Night of the Demon
Encyclopedia
Night of the Demon is a 1957
British
horror film
directed by Jacques Tourneur
, starring Dana Andrews
, Peggy Cummins
and Niall MacGinnis
. An adaptation of the M. R. James
story Casting the Runes (1911), the plot revolves around an American psychologist investigating a satanic cult
suspected of more than one murder.
The film's production was turbulent due to clashing ideas between producer Hal E. Chester
on one side and Jacques Tourneur
and writer Charles Bennett
on the other. Planned to not show a literal demon, producer Chester inserted a monster over the objections of the writer, director and star Dana Andrews. To accelerate the pace, the film was trimmed down to 83 minutes (and retitled Curse of the Demon) in the US where it played the second half of a double feature
with films like The Revenge of Frankenstein
(1958).
given to Harrington has disintegrated, he ushers Harrington out. After Harrington arrives at his home, a demon materializes in the woods and approaches Harrington. Fleeing in his car, Harrington crashes into a telegraph pole which causes falling power lines to electrocute him.
Dr. John Holden arrives in England to attend a convention where Harrington had intended to expose Karswell's cult. Holden is informed of Harrington's death and that the only link between it and Karswell's cult is an accused murderer, Rand Hobart, who has fallen into a catatonic stupor. While Harrington's collaborators consider the possibility of supernatural forces, Holden rejects the idea as superstition.
Following Harrington's notes, Holden visits the British Museum
's library to examine books on witchcraft. A book Harrington requests is discovered to be missing. He is approached by Karswell, who offers to show Holden his own copy at his mansion. At Harrington's funeral, Holden meets the dead man's niece, Joanna, who provides him with Harrington's diary. The diary reveals Harrington's increasing fear of Karswell's power. Holden remains sceptical, but goes with Joanna to Karswell's mansion the next day.
There, Holden and Karswell mock one another's beliefs. A very strong windstorm abruptly starts, which Karswell claims to have created with a spell. When Holden continues to mock Karswell, Karswell grows angry and predicts that Holden will die in three days.
At his hotel, Holden and his colleagues discuss Karswell and make plans to further examine Rand Hobart. Harrington's diary mentions the parchment passed to him by Karswell. Holden finds a parchment with runic inscriptions, that Karswell secretly passed to him at the library. Powerful winds come through the window, blowing the parchment from his fingers. It nearly burns in the fireplace before Holden rescues and pockets it.
Holden begins to feel more uneasy after a visit to Hobart's family, who disowned Hobart as "not a true believer". As Holden leaves, the parchment flies from his hand again. Hobart's family become fearful and declare Holden to be "chosen". Holden compares the parchment's runes to ones inscribed on the nearby stone circle at Stonehenge
.
Joanna takes Holden to Karswell's mother, who has arranged a seance
. The medium begins to channel Harrington, who tells them that Karswell has the key to the problem from his book. Holden leaves, dismissive towards both the medium and Mrs. Karswell. That night, Holden breaks into Karswell's mansion to examine the book. He is caught by Karswell, but is permitted to leave. Holden leaves through the woods and finds himself being chased by a living ball of smoke. On escaping the forest, Holden finds it has vanished. He reports the event to the police but feels embarrassed, believing that he is falling for Karswell's mindgames.
Mrs. Karswell telephones Joanna, imploring her that she must tell Holden that Rand Hobart knows the secret of the parchment. "All this evil must end, Miss Harrington!", she says, as her son Julian appears and overhears her betrayal. While Holden prepares an experiment to break Hobart's stupor, Karswell kidnaps Joanna to prevent her reaching Holden with the message.
Under hypnosis, Hobart reveals that he was "chosen" to die by having a parchment with a curse passed to him, but avoided death by passing it to another person. When Holden shows Hobart the parchment he received from Karswell, Hobart goes berserk and falls from a window to his death.
