This is a tuly excellent classic movie. My entire family enjoyed it! Great dramatic performances from Robert Mitchum and Shelly Winters. I am so glad that movies like this are still in circulation , I just can't stomach much of what is on the silver screen today! This movie is a keeper!

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER is an excellent film. Set in depression era West Virginia it is based on an prize winning novel of the same name that was inspired by a real life murderer who lived in that area. The surreal beginning and the fluffy ending in a cozy cottage at Christmas seem like the stuff of fairy tales but in between all is pure nightmare.

Robert Mitchum is both chilling and spellbinding as a criminal/preacher who marries the gullible widow of an executed cellmate in hopes he can force her two young children to tell him where their dad hid the proceeds from his final bank robbery. Shelly Winters plays the doomed widow well and in a manner very reminiscent of her performance in A PLACE IN THE SUN. Silent screen beauty Lillian Gish has the third starring role as a brusque but saintly, elderly foster mother who ultimately becomes a savior. The two child actors playing John and Pearl do amazing jobs and have lots of screen time in which they prove they can do more than look scared. The rest of the cast of supporting actors all bring a certain creepy small town flavor to their assorted roles.

The movie is heavily laden with symbols some of which are a bit obvious but fit the overall style of the film. The story wavers a bit during a trial and mob scene late in the film but redeems itself again by the movie's fable like closing scene. Vocal music is used to good effect several times throughout the movie though I was not fond of the overdone instrumental music that seemed to be the murderous preacher's theme. This movie is genuinely unsettling despite the reassuring ending and should appeal to most fans of psychological horror.

A family man steals money after a robbery and hides it with his kids without their mother knowing. He makes them promise not to tell. In jail he reveals to a self appointed evangelical Minster Powell (Robert Mitchum) that he still has the loot before he is hanged. The Minister marries into the family after wooing the widow to try to get the kids to reveal the whereabouts of the money. He even resorts to murder. Eventually the kids escape and he chases after them for a final showdown in the home of an elderly foster carer.

The Night of the Hunter is basically a vehicle to watch Robert Mitchum play a very scary psycho. There is a classic scene where Powell wrestles with his own hands to tell a biblical story of the struggle between love and hate. Watching the widow deteriorate while at his command is also shocking. Overall this is powerful storytelling through and through and Mitchum turns into one the darkest of characters ever to loom upon the silver screen.

Robert Mitchum has played some pretty creepy characters, but no one rivals Harry Powell from "The Night of the Hunter." He is marvelous throughout the film. Powell is a disturbed "preacher" who happens to speak to God. He believes God is helping him rid the world of the horrible and foul female. Yes, he hates women. He hates them so much, he murders them for money.

Shelley Winters is superb as the widowed Willa Harper, whose husband happens to meet Powell in prison. Convinced by the town to marry such a great catch, Willa slowly devolves into Powell's slave abiding by his every wish. As if God sent him to her to make her pure again, she believes him--hook, line and sinker! ; )

The movie gets a little strange at the middle and takes a rather unforeseen direction. Although I feel the beginning is clearly better than the latter portion of the film, I do also appreciate it in its entirety.

An excellent movie that classic fans need to see!

The story may be simple - two children, John and Pearl, are pursued by the evil 'Preacher' who killed their mother and is after the money their father stole - but there is nothing in cinema to compare to The Night of the Hunter. Both Robert Mitchum's stunning extroverted performance and the film itself were shamelessly plundered by De Niro and Scorsese for their all but inept remake of Cape Fear, but this is the genuine article. A flop in its day and plagued with censorship problems (it was banned outright in Memphis and some of the more stridently Catholic countries), Laughton's perverse fairytale of innocence and evil is far more disturbing and affecting in its subversion than modern shock tactics could ever be.

The pacing and construction are almost akin to a vintage Disney animated feature, and just as primal albeit far more explicit. Disney would never have addressed the dark undercurrents as directly as Laughton, with the traditional safeguards of family, religion and small-town values soundly undermined. Here Mitchum's preacher plays the two children against each other and their mother (the most chilling line in the film is when Mitchum tells the boy "Well, it doesn't matter. It's me your mother believes") while the very forces that bay for his blood at the end are the same that all but forced Shelley Winters' widow and Mitchum's psychopath together.

Here people are to be judged by their actions rather than their apparent position, with the matchless Gish as the Mother Goose with her brood of the waifs and strays of the Depression showing that the forces of good needn't be wishy-washy or wimpishly self-righteous. When she says "I'm a strong tree with branches for many birds. I'm good for something in this old world and I know it," you believe it. Through her generous performance the film radiates a faith in the power of goodness and the endurance of children ("Children are men at their strongest. They abide," notes Gish) that provides a direct link between Laughton's film and D.W. Griffith and ultimately heals the boy's deep wounds.

While Pearl is oblivious to what goes on around her, the boy is clearly seriously scarred by the responsibility of it all (when Gish takes out her Bible, he skulks away, and, in the film's most masterly touch, his reaction to the arrest of Mitchum's preacher is identical to his reaction to the arrest of his father. There are moments in his relationship with Gish as he edges back to trust and innocence that are among the most intensely moving in all cinema.

