88.250

Val Lewton protege Tourneur helms an absolutely brilliant horror tale. Despite the demon's sporadic appearances -- a decision Tourneur had actively protested (though, truth to tell, the creature cameos work quite well) -- this ranks right up there with any of producer Lewton's '40s fright classics.

A black and white classic, full of great atmosphere and suspenseful plot. Suspenseful, clever and with good performances throughout this one is highly recommended.

The Germans had better effects three decades earlier but [thankfully] it's used sparingly, and still delivers a great ending. Entirely recommendable, one of Tourneur's best. fun fact: this film perfects the 'cheap scare' tactic.

An ok-ish horror movie that works best when there isn't anything horrific on screen (mostly because the titular demon looks goofy as hell). Nicely atmospheric. I enjoyed how casual the villain was about his unstoppable plan to kill the protagonist at a specific day, while still being gentlemanly to his future victim in the meantime.

movies about curses rule and this is the best one

Wonderful, creepy, and atmospheric horror film that doesn't rely on gore to be scary. Some very beautiful, haunting scenes (my favorite is the freak wind storm).

An atmospheric version of M.R. James' "Casting the Runes" featuring Tourneur's direction at its best. Worthy of the Val Lewton era, filled with shadows and suspense.

Got to watch this at the theater and really enjoyed it. That brat in the Halloween mask will jolt the piss out of you on a big movie screen!

88.000

After dabbling in other genres, Tourneur returns to form with this horror/mystery which very much resembles his Val Lewton produced ones from the 40's: It's stagey and contrived, but consistently compelling. It's always a notch above B-movie fare, and despite the wooden Dana Andrews and the uneven special effects, it's an effectively spooky and suspenseful movie for anyone willing to suspend a bit of disbelief.

Without the monster it could have been a great psychological thriller, as it is it's another entertaining and well-shot Tourneur horror/mystery.

Marvellously well-done for its age, owing more to Lewton and Hitchcock than to what the likes of Corman were churning out in the US at the time, and genuinely chilling.

One of the great horror films. Even the much debated final glimpse of the demon has a terrifying potency. Well acted, beautifully directed and loaded with great images.

A fantastic psychological mystery/thriller that's let down by its supernatural elements. Thankfully, the demon itself and some of the effects are great, so they don't wreck the film completely.

Well-made but not scary

Terrific psychological horror from Tourneur, Night would benefit from losing the first scene that reveals the demon. That said, the effect is little used, leaving the far majority of the film to focus on the subtle psychological transformation taking place in the lead character. This is done especially well, and the scenes that include the villain crackle with sinister tension. Tourneur is one of the great "unknown" auteurs.

Flashy adaptation of classic short story "Casting the Runes." Although Dana Andrews makes a flat hero, everything else about the movie is strikingly effective, from the appearances of the demon to the subtle depiction of magic. Beware of the American cut; longer British version is much better.

734

A really good film, but it'll take a couple more movies to sell me on Jacques Tourneur.

# 693

#736

It was slightly surprising to me that a protégé of Val Lewton would show the monster in the opening scene. I think it loses some of the psychological effect when we know the demon is real from the off, but even so, it's a still a fun horror. Dana Andrews is pretty stiff in the lead role, but Niall MacGinnis is good as the cult leader.

A classic cult horror film, sadly with a squint of drawn-out scenes and filler. It does have a very convincing cast, MacGinnis doing brilliant as the villain; he pushed my buttons and I've grown tough against horror movies. The Demon itself was also shown and shot to perfection. Great ending also and although the movie hasn't aged incredibly well, it is still a worthwhile view for fans of horror. I wish there were more villains played like Niall MacGinnis does it here, current cinema needs that.

The titular demon is actually the weakest aspect, since despite it's great design it's very obviously fake. Luckily most of the film trades on mysterious tension and suspense and does so wonderfully. Dana Andrews is always enjoyable, if a little stiff, and Tourneur throws in some excellent photography.

700

Terrific beginning, terrific ending... everything in between is a mixed bag. Scenes that are fairly interesting or suspenseful are intertwined with some dull exposition and treading water. A number of really shoddy rear projection shots didn't help anything, either. I suspect the truncated American version feels a lot tighter. In general I guess it was a pretty good horror flick and I can see why it would have cult appeal, but it didn't really push my buttons that much.