Informed that Karswell is leaving London by train, Holden, convinced now that he must return the parchment to Karswell to save himself, races to catch it. He finds Karswell with Joanna. Karswell avoids any contact with Holden to guard against the parchment being passed back to him and grows increasingly fearful. When the train stops at the next station, Karswell tries to leave, but Holden manages to sneak the parchment into his coat. As Karswell realizes this, the parchment flies from his hands. He chases it down to the tracks, where the parchment burns to ashes. As an oncoming train approaches, a demon appears above it, seizes Karswell, and slashes him, tossing his body onto the tracks. The station crew find Karswell's mangled body and believe that he was struck by the train.
owned the rights to the original story Casting the Runes and wrote a script based on it, using the title The Haunted. Bennett sold the script to independent producer and former child actor Hal E. Chester
shortly before going to America. Bennett regretted selling the script because on arrival in America, he was approached by RKO who wanted to purchase his script and allow Bennett to direct the film. Actors Robert Taylor
and Dick Powell
were in line for the leading roles if this production had taken place.
Jacques Tourneur was brought in by Chester on the recommendation of Ted Richmond, the producer of Tourneur's previous film, Nightfall
(1957). However, Tourneur and Chester had serious disagreements during filming. One argument was about the wind scene. Tourneur tried to convince Chester to replace two electric fans with two airplane engines. When Chester hesitated, star Dana Andrews threatened to leave the picture if Chester wouldn't let "the director direct the picture." Locations for the film include Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire (Lufford Hall), Stonehenge, Bricket Wood railway station
, and the round reading room of the British Museum.
After completion of the principal shooting, producer Chester decided to show the demon at the beginning and end of the film. Tourneur was against the addition, stating "The scenes where you see the demon were shot without me...the audience should never have been completely certain of having seen the demon." Stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen
was requested by Columbia Pictures
to create the demon for the production, but was already committed to The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, with producer Charles H. Schneer
. Author Tony Earnshaw's book Beating the Devil-the Making of Night of the Demon argues that showing the demon was planned early on in the production (despite Tourneur's protests to the contrary), in order to heighten the tension in the film by letting the audience know the demonic powers were real. Bennett, also angry at the script changes said, "If [Chester] walked up my driveway right now, I'd shoot him dead."
for a theatrical run in December 1957. In Britain, it was released as a double bill with the American film
20 Million Miles to Earth
as a double feature
. In the United States
, the film was released as Curse of the Demon. According to Charles Bennett
, the title was changed as the studio didn't want it confused with the similarly titled story of The Night of the Iguana
. Curse of the Demon toured drive-ins
and theaters variously with The True Story of Lynn Stuart
and The Revenge of Frankenstein
. Columbia cut several minutes of the film for the US release. Cut scenes included a visit to the Hobart family farm, a trip to Stonehenge
, and snippets of the seance scenes and conversations between Karswell and his mother.
, Curse of the Demon was originally released on VHS
in 1986 by Columbia TriStar Home Video with a run time of 81 minutes. A second VHS with a 96 minute running time was released by Goodtimes Home Video Corp in 1988. In 1988, a Laserdisc
of the film was released by Image Entertainment
/Columbia Pictures
with an 81 minute running time. A double-bill version with both the UK version of Night of the Demon and the edited US version as Curse of the Demon was released on DVD
in August 2002. In the United Kingdom
, Night of the Demon was released on VHS
in 1995 by Encore Entertainment/Columbia TriStar Home Video. The film was released on DVD
in the United Kingdom
for the first time on 18 October 2010.
placed Night of the Demon on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.
In Kate Bush
's album & song Hounds of Love
, a sample of dialogue from the film ("Its in the trees, its coming", spoken by actor Maurice Denham) is used as part of the introduction. The scene is from when Dana Andrews is leaving Professor Karswells lodge towards the end.
British band Sol Invictus
used a dialogue between Karswell and Holden as intro to their song Black Easter.
Night of the Demon is one of the films cited in the Rocky Horror Show's opening song Science Fiction/Double Feature
.
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur was a French-American film director.-Life:Born in Paris, France, he was the son of film director Maurice Tourneur. At age 10, Jacques moved to the United States with his father. He started a career in cinema while still attending high school as an extra and later as a script clerk...
, starring Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
, Peggy Cummins
Peggy Cummins
Peggy Cummins is a retired Irish actress. Cummins is best known for her performance in Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy , playing a trigger happy femme fatale who robs banks with her lover .-Early life:...
and Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis was an Irish actor who made 80 screen appearances.-Early life:MacGinnis was born in Dublin in 1913. He was educated at Stonyhurst College in England, and studied medicine at Dublin University. He qualified as a house surgeon...