One of the most sensual films ever made, Night of the Hunter is also surprisingly frank in its sexual analogies. It is made clear that the children's parents' relationship was primarily sexual, with Winters' sexuality, both humiliated and rejected by the Preacher, transformed into a disturbingly blind religious devotion. Like Lucifer, a fallen angel who has made a mockery of the religion he once proposed to serve into something "the Almighty and me worked out betwixt us," to Mitchum's Preacher Powell sexuality is violence, his switchblade bursting through his pocket like an erection.

It's often what happens on the sidelines that sets it so apart: the hangman coming back from executing the children's father to watch his own children, Pearl innocently repeating the hanging song the other children have been taunting them with at the beginning, the comforting singing coming from the nearby farmhouse as the children sleep in the barn only to be awoken by the Preacher's threatening rendition of 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' (later reclaimed by Gish) in the distance.

Not nearly enough has been written about Walter Schumann's truly extraordinary score. The nocturnal journey downriver under the watchful gaze of animals benefits enormously from a simple narrative song, while the score's shifting menace, melancholy and warmth both embraces the visual and psychological aspects of the film to perfection. One of the great neglected works of the 50s, it cries out for a recording.

There is a visual mastery here that recalls Griffith at the height of his powers, with a magnificent use of light and shade (when John talks of bad men, he unwittingly summons the menacing shadow of the Preacher on his bedroom wall) and a brilliant use of sets that are at one moment realistic and the next highly stylised, often both within the same shot thanks to Stanley Cortez' remarkable cinematography. Laughton may never have directed another film, but he packed more into this one than most other directors can manage in their entire career.

Sadly, no extras apart from a trailer on the DVD - and even that has had the original captions removed.

.....the one that once viewed, never leaves you. When this film was released I was twelve years old and I saw the film at the drive-in with my grandparents. The film was the one movie I never forgot. I have viewed it hundreds of times over the years and it never loses it grip on me.

Mitchum's haunting singing of the hymn 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms' echoes eerily through my memory, as well as the vision of floating tendrils of blond hair and the shadows Mitchum's preacher cast over the children; not to mention the imagery of Mitchum's character riding a horse/mule in silhouette against the sky and the L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tattoos that adorn his hands all create their own lasting memories. The entire film, directed by Charles Laughton, was extremely suspenseful and fraught with true evil. No actor other than Robert Mitchum could have pulled this off quite a convincingly; he was perfectly cast, as well Shelly Winters in the role of the somewhat naieve mother. Lillian Gish was excellent in her role. Pearl and John, the young children terrorized by Mitchum in an effort to discover their secret, were played spot-on.

This is a classic horror/suspense film that never becomes dated, never loses his spell-binding power, and never loses its complete hold on the viewer.

It is difficult to imagine there are movie fans who have not seen this excellent, timeless film, but for anyone who has not, I highly recommend you remedy that immediately.

"The Night of the Hunter" is unlike any film that came before it and hasn't been bested, either by the original "Cape Fear" or Martin Scorsese's earnest remake. Is it a thriller? A religious allegory? A twisted nursery rhyme? Whatever, Charles Laughton in his directorial debut, and only film at the helm, has concocted an original film for the ages. Robert Mitchum not only gives the performance of his career but one of the great turns as an actor of all time as Harry Powell, self-professed preacher, definite sexually repressed psychotic. This is a difficult role to navigate but Mitchum imbues Powell with equal amounts of menace and ironic black comedy. He is equalled by his counterpart in the film, Lillian Gish as Miss Cooper who is equal parts Guardian Angel and tough love. One of the indelible images of the film is Powell singing his ominous calling card hymn, "Leaning" outside Miss Cooper's window. When Powell finishes Miss Cooper tearfully sings the refrain. Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce as John and Pearl, the objects of Powell's pursuit, give nice naturalistic performances. Lensman Stanley Cortez provides an ethereally haunting sheen to the proceedings. If I have a quibble with the film, and it's a minute one, is that Powell doesn't get a chance to defend himself after his ultimate apprehension. TCM labels this film as essential. That's an understatement.

Ok, I don't know what the three other reviewers saw that I didn't see but this is an all time bad. I love film noir. I love a good thriller. I lover a good horror. Hey, I just love a good film. Night of the Hunter is dreadful. Why was it not nominated for an award? I'll tell you- bad screen play, bad acting, bad film. On a positive note- I did laugh in spots that are just too bizzar for words. I would recommend this movie just for sheer educational purposes. Please compare this movie with good film noir. (Rebecca, Gaslight etc) What was C.L. thinking????

Robert Mitchum is SO creepy in this film - even as an adult watching the film, his character gives me the heeby-jeebies!

There's something about the way this film was shot that is just exquisite. It is a black and white film but I'd still recommend it to those (like my husband) who hate watching black and white movies. The children are not the most amazing child actors, but once you let yourself get past that this film is utterly enjoyable and haunting. That feeling will stay with you for a while even after you've put the dvd back on the shelf.

One if not the best Robert Mitchum movies. It tends to keep You at the edge of Your seat !!!

