DontEatRawHagis Posted 11 January, 2016 Any of you ever seen this old movie? I got the DVD a while ago and thought that it was a bit like a Call of Cthulhu game. A professor dies under mysterious circumstances while investigating a cult. In response a collegue of his takes up the investigation along with a couple of other doctors and the dead man's daughter.Pay no mind to the crappy look of the monster. Originally the monster was never going to be shown and would be left to the imagination whether it was really there. Then someone in production thought hey lets add a monster to try and get it as big as King Kong or Frankenstein.Originally based of the short story "Casting of Runes" by M.R. James. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yronimoswhateley Posted 11 January, 2016 Love the movie, I see it once every couple Halloweens when TCM shows horror film "marathons". I'm even fond of the dopey-looking puppet monster - I think it still holds its own admirably against your average modern low-budget CGI SyFy Channel specials And I agree - as something based on a story that pre-dates Lovecraft, it is one of the better "Lovecraftian" horror films out there, and one that feels like the plot of a good CoC investigation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 11 January, 2016 It's one of my favourite films of the period. There's a book by Tony Earnshaw that deals specifically with all the background to the film. Beating the Devil: The making of Night of the Demon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony Williams Posted 11 January, 2016 And, of course, you can link it to Kate Bush, so mega thumbs-up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eternalchampion Posted 13 January, 2016 A very nice film indeed! It plays between paranormal phenomena and doctor's agnosticism. I had actually made a character out of the doctor in the movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GBSteve Posted 13 January, 2016 And not to forget Robert Lloyd Parry who is touring Casting the Runes at the moment, and a Podcast to the Curious who do a two parter on this story (a and b). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 13 January, 2016 Robert Lloyd Parry is excellent. We had the good fortune to seem him perform some of his M.R. James material at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton a few years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travern Posted 31 January, 2016 One of the all-time greats. I even tried, in my cack-handed way, to edit out the rubber-suit version of the demon from a Youtube video I downloaded. I came away a confirmed member of the don't-show camp, although one cut of the looming demon's head isn't so bad - maybe it could have run after the closing credits as a final jump-scare. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 1 February, 2016 Something we may talk about on the next CBC... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DontEatRawHagis Posted 22 March, 2016 Something we may talk about on the next CBC... Can't wait to hear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 22 March, 2016 We talked about it in the February CBC meeting and you can hear a sample of play as well. https://www.yog-sothoth.com/files/file/1567-%7B%3F%7D/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yockenthwaite Posted 13 August, 2016 Just watched this. I've had it recorded in the Sky+ box to watch for quite a lot of months, and have been looking forward to it. And it did not disappoint. The demon monster is a bit too cute for my liking. But even though you see it right at the start it doesn't detract from the film, which seems more about esoteric knowledge, old books, and dangerous magic. I particularly liked the way the "curse" was literally passed on throughout the film. And the actor playing Karswell was superb. Irish I see - a very large proportion of the cast (playing English sounding characters) were Irish, including the lead actress. We went "Oooooh!" on seeing the old British Museum Reading Room. Trust us And it was also nice because it had a relatively small cast. It was very much focused around four characters, including Karswell's mother in there. It would be easy to visualise it as a theatre play, with a small core cast. Of course now I want to read the original M.R. James short story the film is based on. I don't remember reading it before, so will remedy that shortly. Will be interesting to see how it compares with the film, and how much was changed for the movie version. Anyway top film. Thoroughly recommend. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prof_abercrombie Posted 14 August, 2016 Just watched this. I've had it recorded in the Sky+ box to watch for quite a lot of months, and have been looking forward to it. And it did not disappoint. The demon monster is a bit too cute for my liking. But even though you see it right at the start it doesn't detract from the film, The monster was not in the original cut of the film. It was added by the studio because they wanted the audience to KNOW they were watching a horror picture. What we would have seen,without their involvement, would have been the smoking heavy elephantine demon hoof-prints and the roiling cloud (without demon) at the very end. That was all Jacques Tourneur WANTED you to see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yockenthwaite Posted 14 August, 2016 The monster was not in the original cut of the film. It was added by the studio because they wanted the audience to KNOW they were watching a horror picture. What we would have seen,without their involvement, would have been the smoking heavy elephantine demon hoof-prints and the roiling cloud (without demon) at the very end. That was all Jacques Tourneur WANTED you to see. Ah yes, that would have been good. Though part of me would still like to see a monster, this alternative would have been scary and atmospheric enough. And it would have left the possible ambiguity re psychological aspects still open. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
prof_abercrombie Posted 14 August, 2016 Tourneur's approach to all of this was usually very much one of making it a "was it or wasn't it?" sort of thing. That is also how he handled both his original Cat People film and it's sequel. The heroine and her brother changing lycanthropically in the 1980s remake was very much a concession to THAT audience.The mood and atmosphere in Tourneur's films are always wonderfully spooky. Particularly if you chance to see them in a proper movie theatre with a like-minded audience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DontEatRawHagis Posted 15 August, 2016 "Was it or Wasn't it" doesn't happen a lot any more. Too much do movies fall back in to CGI and high budgets to ruin the mystery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yronimoswhateley Posted 16 August, 2016 That device seems to come in and out of fashion from time to time. We have seen the "maybe magic, maybe mundane" thing on television at least as recently as "Houdini & Doyle", which seems to have been canceled, "True Detective", which seems to have veered back to safer police procedural territory and might have been canceled, and "The Leftovers", which struggled in ratings and is facing its last year before being canceled. I, for one, enjoy it, but I suspect audiences have never really handled that sort of ambiguity in their entertainment very well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ReydeAmarillo Posted 19 September, 2016 This excellent film and "The Devil rides out" are two of the main influences that got me into COC and continue to inspire much of my Campaign writing today. Evil sorcerer, weird farmhands cult in a musty old farmhouse, and atmospheric UK settings. Fantastic! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrattnight Posted 19 March, 2018 I really like this movie... Both versions. The monster doesn't even look half bad.A true gem. I know what you mean prof_abercrombie, Val Lewton is a huge figure from my point of view. I'm in the don't-show camp... My brain can scare me way more than any CGI bologna you can cook up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 19 March, 2018 Still one of my favourite films (along with The Haunting). Here's Peggy Cummins introducing Night of the Demon at the BFI Monster Weekend event held at the British Museum (which I sadly missed). Night of the Demon is now also available on Region-Free Blu-Ray [w/French booklet]. On a somewhat-related note, there's a reading of Casting the Runes by David "Poirot" Suchet on audible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travern Posted 19 March, 2018 Night of the Demon is now also available on Region-Free Blu-Ray [w/French booklet]. Crucially, they advertise, "This set contains both the American and UK release prints both lovingly restored." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PoC Posted 19 March, 2018 There's rumour of a UK-specific release but so far it's always been of the "jam tomorrow" variety... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
willmize Posted 19 March, 2018 All this discussion and no mention of the lyrics referencing the movie in the main theme ("Science Fiction Double Feature") of the Rocky Horror Picture Show? C'mon MAN! "Dana Andrews said prunes gave him the runes, but passing them took lots of skills.." - Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shrike Posted 19 March, 2018 On a somewhat-related note, there's a reading of Casting the Runes by David "Poirot" Suchet on audible. I always cringe when I see Suchet's long and varied career boiled down to one, albeit well-known, role. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
