Rent The Night of the Hunter (1955)
4.0 of 5 from 280 ratings
1h 29min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- A tall, handsome 'preacher' - his knuckles eerily tattooed with 'love' and 'hate' - roams the countryside, spreading the gospel...and leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake. To Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), the work of the Lord has more to do with condemning souls than saving them, especially when his own interests are involved. Now his sights are set on $10,000 - and two little children are the only ones who know where it is. 'Chill...dren!' the preacher croons to the terrified boy and girl hiding in the cold, dark cellar...innocent young lambs who refuse to be led astray.
- Actors:
- Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce, Gloria Castillo, Corey Allen, Oscar Blanke, Paul Bryar, Nora Bush, Cheryl Callaway, Alexander Campbell, Michael Chapin, Noble 'Kid' Chissell, Mary Ellen Clemons, John Dennis
- Directors:
- Charles Laughton
- Producers:
- Paul Gregory
- Writers:
- Davis Grubb, James Agee, Charles Laughton
- Studio:
- MGM
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 100 Years of German Expressionism, Award Winners, Film History, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Ryan Gosling, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Martin Scorsese, The Instant Expert's Guide to Todd Haynes, Top 10 Best Last Films, Top 100 AFI Thrills, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 28/10/2013
- Run Time:
- 93 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, English DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.66:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Isolated Music and Effects Soundtrack
- Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of the Hunter", a two-and-a-half hour documentary on the making of the film featuring outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage
- Archival interview with cinematographer Stanley Cortez
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- Unknown
- Run Time:
- 93 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English
- DVD Regions:
- Region 0 (All)
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas (4K)
- Isolated Music and Effects Soundtrack (4K)
- Love and Hate: Filmmaker Ernest Dickerson on 'The Night of the Hunter' (Blu-ray)
- Little Lambs: Actress Kathy Garver on 'The Night of the Hunter' (Blu-ray)
- Hing, Hang, Hung: Artist Joe Coleman on 'The Night of the Hunter' (Blu-ray)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature
- Disc 2:
- This disc includes special features (Blu-Ray)
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Reviews (3) of The Night of the Hunter
strange and unexpectedly ethereal - The Night of the Hunter review by CP Customer
I first saw this film in the 1970's and it grabbed me then. Seen again in the 1990's and now in 2010, it still grabs me - but I'm not sure I know why.
It was ahead of its time in many ways and has influenced generations of directors. Originally intended to be a suspenseful thriller, this is no longer the case. The sets and scenery, together with the 1950's acting style make this film more of a fairy tale (it has a strange and unexpectedly ethereal quality) in spite of being based on a real murder.
7 out of 7 members found this review helpful.
American Gothic. - The Night of the Hunter review by Steve
Robert Mitchum plays a psychopathic serial killer who presents as a preacher: 'How many is it now Lord? Six? Twelve?'. It turns out to be 25. The character is based on a real murderer of widows in the US south of the depression. He marries Shelley Winters whose husband was hanged for a murder committed during a bank robbery. He intends to extract from her two young children the location of the loot
And he doesn't just kill his new wife and leave her body among the weeds in a river. He spiritually tortures her. The children escape downstream chased by the nightmare figure of their stepfather. Everything is cruel and threatening. The country is scorched by the flames of poverty. Religion has gripped the minds of poor and uneducated and distorted them.
Charles Laughton's only release as director is notoriously difficult to categorise: part horror, part fantasy, even perhaps a film for children. It's often called film noir, though the historic, rural setting isn't all that noir, and neither is its prominent religious theme. Part of the difficulty of classification is that it is unique. Even its imitators haven't repeated its genius. Now it is usually called American Gothic, a kind of horror.
The adaptation of Davis Grubb's novel haunts the memory; it's a dreamy gallery of enchanted images. Mitchum is truly phenomenal and Billy Chapin gives one of best ever performances by a child. But its Laughton's film, the work of an auteur. It is such a regret that it is the only chance he got to direct. This is a classic of American cinema.
5 out of 5 members found this review helpful.
One of the scariest movies ever made - The Night of the Hunter review by JK
This film never ceases to send shivers down my spine. Clunky, dated and a bit hammy at times, the silhouette of a picket fence and that haunting voice singing an old Southern hymn is more foreboding than any CGI horror with crashing orchestration.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.