This is a great old movie. Though there don't seem to be very many responsible adults in it. I guess the part when the preacher is staking the kids is what really got to me. He just kept on coming. Everytime I have ever seen it though seems to be at Christmas, it is sure not your typical Christmas video.

Night of the Hunter is one the most intelligent, creepy, and unique films I've ever seen, and I like to think that I have watched a lot of movies in my life. As many reviewers have already astutely pointed out, the flick is so unique that it is impossible to neatly classify. It is equal parts thriller, satire, horror film, children's adventure, and fantasy. Night of the Hunter, despite its initial failure and lack of attention for decades, was undoubtedly way ahead of its time.

The best part of the movie is obviously Robert Mitchum who probably played the role of his life. His chilling charm, gravely voice, and dark intentions perfectly fit the role of the evil "Reverend" Harry Powell. Mitchum was able to capture Powell's nature as a religious fanatic, cold-blooded murderer, shifty snake oil salesman, hypocrite, and sexually repressed Frankenstein-ian monster better than any one else I can imagine. That Mitchum wasn't at least nominated for an academy award for this role is unfortunate, but not terribly surprising since the movie was a commercial flop when it came out in 1955. I think it was probably just too dark and too difficult to neatly categorize for that time.

Night of the Hunter is also made so special is by its many great scenes, scenes that stay with you long after you've watched the movie. A handful of superb scenes are worth mentioning: in the opening minutes when Powell is sitting in the audience of a burlesque show, his look of pure hatred and raging anger is absolutely unforgettable; the wedding night between Harry Powell and Willa Harper, when Powell promises her that the marriage will never be consummated is great because of Mitchum's weird evil and Harper's anguished lust and open shame; the river scene as the children float downstream, with its great songs almost right out of a lullaby; and finally, perhaps my favorite is the silhouette of Harry Powell in the distance as he rides his horse after the children, eerily singing his own rendition of a religious tone--"leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms..." I'm getting chills just thinking about them now, and I can promise that you won't forget any of these scenes (and others) either.

Is this movie a tad dated in parts? Sure. Do some of the backgrounds - like those in the river scene - seem about as a real as a four-dollar bill? Absolutely. In the end, though, this black and white film with its inconceivable, impossible story line and characters is one-of-a-kind, unlike any movie you've ever seen and probably will ever see given the garbage coming out of Hollywood these days. Check out Night of the Hunter. Heck, see it a few times to get a full appreciation of its singular greatness.

Five stars.

Robert Michem can be soooo scary. I like my kids to see this one for the portrail of the era it is about. What was going on, and what conditions were in those days, besides the movie itself. You see a young Shelly Winters. The story is edge of the seat viewing. You find yourself tensing your muscles to pull the kids away. You'll love this one.

The talented Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort "The Night of the Hunter", a film noir thriller based on a James Agee screenplay was a box office flop. So discouraged was Laughton that he refused to director another film. Little did he know that the movie has subsequently been elevated to cult classic.

The film using stark black and white cinematography establishes a clear delineation between good and evil. Psychotic preacher Harry Powell played chillingly by Robert Mitchum arrives in a small West Virginia town exuding the personification of evil. He's searching for a naive unsuspecting widow Willa Harper played by Shelley Winters whose husband had been a cellmate of MItchum's in prison. Ben Harper, the husband played by Peter Graves, has stolen $10,000 killing two men and had been hanged for his trouble. He had hidden the purloined money, telling his kids John and Pearl of the hiding spot.

Mitchum's plot was to gain Winters' confidence through religious fanaticism and then marry her in order to get his hands on the funds. He had pulled this con many times before. In short order Mitchum tormented Winters and the two kids trying to get that money. The kids eventually fled using a boat to travel down the Ohio river to safety all the while being trailed by the terrifying monstous Mitchum. They were eventually rescued by the embodiment of goodness Rachel Cooper played by silent film star Lillian Gish, who sheltered a house full of wayward kids.

Using numerous nature scenes and some spooky camera angles director Laughton and cinematographer Stanley Cortez ratchet up the suspense as the helpless kids are at the mercy of the remorseless and unstoppable Mitchum. Mitchum, whose tattooed knuckles were an effect used in other movies, effectively played a nightmarish silver screen version of the bogeyman.

Loosely based on an actual 1920s murder case, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was directed by legendary actor Charles Laughton--and its failure with both critics and public derailed Laughton's directorial ambitions; it was both his first and last directorial effort. Over the years, however, it has come into its own, and today it is regarded as one of the finest films to emerge from 1950s Hollywood.

In general, the story concerns an itinerant preacher named Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a truly unpleasant entity who believes he has made a pact with God to rob and kill unsuspecting women. Arrested in a strip joint for auto theft, he finds himself in prison with Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who is condemned to death for a bank robbery murder--and who the stolen money hidden away. When Powell is released, he heads straight for Harper's wife and children (Shelly Winters, Billy Chapin, and Sally Jane Bruce) in search of the cash.

HUNTER is clearly influenced by the film noir movement, but even so it would be difficult to describe as film noir per se. The film is very deliberately artificial in style with an emphasis on remarkably beautiful and distinctly dream-like cinematography that counterpoints the darkness of the story. The production values are memorable and direction quite remarkable, and few films have so successfully created a balance between right and wrong, good and evil.