. An adaptation of the M. R. James
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James, OM, MA, , who used the publication name M. R. James, was an English mediaeval scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge and of Eton College . He is best remembered for his ghost stories, which are regarded as among the best in the genre...
story Casting the Runes (1911), the plot revolves around an American psychologist investigating a satanic cult
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
suspected of more than one murder.
The film's production was turbulent due to clashing ideas between producer Hal E. Chester
Hal E. Chester
Hal E. "Hally" Chester is a American film producer and former child actor.He is best known for his appearances in Universal Studios's Little Tough Guys series at the end of the 1930s. His last appearance in this series was in Sea Raiders...
on one side and Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur was a French-American film director.-Life:Born in Paris, France, he was the son of film director Maurice Tourneur. At age 10, Jacques moved to the United States with his father. He started a career in cinema while still attending high school as an extra and later as a script clerk...
and writer Charles Bennett
Charles Bennett (screenwriter)
Charles Bennett was an English playwright and screenwriter, probably best known for his work with Alfred Hitchcock....
on the other. Planned to not show a literal demon, producer Chester inserted a monster over the objections of the writer, director and star Dana Andrews. To accelerate the pace, the film was trimmed down to 83 minutes (and retitled Curse of the Demon) in the US where it played the second half of a double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
with films like The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein is a 1958 British horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn and Eunice Gayson....
(1958).
Plot summary
In England, Professor Harrington approaches Dr. Julian Karswell, the leader of a satanic cult, promising to call off an investigation of the cult if Karswell would call off "what he has started". Karswell agrees. After learning that a parchmentParchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
given to Harrington has disintegrated, he ushers Harrington out. After Harrington arrives at his home, a demon materializes in the woods and approaches Harrington. Fleeing in his car, Harrington crashes into a telegraph pole which causes falling power lines to electrocute him.
Dr. John Holden arrives in England to attend a convention where Harrington had intended to expose Karswell's cult. Holden is informed of Harrington's death and that the only link between it and Karswell's cult is an accused murderer, Rand Hobart, who has fallen into a catatonic stupor. While Harrington's collaborators consider the possibility of supernatural forces, Holden rejects the idea as superstition.
Following Harrington's notes, Holden visits the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
's library to examine books on witchcraft. A book Harrington requests is discovered to be missing. He is approached by Karswell, who offers to show Holden his own copy at his mansion. At Harrington's funeral, Holden meets the dead man's niece, Joanna, who provides him with Harrington's diary. The diary reveals Harrington's increasing fear of Karswell's power. Holden remains sceptical, but goes with Joanna to Karswell's mansion the next day.
At his hotel, Holden and his colleagues discuss Karswell and make plans to further examine Rand Hobart. Harrington's diary mentions the parchment passed to him by Karswell. Holden finds a parchment with runic inscriptions, that Karswell secretly passed to him at the library. Powerful winds come through the window, blowing the parchment from his fingers. It nearly burns in the fireplace before Holden rescues and pockets it.
Holden begins to feel more uneasy after a visit to Hobart's family, who disowned Hobart as "not a true believer". As Holden leaves, the parchment flies from his hand again. Hobart's family become fearful and declare Holden to be "chosen". Holden compares the parchment's runes to ones inscribed on the nearby stone circle at Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
.
Joanna takes Holden to Karswell's mother, who has arranged a seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
. The medium begins to channel Harrington, who tells them that Karswell has the key to the problem from his book. Holden leaves, dismissive towards both the medium and Mrs. Karswell. That night, Holden breaks into Karswell's mansion to examine the book. He is caught by Karswell, but is permitted to leave. Holden leaves through the woods and finds himself being chased by a living ball of smoke. On escaping the forest, Holden finds it has vanished. He reports the event to the police but feels embarrassed, believing that he is falling for Karswell's mindgames.
Mrs. Karswell telephones Joanna, imploring her that she must tell Holden that Rand Hobart knows the secret of the parchment. "All this evil must end, Miss Harrington!", she says, as her son Julian appears and overhears her betrayal. While Holden prepares an experiment to break Hobart's stupor, Karswell kidnaps Joanna to prevent her reaching Holden with the message.
Under hypnosis, Hobart reveals that he was "chosen" to die by having a parchment with a curse passed to him, but avoided death by passing it to another person. When Holden shows Hobart the parchment he received from Karswell, Hobart goes berserk and falls from a window to his death.
