Curse of the Demon (1957 film)

Curse of the Demon, AKA Night of the Demon, Haunted, Casting the Runes, (1957)

Summary

"Who will be the next in line to defy the curse?" American professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshiper Julian Karswell.

Details

The monster from Curse of the Demon (1957 film)...

• Release Date: 1957
• Country/Language: UK, English
• Genres/Technical: Horror (Folk Horror), Fantasy, Thriller
• Runtime: 1 hr 35 min
• Starring: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis
• Director: Jacques Tourneur
• Writer: M.R. James (short story), Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester (screenplay)
• Producer/Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Sabre Film Production
• View Trailer: (link)
• TVTropes: (link)
• IMDB: (link)

Ratings

MPAA Ratings

• Rated: (not rated) (perhaps equivalent of a modern G or PG for mild, off-screen 1950s Violence)

Tentacle Ratings

A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:

• SS___ (Two Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian; could be a very loose adaptation)

An atmospheric film about a small group of skeptical investigators who scoff at a cult leader's claims to supernatural power, and soon fear for their lives under the maybe-magic-maybe-mundane Curse of the Demon, bestowed on anyone caught holding a parchment marked with sinister runes after the demon has been summoned.... There is nothing explicitly Lovecraftian in this film, but the story was written by an author (M.R. James) whose work Lovecraft admired, and (aside for the adorable monster muppet) the ambiguous magical effects are generally unearthly and strange enough to fit into a Lovecraftian story.

Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.

Reviews

Review Links:

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Synopsis

 Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)

American professor John Holden arrives in London for a conference on parapsychology only to discover that the colleague he was supposed to meet was killed in a freak accident the day before. It turns out that the deceased had been investigating a cult lead by Dr. Julian Karswell. Though a skeptic, Holden is suspicious of the devil-worshiping Karswell. Following a trail of mysterious manuscripts, Holden enters a world that makes him question his faith in science when he comes face-to-face with the Curse of the Demon, bestowed on anyone caught holding a parchment marked with sinister runes after the demon has been summoned.....

Notes

Comments, Trivia, Dedication

• The director and writers had originally intended to keep the monster entirely off-screen, leaving it to the imagination of the audience whether the curse was real or just in the minds of the characters, but love-them-or-hate-them monster special effects were added at the insistence of executive meddling for commercial reasons.

Associated Mythos Elements

• fiction: M.R. James' "Casting the Runes"
• TO DO