A good deal of the film's success rests on Mitchum and legendary actress Lillian Gish, the latter of whom appears as Rachel Cooper in the second half of the film. Mitchum is truly frightening in is evil--but he proves no great match for a truly Christian woman, who quickly sees through his pretenses and does battle with him for the lives and souls of the children he so relentlessly pursues. What ultimately emerges from the film is both Christian allegory and a classic tale of good verses evil, about which the film makes a remarkable statement: while evil strives to be impressive, it is at best trivial and may be overcome by simple and unpretentious goodness.

It would be nice to see the film given a full bells-and-whistles release on DVD--the transfer here is acceptable but no better than what you might find on television, and the bonuses consist of a theatrical trailer and nothing more. Even so, this is a film worthy of inclusion in any collection. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

THe Night of the Hunter is one of the best American made films. The lone film directed by flmaboyant screen actor Charles Laughton, this movie has all the makings of a masterpiece. It succeeds in every area it tries, presenting a dark and sidewinding tale with enough deep meaning to fill a synogague.

Robert Mitchum plays the role of "Preacher" Harry Powell marvelously, and the rest of the cast, including Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, and Don Beddoe are just as wonderful in their roles.

Powell is after $10,000 two children's father left only revealing the wherabouts of the money to the children.

Everything about this movie is perfect. The acting, the script, the cinematography, the direction. There's plenty of moments that will last with you a long time. The only problem I had was the DVD. There were "cigarette burns" and the picture did mess up from time to time. I had to move it from my DVD player to my computer just to catch the ending. I'm not sure what the problem with that was but I just wonder about my copy.

The only extra are a collectible booklet that's a very interesting read, and the film's original trailer. More can be desired, but the movie works well enough.

Highly recommended. Must See, definitely.

Setting- West Virginia near the Ohio river. Shot in black and white, the story centers around a mother and 2 young children, John and Pearl, whos father is hanged for robbery and murder. The mother ends up quickly marrying a man masquerading as a preacher who she barely knows. It turns out hes some kind of psychotic and is out for money and hes willing to go to any length to get it. It amazed me how quickly she was brainwashed by this guy. Everyone around them seems to think this preacher is a good guy. He only reveals his true nature to the ones who he is trying to get something from. Behind closed doors hes another person but the son seems to sense something funny about this guy off the bat though the daughter is more captivated by his fake charm.. though soon she too finds out what a monster he is.

Soon one thing leads to another and he ends up going after the children who know of where the money is hidden. From there the children are trying to escape from this preacher with the money and their lives. The religious dialogue was a bit too much but i understand that this guy was trying to come off as a preacher and he was really convincing. It makes you think about how you never really know who someone truly is and what their motives are... Especially strangers.

Some of the images have a sense of peace about them and others are disturbing, Its like a disney film meets horror. Except without the animation.. sort of fairytale like yet sinister foreboding that can occur at any moment. It was hard to follow at times and almost put me to sleep with the dreamlike visuals and boring dialogue. Other than that it was decent. Its a very old movie and you will probably either love it or hate it.

As for me i cant really decide on this one. I see the merit of it but it slightly disapointed me. I was expecting something completely different. On one hand i thought it was somewhat boring and predictable, on another i cant seem to get those images out of my mind and when i think of the images i think greatness. Many of the images are unforgettable and unique.

This movie is a mix of german expressionism, rural america, religious hypocrisy and some kind of brothers grimm fairy tale mixed into one.

This movie is based on a 1920's serial killer who lived and murdered in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The real one raped, tortured and killed at least 6 women and children, maybe more. This 1950's movie is watered down and is not nearly as frightening as the real "Harry Powers."

This is one of my all time favorite movies. It made it to number 36 out of my favorite 100. I first heard of this film in 1991, and watched it I was horrorstruck. A preacher can do that? Well I had to remember 3 years earlier that it was not a good thing to be a minister if your name was Jim. I know watch this, and say that despite the collar that ministers are just like us they're human. The two children John and Pearl are two sheep. Pearl is young and trusting; all she wants is a family to belong to, and after her father goes to prison, and is hung, she clings to Preacher Harry Powell for salvation. John on the other hand loved his father, and was upset he had to die; I mean after all he was providing for his family wasn't he? Financial depression can make everyone do alot of desparate things. However, John learned one thing from his father that really hindered him throughout most of this movie, and that was "God will help you if you help yourself." Unfortunately, if you're doing all the work, and not allowing God into the picture you can't experience God's blessings, but when Harry Powell marries John's mother played by Shelly Winters he sees that his skepticism was right on. Back to Harry Powell he's really knowledgeable about being a man of God, but he keeps looking to get his hands on the money that John's father stole, and dismissing it as the Lord providing for his needs. Little did Harry know when he kills John's mother that he would bring a whole town into backsliding. I remember the scene after Powell's arrest that the same people he considered friends now wanted him crucified, and the thing was they were sounding rather stoned drunk if you ask me. How is a little child to react to something like this? Well fortunately John begins to learn about God, and who he is when a elderly woman played by Lillian Gish teaches him about God in the Bible. I found that alot of people's ideas about religion were expressed in this film, and unfortunately, depending on the preachers out there people may be fed the wrong ideas. We have to read the word of God, and be able to discern if the preacher is telling us God's word true, or false. If you're not a Christian still watch with a minister...in fact it's my belief this should be shown in church as a tool to show non-Christians that Harry Powell's way isn't the right one.