Informed that Karswell is leaving London by train, Holden, convinced now that he must return the parchment to Karswell to save himself, races to catch it. He finds Karswell with Joanna. Karswell avoids any contact with Holden to guard against the parchment being passed back to him and grows increasingly fearful. When the train stops at the next station, Karswell tries to leave, but Holden manages to sneak the parchment into his coat. As Karswell realizes this, the parchment flies from his hands. He chases it down to the tracks, where the parchment burns to ashes. As an oncoming train approaches, a demon appears above it, seizes Karswell, and slashes him, tossing his body onto the tracks. The station crew find Karswell's mangled body and believe that he was struck by the train.
Production
Screenwriter Charles BennettCharles Bennett (screenwriter)
Charles Bennett was an English playwright and screenwriter, probably best known for his work with Alfred Hitchcock....
owned the rights to the original story Casting the Runes and wrote a script based on it, using the title The Haunted. Bennett sold the script to independent producer and former child actor Hal E. Chester
Hal E. Chester
Hal E. "Hally" Chester is a American film producer and former child actor.He is best known for his appearances in Universal Studios's Little Tough Guys series at the end of the 1930s. His last appearance in this series was in Sea Raiders...
shortly before going to America. Bennett regretted selling the script because on arrival in America, he was approached by RKO who wanted to purchase his script and allow Bennett to direct the film. Actors Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
and Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
were in line for the leading roles if this production had taken place.
Jacques Tourneur was brought in by Chester on the recommendation of Ted Richmond, the producer of Tourneur's previous film, Nightfall
Nightfall (1957 film)
Nightfall is a film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur. It features Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, and Anne Bancroft. The low-budget film is remembered today for camera work by cinematographer Burnett Guffey...
(1957). However, Tourneur and Chester had serious disagreements during filming. One argument was about the wind scene. Tourneur tried to convince Chester to replace two electric fans with two airplane engines. When Chester hesitated, star Dana Andrews threatened to leave the picture if Chester wouldn't let "the director direct the picture." Locations for the film include Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire (Lufford Hall), Stonehenge, Bricket Wood railway station
Bricket Wood railway station
Bricket Wood railway station serves the village of Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by London Midland. It is on the Abbey Line 5 km east of Watford Junction.-History:...
, and the round reading room of the British Museum.
After completion of the principal shooting, producer Chester decided to show the demon at the beginning and end of the film. Tourneur was against the addition, stating "The scenes where you see the demon were shot without me...the audience should never have been completely certain of having seen the demon." Stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
was requested by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
to create the demon for the production, but was already committed to The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, with producer Charles H. Schneer
Charles H. Schneer
Charles H. Schneer was a film producer most widely known for working with special effects pioneer, Ray Harryhausen. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and died in Boca Raton, Florida, aged 88....
. Author Tony Earnshaw's book Beating the Devil-the Making of Night of the Demon argues that showing the demon was planned early on in the production (despite Tourneur's protests to the contrary), in order to heighten the tension in the film by letting the audience know the demonic powers were real. Bennett, also angry at the script changes said, "If [Chester] walked up my driveway right now, I'd shoot him dead."
Cast
- Dana AndrewsDana AndrewsDana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
as Dr. John Holden - Peggy CumminsPeggy CumminsPeggy Cummins is a retired Irish actress. Cummins is best known for her performance in Joseph H. Lewis' Gun Crazy , playing a trigger happy femme fatale who robs banks with her lover .-Early life:...
as Joanna Harrington - Niall MacGinnisNiall MacGinnisNiall MacGinnis was an Irish actor who made 80 screen appearances.-Early life:MacGinnis was born in Dublin in 1913. He was educated at Stonyhurst College in England, and studied medicine at Dublin University. He qualified as a house surgeon...
as Dr. Julian Karswell - Athene SeylerAthene SeylerAthene Seyler, CBE was an English actress.Although better known as a stage actress, she first appeared on the stage in 1909 and made her film debut in 1921, and became known for playing slightly dotty old ladies....
as Mother Karswell - Liam RedmondLiam RedmondLiam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
as Professor Mark O'Brien - Ewan RobertsEwan Roberts-Selected filmography:* The Man in the White Suit * Angels One Five * Derby Day * The Titfield Thunderbolt * Night of the Demon * What a Whopper * The Day of the Triffids...
