The Night of the Hunter – Review

The Night of the Hunter – 1955 – Crime, Drama, Horror

Directed by: Charles Laughton
Written by: James Agee
Main Players: Robert Mitchum; Shelley Winters; Lillian Gish; James Gleason; Peter Graves

Night Of The Hunter Poster

A surprisingly dark story appropriately set in the Great Depression, The Night of the Hunter tells of convict “Preacher” Harry Powell (Mitchum) and his hunt for a lost bank robbery loot. Preacher learns from his cellmate Ben Harper (Graves) of a missing $10,000 which the police never found after a bank robbery.

Harper is to be hanged as he killed two men during the robbery getaway, however his loot remains hidden and only his children keep the secret as to where it is. Preacher, now armed with this knowledge and fueled by a horrific past of his own, sets off to the Harper family home after he is released from his brief stolen car stint. His knuckles are tattooed with HATE on one hand and LOVE on the other. Clearly his sermons will bring nothing but joy to all.

Ben’s widow Willa (Winters) raises their children John and Pearl at their small home surrounded by fields. As Preacher introduces himself as a convenient new suitor, a dark game begins for the family.

The movie brims with a stormy tension and unease, with Mitchum playing a nasty man who comes in the guise of a religious practitioner. The family is realistic for the times, as are most character motivations. This is a serious movie with a dark story, which is delivered with utmost quality, but was unfortunately actor Charles Laughton’s only film as director due to awful reception.

See This If You Liked:

Cape Fear (1962; 1991); Psycho (1960); The Stepfather (1987); Badlands (1973); No Country for Old Men; Straw Dogs (1971); Panic Room; The Desperate Hours (1955)

Score:

8.0

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