Gothic suspense/horror entry was actor Laughton's only outing behind the camera, and he was heart-broken when it failed at the box office. Evidently, the film was simply too dark for audiences of the time. Mitchum is terrifying as Preacher Harry, a wolf in sheep's clothing who has the word "Love" printed on the fingers of one hand, "Hate" on the other. Winters is perfectly cast as the dim Willa, but the stand-out is silent actress Gish as gun-toting Rachel Cooper, the kids' unlikely protector. Eerily composed and shot, and featuring a brilliant screenplay by James Agee, "Hunter" remains a spine-chilling masterpiece.

"He ain't my dad."
"No. And he ain't no preacher either."

In my opinion Lillian Gish, the wonderful silent film actress, is the real prize in this film. She embodies the little goodness that may be left in the world. She is the willing instrument of God -He always picks the weakest and least of us for His purposes- in the plan to protect children from evil.

The film starts starts with a warning against false teachers, and thus, plainly states what the story is going to be about; so there's no need to waste words explaining anything. It just amazes me how well it measures the amount of evil and destruction that is around us, and how little goodness and inocence. Children and an old woman, that's all the goodness you will find. Everybody else is rotten, and they'd better repent and humble themselves before it's too late. Not only the false preacher, instrument of the devil, but everybody is guilty. Just pay attention. Who is not guilty of something here? Even the poor kids' old uncle won't help them -he is drunk when most needed-. And what about the officer in charge of killing the ones who are sentenced to death? He ain't happy either with what he has to do, however, he would rather keep his job. Not to mention the mob: such a crowd of hypocrites and gullible people.

Yup. Methinks there's enough guilt stinking around for everyone to have a little sniff. But for the innocent children. I loved, though, how the old lady gave an earnest spanking to the boy when he wouldn't wash.

No kid should skip this movie. It can be a spiritual experience out of which may grow, some day, some good seed in their hearts.

Still, some people will say this is not a Christian movie... or even worse: that it exposes Christians thru their hypocrisy.

Beware of false teachers; know them by their fruits. And love the Lord first and foremost.

P.S. And how about being located in the South? You say that people in the North are not so gullible and fanatical? Well, I say that if that's so maybe they are already dead (spiritually). Long live the South.

The best kind of horror comes not from monsters or ghosts, but from other human beings. "Cape Fear," "Heavenly Creatures," and other such movies are brilliant examples of this.

But one of the most compelling examples is "Night of the Hunter," a haunting movie that slowly descends into an exquisitely-filmed, brilliantly-acted nightmare about a malign preacher and the two children who are trying to escape. Like an old fairy tale, it's full of terror, magic, beauty and darkness.

Murderous preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is arrested for car theft, since the police don't know that his hatred of women has led him to repeated murder. He shares a prison cell with bank robber Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who stole ten thousand dollars. Powell tries to coax the location of the money from Harper, but the thief takes it to his grave. Only his son John (Billy Chapin) knows its location.

Upon his release, Powell arrives in Harper's town, claiming that he wants to "bring this small comfort to [Ben's] loved ones." Everyone is taken in by him, including his new wife -- Ben's gullible widow, Willa (Shelley Winters). When she vanishes, John and his little sister Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) must escape their evil stepfather -- even though he's determined to hunt them down and find the money.

When it was first released, "Night of the Hunter" flopped completely. Not very surprising -- the 1950s audiences weren't ready for the unconventional villains, rich symbolism, or the fact that an actor had dared to stray into a director's chair. Fortunately, it lived on as a cult film, and is now regarded as a classic.

It's especially sad that Laughton never directed again, because this is simply astonishing. It feels like a fairy tale, with Powell as the wicked witch, and the children as the protected innocents who are helped by a "fairy godmother." Laughton also loads it down with sexual and religious symbolism -- the LOVE and HATE tattoos, the switchblade, the eerie sacrifice scene.

Best of all is the cinematography. Beauty and horror are inextricably tied together: the dead Willa with "her hair waving soft and lazy like meadow grass under flood water," or the little river animals watching the children escape under a starlit sky. But there are also moments of pure terror, such as the preacher's shadow falling over the kids, or calling out as they're hiding, "I'm out of patience, children. I'm coming to find you now..."

Robert Mitchum played another evil stalker several years later in the superb "Cape Fear," but this performance is even better. His Powell is a seething mass of murderous fervour and sexual hatred -- his intense eyes are enough to give you goosebumps.

He's also backed by some excellent performances -- Chapin is amazing as the little boy determined to obey his father and somehow stop Powell. Bruce and Winters turn in some solid performances, and veteran Lillian Gish has a good supporting role as the kindly Rachel.

As chilling and compelling as when it was first released, "Night of the Hunter" is a vibrant, primal experience, and nobody has quite come close to what it portrays.

