Night Of The Demon (1957)

Rightly regarded as a classic of the horror genre by many, Night Of The Demon is directed by the great Jacques Tourneur and based on the short story "Casting The Runes" by the great M. R. James. So it's basically got a foundation of greatness. The cast, which includes Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Nial MacGinnis, is full of people just right for their characters and therefore the movie can't really fail.

But then there are those moments in which the titular demon is shown onscreen. We'll get to those scenes later.

The plot is all about Dr. John Holden (Dana Andrews) and his visit to England to expose the workings of cult leader Dr. Julian Karswell (Nial MacGinnis). When he arrives, Dr. Holden is upset to hear that a colleague he was collaborating with (Professor Harrington, played by Maurice Denham) is dead. He is determined to continue his work but also ends up being assisted by Harrington's niece, Joanne (Peggy Cummins), as he investigates the mysterious death of the Professor. Meanwhile, Dr. Karswell predicts another death and seems very confident in his powers. Initially dismissive of the paranormal, Dr. Holden starts to believe that there may be something more happening that can't be easily explained but he only has a few days left to get to the bottom of everything if he is to avoid his own premature death.

With so many scenes positively dripping with atmosphere and some wonderful exchanges between "rational minds" and those who believe in the paranormal, Night Of The Demon is both old-fashioned horror at its simplest and best and also intelligent and full of characters who are enjoyably sceptical of what they see as a load of hokum.

Impressively, that scepticism runs through most of the movie. There are times when things occur that could be just coincidence (such as the moment in which Dr. Karswell "conjures up" a strong wind) and the movie is almost as much about the way in which people only need to believe in something bad for their behaviour to change in such a way that brings about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The script is by Charles Bennett and Hal E. Chester (who was also an executive producer and quite a meddlesome presence), with some uncredited work from Cy Endfield, and they deserve their credit but the fact is that the source material was superb. For that reason, even though it may seem slightly unfair, I give the most thanks to M. R. James and director Tourneur, who knew exactly how to make the best of every scene.

Oh, I've still to mention the moments when the demon itself appears onscreen. This has long been a bone of contention among many horror fans, with most claiming that those scenes spoil an otherwise perfect film. Tourneur claims that he never wanted the demon to be shown so directly and the blame is often heaped upon Chester for this major mis-step. Mind you, according to the excellent Beating The Devil: The Making Of Night Of The Demon by Tony Earnshaw, the offending, unambiguous shots were included in the early stages of production development.

I'm in agreement with the majority anyway, those scenes DO spoil an otherwise perfect film. On the other hand, this movie has that great mix of onscreen quality and offscreen turbulence that makes it just as enjoyable to watch and investigate further nowadays as it would have been over 50 years ago.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Demon-DVD-Dana-Andrews/dp/B003WL825Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352567601&sr=8-1

The Jokers (1967)

Before he settled into a disheartening routine of recycling his own material, playing around with celebrity chums and judging various meals, Michael Winner was a director with no small amount of wit and talent. Yes, I said it. It's largely forgotten nowadays but look back through his filmography and there are still a number of his movies that are worth seeking out. The Jokers is one of them.

The relatively slim plot sees Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed playing two brothers who enjoy nothing more than a good prank or two, the more audacious the better. Between them, they hatch the ultimate caper: they're going to steal the Crown Jewels. As long as they make it clear that they never intended to keep them for personal gain then they should be able to get away with the whole thing. Well, that's the plan.

It's a movie from the late 60s set in London so you shouldn't be surprised to find more than one or two scenes that focus on the groovy side of life and just how cool everyone is, whether they're dancing in a disinterested fashion or watching a piece of performance art (performed and viewed, it has to be said, in a slightly disinterested fashion). Because being disinterested = being cool. You dig? The characters played by Crawford and Reed are the coolest of the cool because they aren't actually interested in anything around them that doesn't serve to amuse them or be manipulated in their numerous schemes. And while I may seem to be sarcastic here, I assure you that it's only slight sarcasm. Swinging 60s London is a scene that can provide a lot of unintentional giggles but, dammit, it does still seem very cool. And Crawford and Reed ARE cool in this film, the former really embodying the kind of laid-back, carefree cad audiences should actually hate (but don't) and the latter being simply Oliver bloody Reed in, arguably, the prime of his life.

A great supporting cast features a number of faces familiar to classic movie fans and/or UK TV viewers: Harry Andrews, James Donald, Daniel Massey, Brian Wilde, Edward Fox, Michael Hordern, Peter Graves, Warren Mitchell, Frank Finlay and many more.

The script is written by two other names familiar to fans of UK TV - Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, a writing team responsible for classic shows such as "The Likely Lads" and the absolutely superb "Porridge". The story idea may have been hatched by director Winner but the two men make sure that things zip along nicely in between the key moments and that every line is in character, and usually pretty funny when juxtaposed alongside the attitudes of the characters onscreen.

Michael Winner deserves some praise. Sometimes. The Jokers may not be an absolutely unmissable classic but it holds up well. Much like The Thomas Crown Affair, it's a heist movie that takes more delight in enjoying the boredom of the bourgeoisie and how those afflicted may try to cure themselves. A fun film worth checking out.

7/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jokers-Oliver-Reed-Michael-Crawford/dp/B002V3TGOA/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1325977015&sr=1-1