Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Maurice Denham, Athene Seyler
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An American psychologist travels to England to debunk the powers of a satanic cult, only to find the cult leader's abilities very real in contrast to what he's believed all his life.
In my opinion, and many others, this is one of the finest horror films of the 1950s, with superb efforts in many areas, including writing, direction, acting, photography, music, and production design. From what I've heard, it was originally planned to leave the demon of the title unseen, as in the films Tourneur made for producer Val Lewton over a decade before. However, an on screen monster was created and the quality of the creature and the way it is integrated in the film add even more tension and suspense to the storyline, because we know what's coming for Andrews in the final reel. MacGinnis shines as the film's villain, Carswell, hiding a sinister agenda beneath an affable personality, and Andrews is solid as John Holden, the determined psychologist suddenly confronted with manifestations he can't explain away, as is Cummins as the woman Holden wants to romance while she wants only to save his life. Production designer Ken Adam (to be acclaimed later for his unique contributions to the James Bond films), and composer Clifton Parker come up with a number of creepy settings, both visual and musical, to enhance the film's atmosphere, and Ted Scaife's photography makes clever use of dark imagery and mise en scene, particularly in a visit to Carswell's house by Andrews in the middle of the night. The screenplay by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester, based on Montague James' story, along with Tourneur's direction, takes us on a well-paced ride into a supernatural tale we won't soon forget.
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