When I think of the special terror that comes from the vulnerability of the helpless I am haunted by the shock-memory of two films ("The Night of the Hunter" and "Cape Fear") which, by no means coincidentally, both starred Robert Mitchum...

Now there is an actor who would no doubt have attracted more critical garlands if he had not been so incredibly popular, if he had not intercepted such a variety of roles, and if a sardonic air of self-deprecation did not tend to obscure a high talent... If he had decided to specialize in villains, he might even have come to out-play the great Bogart because, to the menace they both could share, Mitchum was able to add a genuinely frightening brutality...

In 1955 Charles Laughton went round to the other side of the cameras to direct one and only one motion picture... Laughton used every cinematic device of camera-angle, sound and lighting to tighten the tensions...

Mitchum played a psychopathic preacher with a restrained malice who married and murdered Shelley Winters for her money - only to find that her young children had it, and he proceeded relentlessly to terrorize them...

Mitchum constructed a really superb characterization of the obsessed drifter, with "love" tattooed on one finger and "hate" on another to point his terrifying parables...

The story is a rather strange mixture of innocence and evil with Mitchum in one of his nastiest roles. It's almost like he was rehearsing for his nastiest role in CAPE FEAR. He meets his match in Lillian Gish's character who stands up to him and is just as courageous and savvy as she is "sweet". In fact, the performances were great all around in this atmospheric film. Charles Laughton, in his only stint at directing, does an excellent job but I think he might have done more with the climax because it did seem that it could have been a little better and have more tension. A very good example of film noir.

Great seller-quick, hassle-free, buy with confidence;-) A great film- C. Laughton's directorial debut (and only directorial activity)-a must see!

"The Night of the Hunter" was one of those movies that was a failure upon it's release and then steadily grew admirers and is now called one of the great American films. Released in 1955 and marking the directorial debut of actor Charles Laughton, it features some of the most famous and legendary shots in cinema. Yet few people have heard of the film. I've never met anyone who has seen the movie and I discovered it through Roger Ebert's "The Great Movies." The movie is a horror film, essentially, that still retains its haunting effect 51 years later. The movie doesn't have the look or feel of an old movie. Yes, it's in black & white but it has a timelessness to it. It looks as if it could've been made recently and digitally colored b&w. The young girl in the movie even bares a SLIGHT resemblance to a young Christina Ricci. The movie stars Robert Mitchum as "Reverend" Harry Powell, a character that has inspired countless other characters. Anyone watching the film will feel a hint of deja vu when they see Powell's knuckles on his right and left hand. One is tattooed with the word "Love" and the other with "Hate." This is something that has been in countless movies ("Do the Right Thing" for example). Powell could easily be one of the most sinister and evil characters to ever inhabit a movie (although you can't place him in the same category with someone like Leatherface or Freddy Krueger). While in prison for stealing a car, Powell meets a man who has been sentenced to death for shooting two people during a bank robbery. The money has not been recovered, but Powell knows it will be somewhere near the mans house. Upon his release, Powell finds the man's house and begins courting the mans gullible widow Willa Harper (Shelley Winters). Willa doesn't know where the money is, her two children John and Pearl do. John doesn't trust Powell and convinces Pearl not too as well. Then Willa and Powell are married and soon, Willa is dead. Afraid that they will be killed once Powell gets hold of the money, the children flee via boat. They are taken in by a Bible-thumping woman (Lillian Gish, 'Broken Blossoms'), who is a lot tougher than she appears to be. Two of the most famous shots in cinema are in this movie. One is a graceful, poetic, and haunting shot of Willa's corpse at the bottom of the river...This is the most oft-mentioned shot of the film and rightfully so. It's incredibly eerie and very effective. The other is the shot of Gish sitting on her porch with a shotgun, while Powell stands on the other side of the fence singing. Laughton, who directed only this one film, could've gone on to be a legendary director. "The Night of the Hunter" is a very surreal film, where nothing seems real. It's very dreamlike. Some of the scenes in the film look like they could've been inspiration for several David Lynch films (notably an early scene where Powell watches a showgirl). It's odd when a movie that's rarely mentioned has been so inspiration to later filmmakers. Timeless is a term that's used way too much when talking about movies. Movies like Citizen Kane and Casablanca are called timeless, but let's face it...Those movies are old and you can tell. This is a movie that someone who HATES old movies (and there's a lot of people like that) might enjoy. It's a masterpiece of the horror genre and a great film, with Mitchum delivering a downright creepy performance.

GRADE: A-

Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) was the hunter, the wolf under sheep's skin, who uses high moral principles to deceive widows. Mrs. Willa Harper (Shelly Winters) was his latest victim. Not content until he has the Harper fortune, Harry pursued the Harper children down the river during the night and hovered around the children's home under which the children seek refuge.

The film is one of a kind with its B&W cinematography showcasing unique images of the night, strangest of all, the dark image of the crystal clear riverbed with Mrs. Harper drowned and trapped in a car, her hair floating in water. Other images include the nocturnal creatures - owls, the frogs, the rabbits etc along the river banks when the young children drifted in their father's boat. The climatic scene contains Robert Mitchum singing outside the house while Ms Cooper (Lilian Gish), the guardian of the homeless children, sang the same tune but in completely different words.

