The Night of the Hunter

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The Night of the Hunter

1955

1h 32m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

89 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).

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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.

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Gavin Lambert

Sight & Sound

10/02/2020

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.

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Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

10/02/2020

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.

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Philip K. Scheuer

Los Angeles Times

06/28/2019

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

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Mar 31

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.

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Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 26

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.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Jul 31

Where Hitchcock locates horror in mothers, queer people, and a disordering of the patriarchal order, Laughton’s killer is the Christian patriarch himself.

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 1d

It is not for nothing that religion, like our parents, warns us against wolves in sheep’s clothing. Robert Mitchum is unsettling in the role of a self-righteous, widowed black preacher. The suspense, with just the right amount of tension, is present throughout.

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Matthew A

@iWupp Jun 28

This is a stunning looking film. The use of shadows and sharp edges is clearly inspired by past German expressionist films and I love it. The interior architecture in particular is super jagged with sharp edges. It makes some of the interior shots of the bedrooms jaw dropping. Not only that but the dream like scene of them in the boat floating down the river was so mesmerizing. On top of the visuals the story is really solid with a constant sense of danger for our protagonists. This film doesn't hold back one bit and shows you what the preacher is willing to do to acquire their money. Doing so you're genuinely nervous for these kids and can only imagine the fear of being in their shoes. This is on the cusp of being an all time great film but just doesn't stick the landing in my opinion. The third act and ending hold this back making it only a great film.

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Tom F

@RT55173143 Dec 12

An insane story about children and women at the mercy of a charismatic and violent man. This is the kind of older film that isn’t universally hailed as a classic but still has a lot of stuff going on that’s fun to watch and to talk and think about.

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Neil P

@RT30842889 Dec 9

Classic dark Gothic horror noir. Almost like a twisted fairy tale. Mitchum is immense as the creepy Preacher.

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LISA L

@RT83871864 Dec 1

A film way ahead of its time in my top five.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 Nov 26

I'm glad this ends up with a happy ending.

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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

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

3:12

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

2:10

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

2:04

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

1:28

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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