This is the first in-depth examination of 'Night of the Demon', one of the greatest movie chillers ever made. 'Night of the Demon' has enjoyed huge commercial success since it was made almost 50 years ago and is now a celebrated and revered cult horror film. The full history of this troubled picture has been unearthed in "Beating the Devil" -- a book no serious film fan can do without. The book is based on four years of original research and new interviews with surviving cast and crew members. The book presents the reader with intriguing never-before revealed detail, including: Tracing the route of the film from Edwardian short story to 1950s screenplay; Tussles with the British Censor over the film's supernatural content; Internal rows between director and producer over the inclusion of the demon; The development of the film's special effects sequences; The casting of imported American star Dana Andrews; Behind the scenes stories from actors Peggy Cummins, Brian Wilde, the late Richard Leech, stuntman Jack Cooper and the late producer Frank Bevis; First-hand accounts of shooting the film, many never before published; Extracts from the British Censor's report, never before published; A detailed breakdown of the film's special effects sequences; Dozens of rare images including behind-the-scenes shots, never before published; Ken Adam's production designs, many never before published; Biographies of all the principal actors and filmmakers.

Author Biography

Tony Earnshaw is Head of Film Programming at Britain's National Museum of Photography, Film & Television and the director of the annual Bradford Film Festival. He is also the author of Scarecrow Press' An Actor and a Rare One - Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and the forthcoming Tomahawk Press book The Wicker Man: The Making and Mutilation of a British Horror Classic.