Night Of The Demon
Based on Montague R. James’s chilly novel, Night of the Demon is a study in psychological terror and one of Tourneur’s best horror films. Set in Britain, the film stars Dana Andrews as psychologist Dr. John Holden who arrives in London with the intention to expose the leader of a bizarre demon-worshipping cult as a fraud. However, all is not as he assumed it to be, and it isn’t long before the good doctor finds himself face to face with an ancient demonic entity. As always, Tourneur’s play between light and shadow, and his dramatic use of décor (supplied here by James Bond Production designer Ken Adam) heightens the haunted feel of his film. Night of the Demon also boasts a script by Charles Bennet, better known as Hitchcock’s screenwriter for over 30 years.
USA , B & W , 90’
Nightfall
Based on the novel by David Goodis, Nightfall is one of the most underrated film noirs ? partly because it was made long after the genre has fallen out of favor with audiences. Displaying an admirable ...
Berlin Express
When Paul Lukas, a politician traveling with the express train to Berlin to present a unification plan for post-War Germany is kidnapped en route, his secretary asks the train’s multinational ...
Out Of The Past
Hailed as a textbook film noir, comparable only to The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past is also noted for giving Robert Mitchum the first leading role in his career. The plot revolves around Jeff, a ...
Experiment Perilous
Based on the eponymous novel by Margaret Carpenter and bearing stark similarities to George Cukor’s Gaslight, Experiment Perilous is a noir drama with strong Gothic overtones. Set at the turn century ...
The Leopard Man
Based on the Cornell Woolrich novel Black Alibi, the third Lewton/Turneur collaboration is an elaborate psychological thriller exploring the duo’s favorite theme of the interplay between reality and ...
I Walked With A Zombie
Lewton’s and Tourneur’s second collaboration was a loose adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Betsy Connell, a young nurse, travels to the Carribean, where she’s been hired by a sugar plantation ...
The Cat People
The Cat People was the first common endeavor by Jacques Tourneur and the famous RKO producer Val Lewton. Lewton wanted to make a horror film in a different vein, opting for understated rather than ...