And while we're talking about Tourneur's work--I call 'em the "thinking
viewers' horror films--let's remember his 1953 _Curse of the Demon_, also
released in some places as _Night of the Demon_. Based on M. R. James'
story "Casting the Runes," and except for some gratuitous monster footage
at very beginning and very end, a masterfully-crafted exercise in keeping
you on the edge of your seat. Dana Andrews' jaw was never squarer, and
Niall MacGinnis' suave sorcerer is quite good. (Tourneur later argued,
disingenuously--depending on whom you believe--that the demon scenes were
inserted over his protests during the editing process. Whoever put them
in did the movie a disservice, but definitely worth your time.)
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