Only the most boorish could not enjoy a film like Night of the Demon, its an absolute classic. It scared the hell out of me as a kid and it still does now.
Much has been said about the appearance of the Demon at the beginning of the film, I can't help but think that it does lend a certain charm and sets the tone of the film quite nicely though. Few films are so atmospheric, brooding and dark. There is something eminently disturbing about a devil worshipper in clowns make up conjuring the forces of darkness at a kiddies Halloween party. The final scene at the railway station with the screeching, thundering locomotives and the whooshing steam combined with the dramatic music are amazing, and the whole film seems to have the low-key black-and-white style typical of film noir.
If I had to nominate one outstanding performance in this film it would have to be NiallMacGinnis as Julian Karswell, who gives a stunning performance as the leader of the cult. With his pointy beard and charmingly English manner he manages to act rings around Dana Andrews, who somewhat woodenly plays the disbelieving sceptic. In fact I actually found myself siding with the bad guy at some points!
Full points for this one, I only wish that most of todays films could live up to its mark.
Much has been said about the appearance of the Demon at the beginning of the film, I can't help but think that it does lend a certain charm and sets the tone of the film quite nicely though. Few films are so atmospheric, brooding and dark. There is something eminently disturbing about a devil worshipper in clowns make up conjuring the forces of darkness at a kiddies Halloween party. The final scene at the railway station with the screeching, thundering locomotives and the whooshing steam combined with the dramatic music are amazing, and the whole film seems to have the low-key black-and-white style typical of film noir.
If I had to nominate one outstanding performance in this film it would have to be NiallMacGinnis as Julian Karswell, who gives a stunning performance as the leader of the cult. With his pointy beard and charmingly English manner he manages to act rings around Dana Andrews, who somewhat woodenly plays the disbelieving sceptic. In fact I actually found myself siding with the bad guy at some points!
Full points for this one, I only wish that most of todays films could live up to its mark.