fallen power lines. The demon doesn't care and attacks Harrington's body.

Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) is flying to attend a convention in England where he and Harrington were to expose Karswell and his cult. Holden is trying to get some sleep but is thwarted by a School Teacher who can't sleep and is working on lessons for her kindergarten class.

At the airport Holden finds out about Professor Harrington's death, but decides to go forth with the Karswell investigation. The only connection between Harrington's death and Karswell's cut is an accused murderer who is in a catatonic state.

While Harrington's collaborators are willing to entertain the possibility of supernatural forces, Holden will not even cosider such a possibility.

Dr. John Holden is the modern scientific man. He does not believe in the occult and superstitions, and has no patience with those that do.

Holden goes to the Reading Room of the British Museum. When a rare book that Holden requests goes missing, Karswell takes the oportunity to meet Holden and offers to show Holden his own copy at his mansion. Karswell knocks some of Holden's papers to the floor, apologizes and pick them up and formally hands the papers to Holden. Unknown to Holden, something has been added to his papers.

At Harrington's funeral, Holden meets the woman from the plane, finding that she is Harrington's niece, Joanna. She gives him Harrington's diary, which details Harrington's fear of Karswell's power. Holden remains skeptical, but goes with Joanna to Karswell's mansion the next day. When a strong windstorm abruptly starts, Karswell claims to have created it with a spell. When Holden mocks him, Karswell claims that Holden will die in three days.

At the hotel Holden hears something in the corridor, but doesn't seen anything. In his room Holden and his colleagues discuss Karswell and make plans to examine Rand Hobart.

Holden goes to dinner with Joanna and she shows him her uncle's diary. The diary mentions a parchment with runic writing on it that was passed to him by Karswell. Holden denies that Karswell gave him anything, but when examining his papers, he finds a similar parchment that Karswell secretly passed to him at the library. A powerful wind comes through the window, blowing the parchment from his fingers towards the fireplace, only to be stopped by a fire screen. Holden recovers and pockets it.

Will Holden finally believe in the supernatural and take action to save his life? Well I'm not going to tell, I've been through that meat grinder before.

Dana Andrews has been described as Hollywood's most popular unlikable leading man. In that his characters initially came across as cold or hard. But as you get to know his character you come to like him.

That works in this movie. Dr. Holden formed a dislike of superstition and the belief in the supernatural as a child. He thinks that those that do are fools, that makes him arrogant. But as the movie progresses he has that arrogance slowly stripped from him.

The movie was directed by Jacques Tourneur of "Cat People" (1942) fame. J.T.'s plan was for you to never see the demon, so that you had to decide for yourself if there was really a demon, or was Holden's subconscious acting on him. But the Producer Hal E. Chester, and had scenes of the fire demon added to the film.

There are two versions of this movie. "The Night Of The Demon" is the British version and is six minutes longer than the American version named "Curse Of The Demon". The DVD I have contain both versions, but I only watch the longer version.

The demon mask and marionette:


David.

[Bud Brewster]

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I saw this movie in the early 1960s on Bestoink Dooly's Big Movie Shocker in Altanta. I don't remember much about except the scene of the demon chasing Dana Andrews in the woods.

Good FX, as I remember.

_____________ Curse of the Demon 1957 trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[tmlindsey]

Just watched this one a month ago and loved it. Very atmospheric and creepy even if the FX are a bit dodgy.
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"Have you never wondered what it would be like to walk between the ticks and tocks of Time?"