The Night of the Hunter (1955)

It is a garish, unbelievable but fairly exciting nightmare.

An overlooked gem in the history of American film, this creepy curio incorporates elements of horror, noir, thriller and fairy tale.

Ultimately the source of its style and power is mysterious -- it is a film without precedents, and without any real equals

This start for Gregory as producer and Laughton as director is rich in promise but the completed product, bewitching at times, loses sustained drive via too many offbeat touches that have a misty effect.

All this has been crisply compacted into clear screen drama by the late James Agee and it is put forth under the direction of Mr. Laughton in stark, rigid visual terms.

There's the absolute authority of Mitchum's performance -- easy, charming, infinitely sinister.