Curse of the Demon

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Curse of the Demon

1958

1h 22m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

100%

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20 Reviews

85%

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2,500+ Ratings

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 led 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.

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James Jackson

The Times (UK)

10/30/2023

... 66 years on the demon will still send chills through you.

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Clark Collis

Empire Magazine

10/17/2011

4/5

Night Of The Demon packs a powerful punch despite featuring no gore or, demon excepted, much in the way of special effects.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

10/17/2011

Intelligent, delicate, and actually frightening.

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Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 18

Jacques Tourneur who successfully helmed a number of horror films and the noir classic Out of the Past in the previous decade...brilliantly bring[s] the two together in Night of the Demon.

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

Oct 15

4/5

This remarkably well-constructed essay on the realm of the supernatural from Cat People director Jacques Tourneur is a superb adaptation of the MR James short story Casting the Runes.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

06/15/2025

5/5

…Night of the Demon is still a cherishable experience, a horror film even a small child could watch, a battle between white and black magic, made by people who seemed to know exactly what they were making their film about...

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Ted B.

@Movieaddicted Jun 8

3.5 stars; A surprisingly good horror flick from nearly 70 years ago. Modern-day special effects would have upgraded the actual demon. But the rest of the movie aged very well.

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Farah R.

@Farah Mar 16

A brilliant thriller that aged well, Curse of the Demon is a classic film that is guaranteed to send chills down your spine. I was impressed with the excellent performances and writing, which made it easy to lock in from beginning to end.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Oct 30

Success in 1 hour and 22 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Available in color and black and white versions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Tom F

@RT14387589 Oct 5

Superb movie , has aged extremely well. Great cast, great story. A must see for any serious horror fan

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Jerry B

@RT50983018 Aug 2

Jacque Tourneur's masterpiece. His absolute ode to Val Lewton. One subtle scene after another turned eerie or downright chilling. A professional cast of fine actors from Andrews, Cummings down to the great Niall MacGinnis as our dabbling satanist, Karswell......................... Bumps in the night galore, but no cheap thrills Many condemn the demon foisted upon Tourneur by production, but it ain't made for that time,, too bad Columbia didn't convince Harryhausen to create a luscious demon fitting for this classic production Horror for those with a brain, enjoy!

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John S

@RT40486670 06/23/2025

Immediately upon the conclusion of this movie, I learned that Night of the Demon was intended to feature no physical entity of the namesake "demon". The model/animatronic depiction was added by the studio to make the film more exciting. I tend to think it robbed the film of its intellectualism, and it makes me ponder how much better it could have been if left as how it was originally intended.

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Jacques Tourneur

Director

Dana Andrews

Dr. John Holden

Peggy Cummins

Joanna Harrington

Niall MacGinnis

Dr. Julian Karswell

Maurice Denham

Professor Henry Harrington

Athene Seyler

Mrs. Karswell

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Synopsis

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 led 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.

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Frank Bevis
Screenwriter: M.R. James, Charles Bennett, Hal E. Chester, Charles De Latour
Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc., Columbia Pictures, GoodTimes Home Video [us]
Production Co: Sabre Film Production, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 28, 1958, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Mono