Rating: 
Summary: the hilarious monster almost kills it, but doesn't
Review: "curse of the demon" is one of the best horror movies ever made. it would probably be THE best if the moronic company that funded the movie hadn't forced tourneur to show the ridiculous monster shown intermittently or pull the bucks on him. nonetheless, this movie is absolutely superb and suggestive, genuinely frightening and horrific. karswell (who supposedly is based on the elusive character of aleister crowley) is terrifying as the all too talented 'magician' who seems in command of things that no one should be in command of, and he proves to be the best actor in the movie. the two lead characters are a little dull, the standard 50's man and 50's woman driving around a city in a movie. and yet they do manage to pull those unforgettable scenes of terror and anguish off, such as when the lead nonentity breaks into karswell's house and is caught, surprisingly, by a cat. (no doubt not your typical feline.) in the most outstanding scene, one of the best ever filmed in the horror genre, a former member of karswell's cult snaps out of a catatonic trance and jumps out of a high rise window when the lead whoever he is and a doctor tell him that it is "the night of the demon". it is so jolting that it produces a physical reaction in the viewer. this movie is a must.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Acting, Good direction, Good Writing
Review: This is actually one of the few occultic movies that displays the inner workings of the dark "arts". The story takes precedence over the implied gore, and the last scene is indeed intense. This is what is really lacking in many of todays movies, which tend to rely on technology. The writers actually understand the danger hidden in the old grimories, and Karswell states to his mother that his wealth is directly related to feeding the demon. And he is unable to control the power, which is the message of the movie. Good triumphes as the evil implodes. It is similar the to Manchurian Candidate in one respect, that the real story is in the innocuous details. This movie is well worth purchasing.
Rating:
Summary: A Jacques Tourneur noir classic
Review: From the opening scenes you will be captivated by the astonishing imagery of Jacques Tourneur. Though maligned at times, this film rises above every other so-called horror film because the great directing and brilliant camera work. The story line itself is mysterious and intriguing, a bit different from the original "Casting the Runes" by M.R. James, but Tourneur never lets up in the relentless pursuit of vivid imagery. The only drawback concerns two unnecessary depictions of a fire demon superimposed in the studio after the film had been shot, but if you ignore those mistakes, the film is guaranteed to capture your interest. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Dull
Review: What is it about this movie. All the other reviews are 4 stars or 5 stars. I just don't get it. Why does every body think this is such a good movie?! We(Me and someone else) were going to order some movies for halloween(The Uninvited and The Woman in Black, wich were both much better). This one caught are attention. It looked like it was going to be the best out of the three we ended up getting(Boy were we wrong) so we saved it for halloween night to watch it. It was a big mistake to buy it. This paranormal sceptic guy gets killed by a demon at the beginning. Then this other guy comes to go on were the first guy left off. He doen't think the first guy was killed by a demon. But then this Satan/Devil worshipper casts a spell on him. Then they go to a sceance and all this different stough happens(the sceance seemed really dumb to me). Then he finds out that if he passes this parchment thing to the devil worshipper guy he will be saved and not be killed by the demon.
It was just DULL DULL DULL DULL. Why do you all think it's so good. WHY?! Some people say that they shouldn't have shown the demon at the beginning and end of the movie. But compared with how bad the rest of the movie is it wouldn't realy have mattered.
What kind of genra fans are the people who said good stough about this movie. Gore and Guts(or Slasher movie)Fans? no, couldn't be. Sudden Startle scare fans. No. Special effects fans who think any movie with good special effcts is wonderful. No(apart from there being the demon and the cat demon). Creepy, Eerie, Atmospheric fans. NO. It doesn't have any of that. In fact there is nothing scary at all. NOTHING!!
I just don't see whats so good about this movie. It got more positive reviews than THE OMEN(Which was way better). So, If you listen to me you won't get this movie. But if you listen to all the other reviews you'll probably do the wrong thing and get this movie. If you really want to know, then rent this movie first and see how good(Or Bad, to be exact) this movie is, before you waste your money and buy it. If you want to see one of the old creepy black and white movies than see the innoecents or the haunting(The old version of the haunting). I strongly advise against getting this movie.
Rating:
Summary: great 50's flick!
Review: like the blob, most 50's movies are corny and sci-fi-ish, this one is different! this actualy gave me the creeps, the demon is creepier than the movie it self!. Dont waste you're time to rent it, buy it!
Rating:
Summary: First-rate classic!
Review: Reviewer Dimaggio has written the definitive review already. I shall add: My brother and I first saw the film upon its release in the '50s, and we immediately knew (even as young children) that THIS was one of the great films. Since then we have each seen the film many times and we each own (and cherish) a copy. Make no mistake: although the production is black-and-white and the screenplay is sometimes under-stated (effectively!), this is a film that will be immensely pleasing to anyone who has interests in fantasy, science fiction, Druids, or the supernatural. Be sure to pay close attention to the final conversation -- it nicely indicates our relationship to such a reality!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Horror Story
Review: Not much blood and gore and special effects as in later movies such as Poltergeist, but this is a real classic in the black-and-white genre. Based on a wonderful story by the master M.R.James. The plot itself is absoutely perfect, although the movie itself shows a low production budget (such as the hero fighting an obvious stuffed panther). In spite of that, the direction is fantastic. Whether or not the Demon should have been shown is a controversy, but I think it's better that it was even if it looks hokey.
