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Curse of the Demon / Night of the DemonRating:
Release Date: 13 August, 2002 Retail Price: $24.95 Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Complete Cast (5 total) |
Curse of the Demon / Night of the Demon Reviews
Matted picture as with most films released on DVD.
Why can't they release movies on DVD in full-screen???
It is really upsetting!
This widescreen business is just a big hoax and commercial trick. The top and bottom of the film is matted to make it look wide, so part of the picture is lost. The picture doesn't actually get any wider just because they remove the top and bottom.
And if it was released in the original full-screen version people with widescreen TVs would still see as much.
Excellent
Though I'm quite a big fan of the horror film from the late 60's and on I don't really have that much of a taste for or knowledge of the genre prior to then. Nevertheless, there's definitely some good stuff, and 'Night of the Demon' is about the best of it, probably my favorite horror movie, pre-'Night of the Living Dead'. (Though 'Carnival of Souls' does come close.) 'Night of the Demon' has got the same basic feel as most of your B&W horror movies from this era, but the craftsmanship is well above the norm, with eerie music and cinematography along with a first-rate plot and solid acting. (The few visual effects are, needless to say, quite dated, but they work for a modern audience better than just about anything else from the era, and are still kinda neat, in their way.) All in all, this is a first-rate slice of atmospheric horror, and it ought to appeal to discerning fans of the particularl style regardless of their especially preferred era.
The film centers around Dr. John Holden and Julian Karswell. Holden is an American who has flown into London to attend a paranormal psychology symposium. He is, of course, a total skeptic who quickly runs afoul of Karswell, the apparent leader of a local cult and reputed magician. Holden plans to do an expose on his group, so Karswell retaliates, eventually claiming that Holden will die exactly at 10 PM a few nights later if he does not back off. Holden is unconvinced, but proceeds to investigate the scene, with the assistance of Joanna, a believer and the niece of one of Harrington's prior victims.
`Night of the Demon' tips its hand almost immediately with a demon attack shown early in the film. This was done, I believe, due to studio interference, and while it was probably unfortunate at the time, I suspect it actually helps the film for a modern audience. It kind of undermines the tension of the film, arguably, since there could be some debate as to whether or not anything supernatural is actually going on were it not for this scene. For a modern audience, however, I suspect the final demon appearance is bound to be anticlimactic, so I think it's best to deflate this inevitability immediately and prevent this disappointment, just allowing the atmospheric middle section to work well on it's own. And work it does. This is one legitimately eerie movie, as Holden slowly sees the demon's presence manifested thru inexplicable music and the vague sensation that something is there. There are a couple of particularly effective scenes, such as when Holden flees from Karswell's home in the middle of the night trailed by steaming footprints and a mysterious vaporous cloud, and the later hypnosis-induced interview of a now catatonic former cult-member.
If the film has a major problem it's Holden himself. He's a self-possessed, arrogant jerk who's nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is and maintains incredulity well past the breaking point. Niall MacGinnis's Karswell is a much more entertaining personality, charming and playful but, of course, with a real dark side. Joanna, the female sidekick, of sorts, is kind of bland, though she provides for better audience identification than our leading man.
It's difficult to describe the film much further with out giving too much away, but suffice to say that the investigation into the cult and the curse is sufficiently absorbing, and the background of the film is more convincing and well-established than it would generally be in a 50's horror or sci-fi film. Finally, the climax is well staged and executed, and makes the most of the limited fx of the age.
Yeah, I'm done I guess. First-rate low-key horror here. Check it out.
Grade: A-
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