The movie Night of the Demon, directed by Jacques Tourneur, is an excellent example of what Noel Carroll says is art-horror. The movie deals with a monster that is seen as both threatening and impure. The first example of the monster being impure is that it is very “disgusting” looking. It is shaped as a monster that is seen as unclean, there is an avoidance of wanting to touch the monster, and the monster’s physical attributes are considered to be abnormal to what people ordinarily see as normal. The second attribute of the demon is that it is seen as threatening. The monster caused a distribution in moral order and destroyed the identity of many characters throughout the film.
The movie used two different methods throughout the film that classified the type of monster that it was. The first type of monster that someone can consider this demon is that it was a fusion monster. The reason the monster can be considered a fusion monster is that it was made up of different attributes that make it abnormal. It had wings like a bird, horns, large sharp claws, and looked like a reptile/mammal. The second type of monster that caused the monster to be threatening was that it was magnified. The monster was really tall compared to the humans and it was able to take his victims by its hand to kill them. These two types of methods of monster make the monster seem more impure and threatening, which makes the film a great example of art-horror.
Even though there was a monster there were also many parts of the film that should be mentioned that make the movie “horrifying”. Some of the attributes include the eerie noises, emphasis throughout the film, allowing the audience to know things that the characters don’t know, and allowing the audience to understand the history of the monster. The eerie noises throughout the film builds suspense for the audience because it allows the audience to believe that something is about to happen. There is also emphasis on certain objects throughout the film. For example, Mr. Holden went to his briefcase and when he went to it there was an emphasis as if there was something wrong with it. This is a great example of mise-en-shot because it provides a close up to an object at an angle to provide more emphasis. In this case the briefcase emphasis shows that there may be something in the briefcase that could harm someone. There is also a scene at the beginning of the movie where Caswell looks at a clock. This foreshadows the death of Professor Harrington who will die at 10 o’clock that night. There is also foreshadowing of the parchment. In the beginning of the movie Professor Harrington received a parchment and he stated that it went into the fire. Tthe audience later finds out that the parchment that went into the fire symbolizes some of the character’s future deaths. Another mise-en-shot that should be mentioned is the closeout of the demon which gave a more emphasis on the look of the demon and how “disgusting” and “abnormal” it looked. Also the movement of the camera following the parchment shows that the parchment was hard to catch and that it was getting farther and farther away.
There are also a lot of scenes throughout the movie that uses mise-en-scene. For example, the lighting (darkness) and use of the forest made the movie and scenes more horrifying and scary for the characters and the audience. The emphasis on Caswell’s house being isolated behind woods makes the movie and the mood more creepy and mysterious. Also, there is the scene in the hallway of the hotel where Dr. Holden was staying. In this scene, it seems as if Dr. Holden is scared that something is going to happen because of the awkwardness, noise, and darkness bringing the idea of mise-en-scene back into play.
The film also allows the audience to know things that a lot of characters don’t know. For example, the audience knows what the monster looks like and that there is actually a monster, while some of the characters believe that there isn’t a monster at all. Plus, the audience knows that Caswell is behind everything when the book in his house is opened up to a picture of the monster.
The movie also does a great job explaining the existence of the monster through Thought Theory. The “thought” of where the monster came from and the involvement of Medieval witchcraft/ruins of Stonehenge make the thought of the monster seem real in the film, even though the audience really knows that something like this would not occur in real life.
There is no reason that Night of the Demon should not be classified as art-horror. Night of the Demon provides excellent detail for the monster, from scenes throughout the movie, and tactics to how the movie was filmed. This film goes above and beyond and that’s why it is necessary to say that it one of the best art-horror movies of all time.
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