Rating:
Summary: "Curse" of Horror
Review: The first time I saw "Curse of the Demon" on TV as a kid, I was scared to death. The music, creepy atmosphere, strong performances, and suspenseful story--coupled with a terrifying demon from hell--make one of the greatest classic horror films of all time. The story of a cynical professor who is thrust into a race against time in order to change his fate is absolutely the creepiest horror films of the 1950's. And it is hardly dated at all. It relies on a dark atmosphere and excellent performances, steering the viewer into a heart-pounding climax as time runs out--and the demon from hell finally appears. Definitely a film worth having, to be deliciously viewed time, and time again. EXCELLENT!! And remember: IT'S IN THE TREES!!!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the best horror film you've never seen, a true classic
Review: There is really only one thing significantly wrong with the 1957 horror classic "Curse of the Demon" is that the producer insisted the "demon" had to make its appearance at the beginning and ending of the film. The better move would have been to leave the appearance of the monster up to the audience's imagination as director Jacques Tourneur intended, but you know producers. Still, "Curse of the Demon" (originally released in England as "Night of the Demon") is a great horror film. The film is based on "Casting the Runes" by M. R. James, with a literate screenplay by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester. The story deals with a curse cast by an evil magician, supposedly based on the self-proclaimed English sorcerer Aleister Crowley. The tone for the film is amply established in the opening sequence where a terrified Professor Harrington (Maurice Dehnam) comes to the home of Dr. Julian Karswell (Niall MacGinnis). Harrington the scientist had led an expose of Karswell's devil cult and made the mistake of telling the sorcerer "Do your worst." Now he wants Karswell to call off the demon, but, of course, it is way too late for that now. The protagonist in this story is Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews), a noted American psychologist who comes to England to help with the investigation of the cult. Holden does not believe in the occult, but then Karswell slips him a parchment marked with runes and learns the rules of our little game: whoever holds the parchment will die on an appointed day UNLESS they can pass it on to a WILLING recipient. Sounds like big time fun, right? Holden tries to hold on to his skepticism, but in due course he becomes a true believer. Allied with Joanna Harrington (Peggy Cummins), daughter of the late professor and Holden's obvious romantic interest in the film, the pair try to turn the tables on Karswell. The star of this film is Karswell as portrayed by Niall MacGinnis, who manages to give nice shadings to his villain. When Holden first meets the man trying to kill him at Lufford Hall, Karswell is dressed up as Dr. Bobo the Magnificent entertaining the local orphans. He even gives Holden a chance to recant his disbelief and when the psychologist becomes even more insulting Karswell summons a cyclone to take the American down a peg. One of the best sequences involves Holden breaking into Lufford Hall only to be attacked by the wizard's demon familiar. Andrews manages the passage from disbelief to understanding and horror adequately, but Karswell steals every scene. Even with the cheesy monster, "Curse of the Demon" is a classic horror film featuring a first rate script, solid performances, and artful direction. This may well be the proverbial best horror film you never heard of.
Rating:
Summary: A Devilishly Fine Time
Review: Jacques Tourneur's "Curse of the Demon" is one of the all-time classics of fantasy film, comparable in its way to Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" and Steven Spielberg's "E.T" (different as the colors undeniably are). As the evil warlock Karswell, Niall MacGinniss does exactly what performers who play supernatural figures almost never do -- he persuades you of his reality by the force of absolute conviction, expressed by understated acting (rather than by the scenery-chewing excesses that stupid thespians think they are entitled to engage in because "it's only a fantasy." Anyone who saw Gary Oldman in the early scenes of Coppola's "Dracula" will know exactly what I mean). When Karswell says to Dana Andrews: "She [Andrews'girlfriend] thinks that she's alive; she is. She thinks that she can reason; she can. She thinks that you're going to die tomorrow night at 10 o'clock; you will" -- by God, you believe him. Among the uniformally excellent cast, Athene Seyler, as Karswell's increasingly anguished mother, and all of the actors who play the members of the devil-worshipping farm family deserve special commendation. When the matriarch of this decidedly odd clan says, in an absolutely even voice, "I am not concerned with his [her dead son's] guilt or want of guilt", and then, a moment later, when Andrews shows the telltale parchment that marks him for death, points at him and says "He has been chosen! Let no man raise his hand to defend him!", your blood temperature should be around 10 degrees below zero. This, by the way, underscores the main reason why intelligent film viewers love this movie: all of its key moments are based on a combination of superior writing and first-rate acting, and not on a wearisome array of special effects that inevitably remind one of a pack of bratty children trying to get one's attention at the end of a long day on the job. (Art thou listening, makers of the "Mummy" franchise?) Unfortunately, in the Hollywood of today, it's easier to sink Atlantis or to show a desert's sands coalescing into a gigantic face than it is to write a good scene. If there really were warlocks like Karswell, they could probably get the world's moviegoers to sign their souls over to Beelzebub in a New York minute, as long as they promised to conjure up a few more scripts and casts as good as this one.
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