Night of the Demon

1957 96 min ★ 7.0 Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

American professor John Holden arrives in London for a conference on parapsychology only to discover that the colleague he was supposed to meet was killed in a freak accident the day before. It turns out that the deceased had been investigating a cult lead by Dr. Julian Karswell. Though a skeptic, Holden is suspicious of the devil-worshiping Karswell. Following a trail of mysterious manuscripts, Holden enters a world that makes him question his faith in science.

▶ Watch Trailer

Cast

Dana Andrews

Dr. John Holden

Peggy Cummins

Joanna Harrington

Niall MacGinnis

Dr. Julian Karswell

Maurice Denham

Professor Henry Harrington

Athene Seyler

Mrs. Karswell

Liam Redmond

Professor Mark O'Brien

Reginald Beckwith

Mr. Meek

Ewan Roberts

Lloyd Williamson

Peter Elliott

Professor K.T. Kumar

Rosamund Greenwood

Mrs. Meek

Details

Director

Jacques Tourneur

Screenplay

Hal E. Chester

Tagline

"Who will be the next in line to defy the curse?"

Status

Released

Original Language

EN

Production

Sabre Film Productions Ltd.

Reviews

J

John Chard

February 25, 2015

★ 9/10

You know, the devil has something here. Very pleasant. Dr. John Holden arrives in England to attend a paranormal convention where the recently deceased Professor Harrington had intended to expose Dr. Julian Karswell as being the leader of satanic cult. Upon learning of Harrington's death, Holden finds that the only link to the mysterious death and Karswell's alleged cult is an accused murderer ...

F

FolknHell

August 25, 2026

★ 8/10

*Night of the Demon* commits what ought to be a fairly serious horror-film mistake almost immediately: it shows us the demon. Not a shadow, not an uncertain shape in the trees, but the great medieval-looking brute itself. That means when John Holden arrives determined to explain away witchcraft, curses and Julian Carswell’s occult practices, we already know he is wrong. His professional scepticism...