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The Night of the Hunter

Play trailer Poster for The Night of the Hunter 1955 1h 32m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 87 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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The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter

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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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Critics Reviews

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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. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review 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 Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl Jun 1
9/10
The Night of the Hunter wouldn’t work without the Expressionist-tinged cinematography of Stanley Cortez, who creates just the right degree of visual unreality to combine the fable-like story with the realistic surroundings in which it takes place. Go to Full Review Lisa Laman Culturess 02/05/2025
This astonishing masterpiece really has no shortage of impressive details. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tom F 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. See more Neil P Dec 9 Classic dark Gothic horror noir. Almost like a twisted fairy tale. Mitchum is immense as the creepy Preacher. See more LISA L Dec 1 A film way ahead of its time in my top five. See more Melissa L @Agent99 Nov 26 I'm glad this ends up with a happy ending. See more Jake G Nov 19 This has got to be my favorite movie of all time, no joke. An unforgettable performance from Robert Mitchum and general great acting all around. The use of lighting to depict the edges of good and evil is what gives this movie such a chilling tone. Would totally recommend to anyone See more tucker s @tucker83014 Nov 2 Absolutely brilliant film. Robert Mitchum does a masterful job playing the precursor to other nefarious criminals like Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker... See more Read all reviews
The Night of the Hunter

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Cast & Crew

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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

Movie Clips

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The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - He Ain't My Dad 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 The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - The Devil Wins Sometimes 3:12 The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Love and Hate The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Love and Hate 2:10 The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - Harry Speaks to the Lord 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 The Night of the Hunter: Official Clip - They Abide and They Endure 1:28 View more videos

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The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter (1955) The Night of the Hunter (1955) View more photos

Movie Info

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
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