Night of the Demon, Jacques Tourneur's adaptation of the short story Casting the Runes, fits Carroll's description of a horror story. However, the fact that it does fit is not entirely the intention of the director. According to the quoted material from Tourneur in the analysis given in class, the director didn't necessarily have the final say in all of the elements that went into the movie. Specifically, Tourneur didn't want to include obvious shots of the monster in the film. He was pressured into doing so by Hal Chester, the producer. Interestingly, it is these shots that tightly define this film as one of horror, at least by Carrol's standards. The audience has a fearsome and disgusting monster to fear right from the get-go. This early and clear revelation of the monster sets this movie apart from other Tourneur films, such as Cat People, which, to me, is better defined as fantastic than horror. So, in this case, Tourneur unintentionally created a film that we can define as horror by Carroll's standards.
Tourneur himself seemed more interested in the emotions of suspense and dread, which he used very successfully in the film. He wants to evoke a much deeper emotion of fear, one that cannot possibly be achieved with a monster suit. The scene where the demon is revealed is meant to convey art-horror (and increase the popular appeal of the movie), but it does not do so very effectively. The dread and uncertainty would have been evoked much more successfully if the audience was kept in a state of greater suspense.
The plot of the film is somewhat of a combination between the overreacher and complex discovery types. The overreacher elements come from Karswell's summoning of the monster, which he learned to do from an old book of spells. Karswell dabbled in other types of spells as well, but the demon and the runes lead to his downfall. The complex discovery elements center around Holden's discovery of the monster. Usually, the main character is trying to convince others of the monsters' existence, but in this case, it is the secondary characters who are convinced, and the main character who is skeptical. Eventually, Holden does discover the monster; this is shown when he desperately tries to give the runes to Karswell at the end of the film.
One of the most suspenseful scenes in the film happens when Holden is chased through Karswell's woods by a cloud, which the audience associates with the demon after viewing the opening scene in which Harrington is killed. The scene is shot mainly in first person viewpoint from Holden's point of view; the cloud and the character are never shown in the same shot. This technique is Tourneur's calling card, one which gives the audience reason to question the validity of what they see on the screen. Can we trust Holden's viewpoint in this stressful situation? Does the cloud as we see it really even exist? In creating suspense, the scene begs the audience to ask the questions: "What will happen to Holden?", "Why can't I see the demon?", and "How much control does Karswell really have over what is happening?". In the end, Holden escapes, with few of the above questions having been answered. Remarkably, the sequence doesn't cause Holden to change his opinion about Karswell's abilities or powers.
Tourneur wants his film to make the audience consider their views of the supernatural. In it, he seems to condemn the strictly logical and scientific viewpoint (personified by Holden). The audience is caused to question their viewpoints about the safe, explainable bubble that they place around themselves. Tourneur also references the child-like appeal of the supernatural to children, of which Karswell is very fond. Tourneur seems to favor a more child-like view of the world.
In the end, the plot is resolved with Karswell's destruction and the apparent return to normality. However, it does seem like Tourneur would have wanted the audience to leave with a more unsettled feeling.
The plot of the film is somewhat of a combination between the overreacher and complex discovery types. The overreacher elements come from Karswell's summoning of the monster, which he learned to do from an old book of spells. Karswell dabbled in other types of spells as well, but the demon and the runes lead to his downfall. The complex discovery elements center around Holden's discovery of the monster. Usually, the main character is trying to convince others of the monsters' existence, but in this case, it is the secondary characters who are convinced, and the main character who is skeptical. Eventually, Holden does discover the monster; this is shown when he desperately tries to give the runes to Karswell at the end of the film.
One of the most suspenseful scenes in the film happens when Holden is chased through Karswell's woods by a cloud, which the audience associates with the demon after viewing the opening scene in which Harrington is killed. The scene is shot mainly in first person viewpoint from Holden's point of view; the cloud and the character are never shown in the same shot. This technique is Tourneur's calling card, one which gives the audience reason to question the validity of what they see on the screen. Can we trust Holden's viewpoint in this stressful situation? Does the cloud as we see it really even exist? In creating suspense, the scene begs the audience to ask the questions: "What will happen to Holden?", "Why can't I see the demon?", and "How much control does Karswell really have over what is happening?". In the end, Holden escapes, with few of the above questions having been answered. Remarkably, the sequence doesn't cause Holden to change his opinion about Karswell's abilities or powers.
Tourneur wants his film to make the audience consider their views of the supernatural. In it, he seems to condemn the strictly logical and scientific viewpoint (personified by Holden). The audience is caused to question their viewpoints about the safe, explainable bubble that they place around themselves. Tourneur also references the child-like appeal of the supernatural to children, of which Karswell is very fond. Tourneur seems to favor a more child-like view of the world.
In the end, the plot is resolved with Karswell's destruction and the apparent return to normality. However, it does seem like Tourneur would have wanted the audience to leave with a more unsettled feeling.
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