The film started with Ms Cooper teaching her protege to keep away from the bad and recapture the bad deeds of Harry Powell. It is a dark story well told with director (Charles Laughton)'s fingerprints all over it and Lilian Gish brilliantly portrayed the fearless mother hen protecting her chicks.

**I tried to make as little known about plot lines; I will try to be as vague about this film as possible.**

Night of the Hunter is one of those rare films that hasn't won any awards and simply got stored as a film that doesn't seem to get much play on television. Yet, NOH passes the test of time in such formidable ways. The storyline and believability of the plot and characters remains strong, as does the top-notch cinematography.

Film buffs, photography students, and all those who are fans of camera work, please, do yourself a favor; purchase this film, pop some popcorn and then pop the flick in your player, and prepare yourself to be mesmerized by 93 minutes of a film gem. The scenes get better and better as the movie rolls on, and by the time Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) makes her grand entrance towards the end of the film, you'll probably have already grabbed your handkerchief or shirt sleeve to wipe away the tears, several times over.

How can I impart to film buffs and those who enjoy "eye candy," to please become an owner of this treasure? NOH is rarely spoken of when it comes to must-haves in feature movies. When you see the list of talent, it seems like a quiet film that made its debut in the 1950's, not produced to try for blockbuster status. And people didn't recognize the film then, except perhaps that they didn't embrace its style. It's been over half a century since, and NOH is an opportunity for you to turn off your cellphone and let yourself journey with John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl Harper (Sally Jane Bruce) as they depend on each other to survive what happens within their family.

By the time Miss Rachel appears, you simply want to cry on her shoulders yourself. Ms. Gish commanded the performance, and seemed to be the only one (along with John) who had any real common sense to understand the unfolding situations.

Fortunately, most of the film seemed to take place in the night, and Stanley Cortez took control of his shots and of the lighting in such extraordinary ways. **slight spoiler info, very slight** One scene worth a note: look past the "spider's web" and the other things during the boat ride; put yourself in the mind of a child, and watch them from that kind of perspective, to understand and appreciate these scenes. At first, I was put off by the perspective of some things, but now, I thoroughly enjoy this passage. **end spoils**

The interesting thing I observed about NOH is that especially now, this kind of unfolding drama could happen in real life. Nothing in it is beyond reasonable. And that's the chilling thought that coursed through my mind after watching it again. Imagine the point of first contact between John and the preacher. The style of filming is so deep-thought. I also found that Cortez was a photographer, and each scene he composed shows that very foundation.

After you watch NOH, place it in an easy-to-get location, because you'll want to watch it again and again. If not for the gorgeously-thought out settings, for perhaps the excellent songs contained within the film.

**Some more spoils, about scenes**
My favorites:
John's first knowledge of Harry Powell when telling a story to Pearl
Harry Powell with Willa Harper in the bedroom
Willa Harper's river scene
the complete dark passage on the river

Scene after scene is incredible. You could grab still frames from these and make a beautiful photo album. Someone once wrote that it may have been easier to shoot such scenes with black and white film. Well.... look at the B/W films that have been shot through the decades. Rare are films in which the cinematographer truly displays all of their inner talents. It is simply masterful.

I purchased "Night of the Hunter" from MediaThrill, a website selling films on Amazon. I have seen this film five or six times since 1962. WARNING: the copy I got from MediaThrill has been altered and cut. It is NOT the original "Night of the Hunter."
Buyer BEWARE. MediaThrill will not give me a refund or credit. How is anyone supposed to know if what you are buying is the original. If I hadn't seen "Night of the Hunter" so many times I might have forgotten the scenes that were cut, and they were significant. Someone who has never seen the film wouldn't know.
Buyer Beware

A movie that can be creepy and scary with out raping its audience with graphic images of gore and violence is a movie that betrays the power of cinema. The Night of the Hunter is just such a movie. Released in 1955 and directed by Charles Laughton, - the wonderful actor, his only accredited movie for directing - this movie follows two children as they are being terrorized by a sadistic "preacher." The preacher is determined to get the ten thousand dollars the kids' father stole before he was arrested and hanged. John, and his little sister, Pearl, must protect themselves from the demented preacher as he tries to discover the whereabouts of the money. Such is the basis of this stunningly disturbing film.

The director allows the audience to see the contrasting between paradise and the inferno by showing serene scenes with horrific implications. In two separate scenes, the director creates a church effect in ordinary places of the house. One such scene takes place in the bedroom of the kids' mom and the preacher. He backs up the camera far enough so that we see the outline of the room in black, emphasizing the A-line shape of the right half of the room. Light shines in through a skylight window giving the preacher an angelic glow as he prepares to stab his wife as she lays, arms folded across her chest like a corpse, in their bed. The director also emphasizes the contrasting serenity and horror in a scene that shows the mother of the children murdered and tied to a car under the lake. The camera pans in, slowly sweeping over the dead in the water. Music plays softly in the background, while the water plants wispily wave up and down, matching the music and the movement of the dead woman's hair in the water. The horror of the situation is accentuated by the serenity and peace of the town, the people, and the children.

