"Nobody is free from fear": An Analysis of Night of the Demon

According to Carroll, the genre of horror evolved from humanity’s innate fear of that which is unknown or goes against preconceived social norms. Night of the Demon focuses on these universal fears and manipulates them, using elements of the supernatural (witchcraft and satanic practices) to comment on the tensions between knowledge and ignorance skepticism and belief. As a result, through its use of the fantastic (although not pure fantastic) and the “art horror” monster, Jacques Tourneur’s film complements Carroll’s hypothesis very well.

To begin, Night of the Demon delivers the emotion of “art horror” by placing the characters in opposition to a monster both physically impossible and morally repugnant. Throughout history, demons and witchcraft have been viewed through the lens of horror, as they are inherently immoral and malignant. The film draws on this long history of fear and places it within the twentieth century, mixing medieval with modern and illustrating the pervasive nature of horror. In addition, the film displays elements of cosmic fear and dread. Cosmic fear concerns humanity’s fear of the unknown. Undoubtedly, this type of fear plays a large role in the terror of Night of the Demon as the characters are constantly battling that which they do not recognize or understand. This is exemplified in the character of Holden who refuses to accept that there are aspects of existence that cannot be explained rationally. Furthermore, the film utilizes aspects of dread. This is illustrated best in the opening sequence in which Harrington is fleeing in his car from the threat of the demon. The audience is ignorant of what Harrington fears and does not understand why he is running; however, his terror is palpable. Undeniably, this opening sequence sets up the narrative very well, drawing the audience in and creating suspense.

Similarly, Tourneur’s use of narrative complements Carroll’s theory of horror as well. Night of the Demon utilizes both the Complex Discovery Plot and the Overreacher Plot to pose questions concerning the power of belief and the ethics of control. To illustrate, as in the Complex Discovery Plot, the film has definite moments of onset, discovery, confirmation, and confrontation. The onset scene of the film depicts the death of Harrington at the claws of the demon and gives the audience a first glimpse of what Harrington fears and Karswell is attempting to control. In an interesting twist of narrative, all the characters except the protagonist Holden believe in the existence of the supernatural and of the demon. They realize the power of Karswell and fear for Holden’s life. Nevertheless, Holden does not accept Karswell’s interpretation of the world and scoffs at his attempts to convince him of the reality of the supernatural. In this way, the discovery scene is more of a sequence of scenes involving the other characters (such as Karswell and Joanna Harrington) trying to convince Holden of the existence of the demon. As a result, the confirmation scene focuses on Holden’s acceptance of the supernatural and the probability of his death. This confirmation comes during the hypnosis scene in which Holden finally comprehends the all-consuming fear inspired by the demon. Finally, the confrontation scene comes at the end of the film when Holden reveals that he now believes in the supernatural and he gives Karswell the parchment filled with runes. Karswell then confronts the entity he was trying to control and Holden escapes with Joanna. Furthermore, the film exemplifies the Overreacher plot, as the demon itself is not created because of Karswell power. Instead, it exists because something beyond the character of Karswell created it. Karswell simply conjures it and attempts to control it. Clearly, both plot structures are utilized in the film to highlight questions concerning belief and control.

Leading up to the confirmation scene is one of the most suspenseful scenes in the film – Holden’s attempt to steal Karswell’s translation of an ancient book describing the tenants of witchcraft and spells. This scene illustrates Carroll’s concept of suspense in that it presents questions within narrative that the audience attempts to answer. As the imagination takes over, the answers become more elaborate and terrifying and the audience’s fear increases. For instance, throughout the scene, the audience questions whether Holden will be caught by Karswell, whether something is watching Holden (i.e. the mysterious hand on the staircase), and whether he will succeed in stealing the Karswell’s book. The suspense reaches its pinnacle with the closing of the office doors and the transformation of the cat into a leopard. Without doubt, his scene is suspenseful and frightening because many of its elements are unexplained, causing the audience to imagine answers to the questions – each answer more horrific than the last.

Moreover, the scene described above illustrates some of the films main themes. The main theme of Tourneur’s work rests in the tension between belief/knowledge and skepticism/ignorance. Throughout the film, the characters (especially Holden) are wrestling with the possibility that the supernatural can exist. The scene in which Holden enters Karswell home to gain more knowledge of what is pursuing him illustrates this tension. Holden does not believe in the supernatural and is ignorant of its true influence and power. When he is shown irrefutable evidence of the supernatural (i.e. the hand on the staircase, the closing doors, and the cat), Holden begins his journey to belief and knowledge. Furthermore, this theme is exemplified in the film’s final scene when Holden finally accepts the existence of the supernatural and decides that sometimes it is better to believe than to know.

To conclude, Jacques Tourneur’s Night of the Demon embodies many aspects of Carroll’s theory of horror. It inspires in the audience the emotion of “art horror” and utilizes the narrative forms of the Complex Discovery Plot and the Overreacher Plot. Furthermore, through Tourneur’s use of light and music, the film employs suspense to create an atmosphere of mystery and fear. Undeniably, Night of the Demon is a work of horror that speaks to humanity’s inherent questions concerning knowledge and ignorance, skepticism and belief.