Night of the Hunter (1955)

	Directed by: Charles Laughton	COUNTRY USA GENRE Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Jegeren i mørket RUNNING TIME 93 minutes
	Produced by: Paul Gregory
	Written by (based on the 1953 novel by Davis Grubb): James Agee

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
"Preacher" Harry Powell	Robert Mitchum
Willa Harper	Shelley Winters
Rachel Cooper	Lillian Gish
John Harper	Billy Chapin
Pearl Harper	Sally Jane Bruce	½
Uncle "Birdie" Steptoe	James Gleason	-
Icey Spoon	Evelyn Varden	-
Ben Harper	Peter Graves	-

Review

An upscaled spook story about a crooked devil who, under the guise of being a worldly, righteous preacher, goes hunting for the loot after a bank robbery, now guarded by the robber’s two young children. As directed by Charles Laughton – his one and only feature – this is a thriller heavy on symbolism and bombastic imagery, and equally lacking in subtlety. And yet, the film has a certain cultivated guile. The relatively low budget and the director's lack of experience give the film a B-movie sensibility and occasional bumpy craftsmanship, but it makes up for its weaknesses with a peculiar rural, gothic quality. Striking images and underplayed dramatic scenes go hand in hand throughout this widely reassessed classic.