Robert Mitchum plays the preacher with a quiet and intense perverseness. The preacher with L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E tattooed on his hands was one of the greatest roles he ever played. In the scene after he has murdered his wife, he goes into the ice cream parlor to give an explanation for her disappearance. Mitchum crosses his arms on the counter and lays the hand with "hate" on it over the other hand. His head is bowed in sorrow over his arms, and he raises it sideways to look at the woman over the counter and guarantee that his wife will not be coming back. The look of Mitchum, with his head practically horizontal, gives the audience a strong uneasiness in light of what he has done. Near the end of the movie, Mitchum explores this demonic quality even further. When he gets shot by Lillian Gish's character, he screeches and yells in pain, sounding like a wounded animal. He runs off to hide in the barn, and the style of his running also reflects that of a terrified beast who has just realized that he is mortal. The combination of the inhuman shouts and beastly cantering show that this character was no human, but a beast in the clothing of one.

The subtleties in The Night of the Hunter make it all the more chilling to watch. The very simple effect of having black silhouettes against a gray night sky, or the simple singing of an old and cherished Christian hymn, are more powerful then scenes full of violence could ever be. Even though the film ends happily, the sense of uneasiness remains, and the feeling that a dark, silhouetted preacher singing "Lean on Jesus" will come, knocking on the old woman's door, leaves the audience, not content, but still on edge. This film was amazing as only a classic can be. But, one of the things I enjoyed most about this film was seeing Lillian Gish in a speaking role. After hearing so many people my age berate silent films for the hideous acting, I delighted in seeing her amazing performance. Equally harsh and loving, her portrayal was a joy and a comfort to see on the screen. Above all, the film demonstrates the power of the unseen, of the things which can only be sensed; fear, terror, and peace.

I was utterly disapointed with this movie. It was so blindly touted by so many reviews...this could be one of the most over-rated movies ever. The acting is inconsistent and amatuerish and was embarrassing to watch. Robert Mitchum, an otherwise excellent actor goes over the top here and often parodies himself. Lilian Gish should have not come out of retirement. Shelly Winters is her usual watery mess. The children are so wooden, you can make a coffee table out of them. The editing, the continuity, the music...everything is a jumbled mess. Charles Laughton, an irritating and over-rated actor, just took a very good story with so much potential, and dragged it on the mud.

If only Hitchcock made this movie, it could be up there with Vertigo!

Without the blood, gore, screams and contraptions of modern horror flicks, Night of the Hunter can scare you to death, and creep you out. Robert Mitchum cornered the market on creepy in this film, and his double-life in the movie will leave you itching for the truth to come out. A talented cast, including the little ones, make the film all the more interesting. The black and white film is perfect for the dark mood set in this thriller that was definitely ahead of its time.

Despite the almost confusing and unlikely plot, this is truly one of the most haunting films I've seen in a long time. The images in Night of the Hunter---the LOVE and HATE tattoos on the preacher's knuckles, the children's mother in her watery grave, and most of all, the children's journey down the river with the angelic song and the close ups of a spider's web and a frog--- truly made it an unforgettable treat worth acknowledging in American film.

Night of the Hunter was Charles Laughton's attempt to elevate himself from actor to AUTEUR while at the same time getting on a film set with Bob Mitchum.

In so doing, the faded, ill-humored, child-hating British star made other predictable moves:

Turned direction of the childrens' scenes over to others because he lacked interest in them;
Attached Lillian Gish as a stamp of respectability on the tawdry mess;
Attempted to prove himself artistically and intellectually superior to young American Orson Welles in his startlingly transparent imitation of Citizen Kane's visual and allegorical qualities;
Broke the rule about writing what you know;
Substituted garish cliches for passion;
Held his subjects and audience in utter contempt.

Fifty years later, reviewers still don't have the guts to kick this dog.

Charles Laughton directs this experimental project from the mid 1950s. The end results are positive and the movie has gone on to attain cult status amongst horror aficionados.

Using a blend of european cinematic style and the theatrical melodrama usually seen on stage, the director engages the viewer in this story of the eternal struggle between right and wrong, good and evil. The not so good Reverend Harry Powell impresses and seduces the simple, god-fearing folk of rural America with a well rehearsed pastiche of how good eventually triumphs, with his tatooed hands playing the lead roles.

Good may win the day but evil has a flick-knife and he certainly ain't afeared to use it.

The film is memorable for its cinematographic value with some of the sets outrageous in their beauty and dramatic effect. The juxtaposition of Mitchum's evil (which he exudes superbly)and the innocence and simplicity of the seemingly-helpless children at his mercy, is striking and, at times, disturbing. In the end, salvation comes from an unlikey source, the outwardly benign old Miss Cooper, played by Lilian Gish. She is not so easily fooled and as a protector, she is not to be under-estimated.

This is a "must own" film for any one who takes cinema seriously. The action is subtly terrifying, not gory in the style of more contemporary films but thought-provoking and spiritually haunting. You will hear the insane and evil Harry Powell's remorseless hollering of hymns, in your head for some time after the end credits appear.