Robert Mitchum was a menacing screen presence.

The Night Of The Hunter - 10/10. So when this movie was released, the Hays Code was in effect for films. This prohibited films from showing anything in the extremes. Maybe that's why this film, which follows a sociopath religious serial killer, might feel tame by today's standards. But even within those codes, this is a solid and very effective film. Its a movie that is delivered through its really great usage of symbolism. There's a lot to unravel here, whether it be the very blatant symbolism shown through the tattoos on Robert Mitchum's (who delivers such an amazing performance here) character's hand. Or the symbolism of the animals throughout the film. Or maybe its the way the beautiful cinematography captures the dichotomy of the religious characters in the film. Its all done oh so well, and you can sucked into the surprisingly tense situation of these kids trying to escape the literal hands of death. Love how when they initially escape, the hand that the kids slam the door on happens to be the hand with the Love tattoo on it too. Its a film which also highlights and shows how religious beliefs and thoughts can either be taken in a beautiful manner, or a dangerously dark one. In the case of the preacher, he believes he's doing divine work with his devilish deeds. In the case of the kids' eventual caregiver, she's doing divine work through her divine deeds of raising a bunch of orphans. We see how the man's corrupt sensibilities corrupt the town folk and kids' mother, literally embodying the warning given at the beginning of the film of being careful of wolves in sheep's clothing (again with the animal symbolism). We also see how the young boy just wanted a father figure, and even after all that this sociopath has put him and his sister through, he doesn't want to see the man go to jail just like his real father. Sad how even through all this, he just wanted the care and love of a father figure. And great great music as well, just really capturing the situation in a symphonic way. The cinematography is just so scrumptious here, capturing shadows and darkness so well. Though I feel like the ending is a little bit too bow tied and perfect christmas ending, this is still a testament to film making and showing how to properly use symbolism in film and story. Really great film and a classic!

Night of the hunter is truly the og of the boogeyman noir suspense thriller classic it really feels like a Gothic fairy tail to children or grims fairy tail and Robert Mitchum's performance is absolutely so frighting and menacing as a tall devilishly handsome preacher including the iconic love and hate hand tattoos which later in 1989 Spike Lee joint film do the right thing inspired that scene. But really fantastic cinematography it looks really noir and spooky and really outstanding cast including two childrens at peril to get away from the preacher and really well done director by Charles Laughton in his first feature noir cinema.

The wedding night, the anticipation, the kiss, the knife, BUT ABOVE ALL... THE SUSPENSE! The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 American film noir thriller directed by Charles Laughton 💰 Not bad, but not my favourite either 😐 Meh, it passed the time. Just. 😐 👍🏼👎🏼 After a strong start, this soon loses momentum… In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

While it definitely works better in separate facets rather than as a collective whole, those parts are masterfully executed and satisfyingly thrilling.

We watch a lot of classic films and somehow had never seen this one. It's really dated now, almost laughable. The sets look so fake and the acting is wooden. We made it a little more than halfway through.

This movie is AMAZING! And so is Pearl. She is adorable, and steals the movie in a way, unlike John. John is Pearl's older brother, and John is not the best child actor i've seen in movie history. He is annoying. If John didn't throw the hair brush at Powell, HE WOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO KILL THE KIDS!!! Ok, and Powell is just a TOTAL creep. He is a liar, trickster, and, well, just creepy. Ms. Copper is a pretty strict grandma, but seems like a nice person, unlike John. Uncle Birdie seems like he would be cool to hang out with, unlike John. Icey and Walt Spoon are actually very evil. Only by listening to what Icey Spoon says throughout the movie, you see that she is VERY evil. Willa is stressed because she has to raise John and Pearl on her own, because her husband was hung by committing a crime. Although Willa is not the best mother, she would probably be a nice person, unlike John. I also recommend reading The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb.

A magnificently beautiful film with moments of soaring joy and gut-wrenching horror. Something about the narrative feels familiar in a nostalgic sort of way, and all the leads - from the oldest to the youngest - sell it one hundred percent.

Great acting by the cast, including children. Nice studio sets. A few directorial soft spots - a flash mob that didn't make a lot of sense, the overuse of staged pets, cartoonish howls when the antagonist was in pain. But overall an engaging movie.

4.0 stars. A movie definitely ahead of its time (1955). A real original of the concept of 'a monster that will not die' horror film. Robert Mitchum has a real talent in portraying the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' character. In this case, he plays a serial killer disguised as a pastor. What could be more scary than a character like that chasing two innocent young children across the landscape, with the intent to kill in order to retrieve stolen money? The stark visual effect in which the film is shot is stunning.

