The Night Of The Hunter (DVD) Reviews

Controversially, I did not enjoy Night of the Hunter. Perhaps I was not in the right mood, but the film did not engage me at all. The plot of the film is simple enough; Robert Mitchum plays an evil preacher who, while in jail, learns of a sum of stolen money being protected by his cellmate's children. He then proceeds to insinuate ...  Read the complete review

Sadly, this was Charles Laughton's only film as a director - its box office failings shattered his confidence, leaving him with no desire to direct ever again. It is often considered the greatest film by someone who only directed a single film, and rightly so, with the possible exception of Jean Vigo. The Night of the Hunter is one of the most ...  Read the complete review

Starring: Robert Mitchum as 'Reverend' Harry Powell Shelley Winters as Willa Harper Peter Graves as Ben Harper Lilian Gish as Rachel Cooper Billy Chapin as John Harper Sally Jane Bruce as Pearl Harper This is simply one of the very greatest films ever made - no review can ever do it justice so I don't ...  Read the complete review

'The Night Of The Hunter' was made in 1955 and is always highly regarded whenever I look at polls of the greatest ever films etc, so I decided to see what I thought of it. To my mind it absolutely deserves its reputation as a film classic with wonderfully eerie black and white photography and a stunning central performance from Robert Mitchum. ...  Read the complete review

(film only review) A group of children playing hide-and-seek on a farm find a dead woman lying in a barn. A preacher, Rev. Harry Powell, (Robert Mitchum) is driving along country roads, singing hymns and talking to God. “There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin' things, lacy things, things with curly hair.“ And ...  Read the complete review

It's almost impossible to describe the all-embracing weirdness of Charles Laughton's only film as director. Ostensibly a crime film, with Robert Mitchum as a psychopathic preacher / killer hearing from cellmate Peter Graves about some buried loot, and getting out to marry his widow (Shelly Winters) and menace his kids until he finds out ...  Read the complete review