The Night of the Demon, loosely based on Casting the Runes, would be considered a horror film per Noel Carroll. It contains monster which by scientific definition should not exist and is impure in its being. Defining what exactly the ‘monster’ is could be a much more difficult task though. If one takes the approach that Dr. Karswell is the monster, then it could be difficult to prove that he goes against science. His beliefs certainly do, which is a focal point of the film. Yet, one could argue that he does go against science because of this. He supposedly conjures up a windstorm on demand, among other naturally impossible events.
On the other hand, one could argue that the paper with the runic symbols is the ‘monster’. With this stance, a paper which controls death certainly goes against nature and science. Yet it seems that the film inflicts more suspense and dread rather than horror. He fantastic and the unknown certainly are at work within the storyline.
Overall, the plot line fits into the family of ‘complex discovery’ plots. The onset includes the death of friend and colleague, Dr. Harrington. The onset though lasts for the majority of the film, until the discovery of the runics in Holden’s own briefcase. Then confirmation is had during a confrontation between Karswell and Holden. Finally, confrontation with death itself comes when the demon kills Karswell in a twist of fate.
Yet this could also be classified as an overreacher plot because of the science versus magic aspect of the story. In the end, the audience is still wondering what this black magic is, and the final scene of the film also speaks to this as Holden walks away and says it may be better to not know.
The most suspenseful scene, in my opinion, was the one in which Holden broke into Karswell’s house and was looking for the book about witches and magic. The part in the library was the peak of that suspense. It is the moral outcome of Holden finding and taking the book versus the evil outcome of Karswell discovering him in the library. The audience is led to believe that Karswell is not home though and the moral outcome is likely, and yet, Holden is caught in the act.
The moral theme of the film seems to surround curiosity and karma. They say that curiosity killed the cat, and it certainly seems that is killed Harrington. Yet, karma, in the end, took out Karswell and left Holden to live. The age old saying ‘What goes around comes around’ seems to ring true within the storyline and sways audiences to not only keep to themselves but also watch the karma they are setting forth.
Overall, Tourneur’s use of shadow and sound is phenomenonal and adds to the horror and suspense of the film. Although the imagery is powerful, it is better due to the sinister soundtrack. Although I think the idea of the demon would be more effective if the demon were not shown, I understand that it was not his desire to fabricate the demon as an image. It is intresting when compared to today's high-tech film and animation devices. Although compared to today's films, the demon is cheesy, for its time when it was made, the representation was probably top of the line. It is a good (loose) representation of the story 'Casting the Runes' and fulfills the requirements for both Carroll's horror and Lovecraft's cosmic fear.
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