as Lloyd Williamson - Peter Elliott as Professor K.T. Kumar
- Reginald BeckwithReginald BeckwithReginald Beckwith was a British film and television actor, who made almost one hundred film and television appearances in his career.-Filmography:* Freedom Radio * Scott of the Antarctic...
as Mr Meek - Rosamund GreenwoodRosamund GreenwoodRosamund Greenwood was a British actress who was active on screen from 1935 until 1990.In a career stretching more than 50 years, Greenwood appeared in productions including The Prince and the Showgirl, Night of the Demon, Upstairs, Downstairs, Angels, Crown Court and A Perfect Spy...
as Mrs Meek - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Professor Henry Harrington - Brian WildeBrian WildeBrian George Wilde was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, including Mr Barrowclough in Porridge and "Foggy" Dewhurst in Last of the Summer Wine...
as Rand Hobart
Theatrical release
Night of the Demon was released in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for a theatrical run in December 1957. In Britain, it was released as a double bill with the American film
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
20 Million Miles to Earth
20 Million Miles to Earth
20 Million Miles to Earth is a 1957 American science fiction film written by Bob Williams and Christopher Knopf from an original treatment by Charlott Knight. The film was produced by Charles H. Schneer's Morningside Productions for Columbia Pictures and directed by Nathan H. Juran...
as a double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the film was released as Curse of the Demon. According to Charles Bennett
Charles Bennett (screenwriter)
Charles Bennett was an English playwright and screenwriter, probably best known for his work with Alfred Hitchcock....
, the title was changed as the studio didn't want it confused with the similarly titled story of The Night of the Iguana
The Night of the Iguana
The Night of the Iguana is a stageplay written by American author Tennessee Williams, based on his 1948 short story. The play premiered on Broadway in 1961. Two film adaptations have been made, including the Academy Award-winning 1964 film of the same name....
. Curse of the Demon toured drive-ins
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
and theaters variously with The True Story of Lynn Stuart
The True Story of Lynn Stuart
The True Story of Lynn Stuart is a 1958 Columbia Pictures feature film starring Betsy Palmer and Jack Lord. Marking the final directorial effort of Lewis Seiler, it dramatizes the true story of a young Santa Ana, California, housewife who became a volunteer undercover narcotics agent in the 1950's...
and The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Revenge of Frankenstein is a 1958 British horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Terence Fisher, the film stars Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn and Eunice Gayson....
. Columbia cut several minutes of the film for the US release. Cut scenes included a visit to the Hobart family farm, a trip to Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
, and snippets of the seance scenes and conversations between Karswell and his mother.
Home video
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Curse of the Demon was originally released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1986 by Columbia TriStar Home Video with a run time of 81 minutes. A second VHS with a 96 minute running time was released by Goodtimes Home Video Corp in 1988. In 1988, a Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
of the film was released by Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
/Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
with an 81 minute running time. A double-bill version with both the UK version of Night of the Demon and the edited US version as Curse of the Demon was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in August 2002. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Night of the Demon was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1995 by Encore Entertainment/Columbia TriStar Home Video. The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the first time on 18 October 2010.
Trivia
Director Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
placed Night of the Demon on his list of the 11 scariest horror films of all time.
In Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
's album & song Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love is a 1985 album by the British singer Kate Bush. It was Bush's fifth studio album, and her second no. 1. It has since been certified Double Platinum in the UK...
, a sample of dialogue from the film ("Its in the trees, its coming", spoken by actor Maurice Denham) is used as part of the introduction. The scene is from when Dana Andrews is leaving Professor Karswells lodge towards the end.
British band Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus (band)
Sol Invictus is an English neofolk and neoclassical group fronted by Tony Wakeford. Wakeford has been the sole constant member of the group since its inception, although numerous musicians have contributed and collaborated with Wakeford under the Sol Invictus moniker over the years.-Overview:For...
used a dialogue between Karswell and Holden as intro to their song Black Easter.
Night of the Demon is one of the films cited in the Rocky Horror Show's opening song Science Fiction/Double Feature
Science Fiction/Double Feature
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" is the opening song to the original 1973 musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show as well as its 1975 film counterpart The Rocky Horror Picture Show, book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, musical arrangements by Richard Hartley...
.