Beautifully shot (interesting compositions that work really well). Pacing is excellent with the use of interesting cutting techniques to build tention (and this is before Psycho, which it made me think of, so I wonder how much this has influenced Hitchcock in making it or how much Laughton was influenced by earlier Hitchcock's works). The acting was really outstanding too, I don't think there was any one who fell out of the boat, even the children were really believable. Robert Mitchum plays a really good bad guy and I don't know who came up with using the hymn as a leitmotif for him, but it works brilliantly. My favourite shot was the underwater shot with the flowing seaweed, I really wonder how they did that (if anyone knows that reads this, please do send a message my way). Maybe there is one or two things that are left hanging, but it didn't bother me in the overall sense. It's a shame that this is the only movie we have that was directed by Laughton, but on the other hand if this is the only one we get, I'm glad that it is this one. I thought it was excellent!

Not only extraordinary screenplays and tour de force acting.. but one of the most imaginative and dramatic piece of film work of all time.. Striking pioneering filming that is unequalled even with today's advanced technology.

Beware the false prophet, who is hiding in plain sight! After their father is imprisoned, a charismatic preacher inserts himself in the lives of two children who is hiding some murderous intentions and is pursuing the money stolen by their father. A dark and tragic tale of lost innocence, religious fanaticism and a consistent sense of danger throughout!

I haven't had the occasion to whip out the "M" word in ages - but this is a masterpiece! If all horror films and thrillers were one-tenth of this quality, it would be a much better cinematic universe. It's impossible to know where to begin with the superlatives, but let's start with Mitchum giving us one of the great villains in cinema history. He is Norman Bates/Hannibal Lecter good, perhaps even beyond. It's a disturbing, electrifying performance that immediately joins my list of all-time greats. This is the only movie directed by Laughton, himself an Oscar-winning actor, and one can't help but wonder what we as the audience missed out on. There are images that will haunt me till my dying day, moments of such intensity I found myself talking to the screen, which never happens. This is a textbook example of how to create a motion picture of this genre, and it deserves to be studied for decades to come. It's almost eerie how much of this is still relevant for today - I suppose the true classics are indeed timeless. It's pointless to say much more, although I could go on for days. This is why I love cinema!

Very good film. Based on a true story. Good story, good acting, good direction. Robert Mitchum is as evil and scary in this as in "Cape Fear". They say this was filmed in West Virginia, but I don't recognize anything. And of course, the legendary Lillian Gish. Wow. And a happy ending which all films should have. Well done.

No real surprises here but entertaining.

When I first saw The Night of the Hunter years ago, it really made an impression on me. Robert Mitchum just plays such a deplorable character that it's difficult to get him out of your mind. The way Harry Powell twists religion into something evil to manipulate people and justify his actions is so frustrating to watch. And then you have Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) on the other side, bringing some much-needed warmth and light into this cold & dark story. To be honest, the child actors aren't very strong, and the pacing is a little uneven, but overall this suspenseful film is definitely worth watching.

A strange, disjointed movie. Some originality, but also some really nonsensical and boring parts.

The Night of the Hunter is a obscure and underrated masterpiece. For starters, the performance by Robert Mitchum is fantastic. He plays Harry Powell a psychopathic, serial killing, religious obsessed, preacher who is hunting down 2 kids for money. Powell manages to embody a character who is crazy and evil in such a great way that I am just wowed by. The movie is full of religious themes and the religious plot is great and strengthens the character of Harry Powell. It's a crime that his performance in this film doesn't get the attention and respect that it deserves. The movie is a great thriller not only because of the evil Harry Powell but because of the 2 kids. Having children being hunted by such an evil man makes it much more thrilling. The story makes multiple turns that you would never expect strengthening the thriller aspects of the film. But, with all of that what makes this film so outstanding is the cinematography. The film looks beautiful with so much attention to detail. Most people now don't realize and appreciate the beautiful of black and white cinema. The score is at (like most noir films) and that plus the beautiful cinematography and sets make scenes just stick with you. It pains me to call this an overlooked and underrated masterpiece because it shouldn't be overlooked and underrated.

Charles Laughton's thriller is intense and thematic but favors atmospheric camera shots over an impactful narrative. While the story holds depth and the performances give it merit, The Night of the Hunter offers no joyful viewing experience to its audience.