Believe it or not, that is the question

CURSE OF THE DEMON aka NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1957)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Curse of the Demon" could pass itself off as a 50's B monster movie but it has A talent and an A+ director so attention must be paid. Despite a rather silly-looking monster, "Curse of the Demon" is a sophisticated, creepy flick that will make you feel uneasy.

Dana Andrews is Dr. Holden, an American psychologist and author who is skeptical of demonology and demonic monsters on the loose. He travels to London to attend a demonology seminar when he gets wind that his friend, Professor Harrington, was killed in a strange accident involving power lines. Harrington's niece, Joanna (Peggy Cummins), a kindergarten teacher, feels differently  - she feels it was a demon. Adding to his skepticism is a weird seance where a lively song is sung; a certain goateed Karswell (lucidly played by Niall MacGinnis), a demonology expert and worshipper who can summon evil spirits and bad thunderstorms and entertain kids in clown makeup; parchments containing runic symbols, and Stonehenge itself.

"Curse of the Demon" is smoothly and masterfully directed by Jacques Tourneur, who helmed one of my favorite films, 1942's "Cat People." Here, the accent is also on shadows, specifically two eerie nighttime sequences involving a forest and Karswell's ginormous home. And there are some clever touches, including Holden's point-of-view after his meeting with Karswell where the screen seems to vibrate in a trance-like manner. There are several shots of corridors where a menace may or may not linger. I also love a scene where there is an examination of one patient who is hypnotized - you'll wonder what will happen next and when Holden will realize that demons might exist. Plus the music score with its screeching sounds of incoming trains, wild animals and thunder are sure to make your palms sweat.

"Curse of the Demon" (originally titled "Night of the Demon" and recut for U.S. audiences) does have the aforementioned silly-looking monster who appears right at the beginning of the film and in a later scene. I can forgive its inclusion because the ending of the film retains a certain ambiguity through the lead character. Even if you witness supernatural evil, that doesn't mean you believe it.