Jacques Tourneur (1904-1977)
Jacques Tourneur is the director of my favourite feature film: Night of the Demon (1957) – based on a terrifying short story by Montague James. It’s chilling because Tourneur plays on the imaginations of his audience. I think it’s a shame the film’s busybody producers (bless them), felt they had to spoil things by insisting Tourneur include direct shots of a demon. Unnecessary. Creatures of the id will always be more impressive than apparent creatures of the screen.
Tourneur’s films are occasionally hard to get hold of. Some are brilliant. Cat People (1942) is a masterpiece. See also I Walked with a Zombie (1943).
Night of the Demon (1957)
