SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

jrephthurn The making of 'Night of the Demon' was interesting because of the struggle between the director Jacques Tourneur and the producer Hal E. Chester. Tourneur had a long successful history directing movies of creating more suspense by delaying the appearance of the 'monster' and showing less when it is shown, to let the imagination take over. Don't show a close up of the monster. Instead, show a medium range shot of the monster, gradually approaching. It can't be seen to clearly because of the darkness, smoke and range. And let the viewer imagine what it would look like from close up, as the victim gazes upon it from a hundred feet away and knows it will soon be upon him.But Chester argued that bad directing is good and good bad. So, he insisted that the demon be seen in a close up. And insisted that it be shown in the first few minutes of the film, so that there is no suspense. And that it be shown on the movie posters so there wouldn't even by a minute of suspense in the movie. Tourneur and others tried to get Chester to see reason. But it is easier to stop a demon than a producer with his mind made up.As it turned out, Chester, not Tourneur, was the true visionary, at least judging by the movies that are produced today. It was Chester who had the visor of the future. However, despite Chester's meddling, 'Night of the Demon' is still a very good movie. One needs to see the movies of yesterday, the movies of Jacques Tourneur, to see really good horror movies.

Fella_shibby Saw this on a vhs in the mid 80s. Found the demon damn scary then. Revisited it recently on a blu ray. The demon looked pathetic now. Mind you, it jus the scene of the demon which hasnt aged well. If only they wud have stuck with it being more psychological n had not shown the demon, otherwise it is a very good atmospheric horror film with good performances n solid direction. The story is about an American psychologist who arrives in London to expose a supposed warlock through a scientific conference. The psychologist's colleague who was warned by the warlock not to go ahead with the conference becomes a victim of a freak accident. Niall MacGinnis portrayed the role of the warlock well. His get up n looks were funny, same like it was in Jason n the argonauts. Dana Andrews after playing the detective in Laura, played the role of a psychologist convincingly. The director did a terrific job with his Cat people. In that film he relied more on psychology rather than visual impact. If only the studio wud not have forced him to add the demon in this film.

mike48128 I saw this on the silver screen as either The Night or the Curse of the Demon. It's a shame that the monster is shown on the illustration of the DVD, as I had no idea what I was in for in 1958. In those days, the screen was so large that even a black and white scary movie was, well, scary. I was 8 at-the-time. It's a British "B" movie with a pedigree. Written by the accomplished man who wrote 6 classics for Hitchcock. Directed by the French Director of "The Cat People". The dragon-like demon appears only twice in the film and holds it's victim in it's claw while belching fire. No one else ever sees it. Many other "spooky" things in the film to keep it interesting. A sudden windstorn, a seance, a cat that momentarily transforms into a vicious beast, footprints in the woods with a fiery cloud. Shortened, no doubt, for excessive dialog by American standards but worth seeing (somewhat) restored. Probably too slow and tame for modern viewers today but otherwise a lot of fun and truly scary without being gory.

sol- Skeptical of black magic, devil worship and superstition, an arrogant psychologist gradually begins to question his scientific convictions after the mysterious death of a colleague in this horror thriller from Jacques Tourneur. The film has been criticised over the years for overtly showing the title demon given that Tourneur's earlier 'Cat People' was a pioneer psychological horror movie where everything was implied rather than explicitly shown. Emerging from smoke and clouds, the demon is utterly unsettling though and adds a welcome degree of creepiness to the tale even if its appearance obliterates all ambiguity. Its appearance also adds more dread to the tale with Dana Andrews coming off as foolish in his attempt to rationalise everything and suspense coming from the question of whether he will open up his mind to the possibility of black magic being real before it is too late. In fact, the only significant drawback of the film is how difficult a character Andrews is to like with his smug and frequently condescending attitude and demeanour. Niall MacGinnis is delightful with his questioning of "where does imagination end and reality begin?" and the final ten or so minutes of the movie are utterly intense with a strong sense of impending doom. Several images from this final stretch are absolutely haunting and linger in the mind long after the film has concluded.