The Night of the Hunter

Play trailer

The Night of the Hunter

1955

1h 32m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

90 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a religious fanatic and serial killer who targets women who use their sexuality to attract men. Serving time in prison for car theft, he meets condemned murderer Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who confesses to hiding $10,000 in stolen loot. Released from jail, Powell is obsessed with finding the money, and he tracks down Harper's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters), and her two children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce).

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Featuring Robert Mitchum's formidable performance as a child-hunting preacher, The Night of the Hunter is a disturbing look at good and evil.

Read Critics Reviews

Gavin Lambert

Sight & Sound

Oct 2, 2020

The Night of the Hunter doesn't altogether, as they say, "come off," but it is a film of extremely individual flavour, and its daring, its indifference to convention, make it uniquely surprising for a Hollywood production today.

Go to Full Review

Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

Oct 2, 2020

Mr. Charles Laughton directs, and, since Mr. Laughton is a highly intelligent man, nothing that he does is without interest. The Night of the Hunter is indeed none the less interesting for being a failure.

Go to Full Review

Philip K. Scheuer

Los Angeles Times

Jun 28, 2019

It is doubtful that you will ever hear the old hymn, 'Learning,' again without recalling the gaunt, flapping figure of Preacher Powell as he lams it out in the dark night -- to the terror of the listening youngsters

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Aug 16, 2026

2.5/4

...a stylish yet relentlessly erratic endeavor that fares best when focused on Mitchum’s commanding figure...

Go to Full Review

Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Mar 31, 2026

5/5

A formally audacious, righteously blasphemous portrait of American hypocrisies with a mesmerizing turn from Robert Mitchum as the devil in preacher's clothing.

Go to Full Review

Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 26, 2026

Charles Laughton’s only film as director has become a classic...for many reasons: Robert Mitchum’s iconic performance, the film’s genre mixture of noir, horror, and fairy tale elements, and the gorgeous black and white cinematography.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Robert P

@Superbad Oct 4, 2026

The Night of the Hunter is a 4.5 star Movie!

See more

B P

@Bradster69 Sep 7, 2026

Definitely Recommend It

See more

M L

@RT87435539 Aug 31, 2026

As petrifying as a sharp pocket knife to a soft yielding neck - as exquisite as strands of long hair intertwined with listing underwater reeds… Human children harbor unknowable depths of survival DNA only they truly understand. They abide. Leaning . . .leaning.

See more

Henry D

@Henry_Domke Aug 4, 2026

Rich, complex, and extremely well done. It reminded me at times of Huckleberry Finn, particularly in the children’s journey down the river. Everything worked, including the great sound, unusually stylish cinematography, and fine acting. The film became better and more complex as it went along, and the arrival of Lillian Gish near the end added a great deal. On top of everything else, it was a fine print.

See more

Jithin K

@Jithin Jul 30, 2026

The horror elements coming from the way hypocrisy works and enables the evil men is what worked mostly for me in this movie. But I didn't feel like it's as great a classic as a lot of its praise makes it seem. Its contemporary reviews when it was released makes a lot of sense to me even if I don't completely agree with all of it.

See more

Joaquin U

@Joaquin1 Jul 18, 2026

Mostly entertaining. An unconventional film with an interesting plot, but it keeps jumping genres—thriller, drama, fairy tale, horror, then back again. Mitchum has good moments, though often over-the-top, and the boy had no business acting in a movie. Decent cast overall. The direction is strange, but there are sequences with strong photography and flashes of artistic vision. Not a classic, despite the love of some critics for weird films with a lot of plot holes and absurdities—just a passable old movie for a lazy afternoon watch.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Charles Laughton

Director

Robert Mitchum

Rev. Harry Powell

Shelley Winters

Willa Harper

Lillian Gish

Rachel Cooper

Evelyn Varden

Icey Spoon

Peter Graves

Ben Harper

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - He Ain't My Dad

2:40

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - The Devil Wins Sometimes

3:12

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - It's in the Doll!

2:49

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - The Sleepless Hunter

1:54

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Two Pretty Children

1:29

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Harry Murders Willa

2:23

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Love and Hate

2:10

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Harry Speaks to the Lord

2:04

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Making a Promise

1:54

Now Playing

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - They Abide and They Endure

1:28

Now Playing

View more videos

The Killer Is Loose

67%

40%

The Killer Is Loose

Watchlist

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

70%

56%

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Watchlist

Pickup on South Street

92%

89%

Pickup on South Street

Watchlist

The Sniper

83%

63%

The Sniper

Watchlist

Night People

75%

42%

Night People

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

The Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a religious fanatic and serial killer who targets women who use their sexuality to attract men. Serving time in prison for car theft, he meets condemned murderer Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who confesses to hiding $10,000 in stolen loot. Released from jail, Powell is obsessed with finding the money, and he tracks down Harper's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters), and her two children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce).

Director: Charles Laughton
Producer: Paul Gregory
Screenwriter: James Agee, Charles Laughton
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists, Paul Gregory Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 29, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 16, 2011
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings