Villain(s)  Satanic cult, demon

Actor(s):  Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, Niall MacGinnis, Athene Seyler

Brief Description  Curse of the Demon (released in the UK as Night of the Demon) is a 1957 supernatural horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins, and Niall MacGinnis. Based on M.R. James’s short story "Casting the Runes", it follows a skeptical American psychologist who investigates a devil cult in England and faces a real demonic curse.

Plot:
The story follows Dr. John Holden, an aggressively rational American psychologist who flies to London to attend a paranormal symposium. His goal is to expose Dr. Julian Karswell, a wealthy man suspected of leading a dangerous satanic cult. Before Holden arrives, his colleague Professor Henry Harrington publically threatens to expose Karswell. Terribly frightened by a curse Karswell has put on him, Harrington begs Karswell to call it off. Karswell states it is too late. That very night, a massive, terrifying fire demon stalks Harrington and brutally electrocutes him in a bizarre freak accident.

Holden arrives in London, entirely dismissing Harrington's death as a coincidence. He teams up with Harrington's niece, Joanna, who is convinced her uncle was murdered via the occult. While researching at the British Library, Holden meets Karswell, who casually slips a piece of parchment containing ancient runic symbols into Holden's papers. Unbeknownst to Holden, possessing this parchment passes the death curse to him. Karswell informs Holden that he has exactly three days left to live.

Though Holden maintains his strict scientific worldview, an accumulation of bizarre, unexplainable events begins to erode his sanity. A calm outdoor children's party at Karswell's estate is abruptly torn apart when Karswell summons a terrifying, localized cyclone wind storm. While walking through the woods at night, Holden is relentlessly pursued by a glowing, ominous cloud of smoke and fire. A domestic house cat suddenly transforms into a ferocious, attacking jaguar right before his eyes. A medium during a tense séance channels the voice of the deceased Harrington, warning Holden of his impending doom.

Holden realizes that the only way to break the curse is to secretly pass the parchment back to Karswell before his time expires at 10:00 PM. He tracks Karswell down onto a departing train. In a tense game of cat-and-mouse, Holden manages to slip the paper back into Karswell's coat pocket. Discovering the trick, a panicked Karswell chases the parchment as it flies away and blows down the dark, gloomy railroad tracks. As the clock strikes ten, a giant, horrific demon materializes from the train tracks' smoke, brutally mauling Karswell to death. The police rule Karswell's death as an accidental hit by the oncoming train, leaving Holden with a haunting realization: "It's better not to know."