Rarely has the UK produced a film of such enduring quality as Night of the Demon - Its a post war classic.
People have often tried to connect the character of Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis), with English Occultist Aleister Crowley, the self proclaimed 'Great Beast'(1875-1947). Crowley was around at the same time as M R James' (1862-1936) who wrote the short story 'Casting the Runes' - upon which the film is based - so there's a chance that there may have been a link. However the character of Karswell in the movie is far less of an arrogant glamour seeker than was Crowley. All Karswell wanted was for he and his followers to be left in peace.
Dana Andrews was a good choice to play the character of John Holden - a sceptical American scientist who personified what some would consider to be 'the new establishment' (as it was in 1957). Confident, unbending and opinionated. Typical of a generation that had just gone through huge advances in science and technology during WW2.
Jacques Tourneur directed this film on a shoestring, yet he created an uneasy atmosphere of disjointed anxiety throughout. The lighting, the music, the photography and dialogue all add up to a piece of cinematic grace and mastery. Allow yourself to be completely absorbed in the plot and at the end you'll realise that you're exhausted, and your heart is pounding like a steam hammer.
I guess this is the bit that might be construed as a spoiler, but when you look at the characters objectively, you'll perhaps come to realise that Karswell wasn't a deranged madman after all. In fact he was a very likable man - reasonable from start to finish. He tried to talk rationally with both Harrington and Holden, but neither man was prepared to listen to his point of view. In the British Library, he tried to appeal to Holden's objective scientific mind by inviting him to Lufford Hall to look at a very rare manuscript, in an attempt to convince him not to go ahead with his expose of Karswell's group. It was only when Holden showed no sign of movement that the runic parchment was passed, thus unleashing the demon. Perhaps Holden deserved it......? The closing sequence of the film sees Karswell being dismembered by a truly traditional demon (check out the earliest medieval woodcuts of demons if you disagree). A little unfortunate for those of us that had grown fond of Karswell's character (a bit like one grows fond of the character of Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs' or Colonel Kurtz in 'Apocolypse Now'.
For some this is quite a disturbing film - perhaps not in the way my 16 year old son would see it, but on a psychological plane. Although it reaches a definite conclusion, the story isn't over, nor could it ever be. Karswell died, but the demon from hell could still be called forth by anyone with the wherewithal to do it.
People have often tried to connect the character of Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis), with English Occultist Aleister Crowley, the self proclaimed 'Great Beast'(1875-1947). Crowley was around at the same time as M R James' (1862-1936) who wrote the short story 'Casting the Runes' - upon which the film is based - so there's a chance that there may have been a link. However the character of Karswell in the movie is far less of an arrogant glamour seeker than was Crowley. All Karswell wanted was for he and his followers to be left in peace.
Dana Andrews was a good choice to play the character of John Holden - a sceptical American scientist who personified what some would consider to be 'the new establishment' (as it was in 1957). Confident, unbending and opinionated. Typical of a generation that had just gone through huge advances in science and technology during WW2.
Jacques Tourneur directed this film on a shoestring, yet he created an uneasy atmosphere of disjointed anxiety throughout. The lighting, the music, the photography and dialogue all add up to a piece of cinematic grace and mastery. Allow yourself to be completely absorbed in the plot and at the end you'll realise that you're exhausted, and your heart is pounding like a steam hammer.
I guess this is the bit that might be construed as a spoiler, but when you look at the characters objectively, you'll perhaps come to realise that Karswell wasn't a deranged madman after all. In fact he was a very likable man - reasonable from start to finish. He tried to talk rationally with both Harrington and Holden, but neither man was prepared to listen to his point of view. In the British Library, he tried to appeal to Holden's objective scientific mind by inviting him to Lufford Hall to look at a very rare manuscript, in an attempt to convince him not to go ahead with his expose of Karswell's group. It was only when Holden showed no sign of movement that the runic parchment was passed, thus unleashing the demon. Perhaps Holden deserved it......? The closing sequence of the film sees Karswell being dismembered by a truly traditional demon (check out the earliest medieval woodcuts of demons if you disagree). A little unfortunate for those of us that had grown fond of Karswell's character (a bit like one grows fond of the character of Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs' or Colonel Kurtz in 'Apocolypse Now'.
For some this is quite a disturbing film - perhaps not in the way my 16 year old son would see it, but on a psychological plane. Although it reaches a definite conclusion, the story isn't over, nor could it ever be. Karswell died, but the demon from hell could still be called forth by anyone with the wherewithal to do it.