The Night of the Hunter Reviews

"The Night of the Hunter" is now rightfully considered a bona fide classic of post-war Hollywood, but its evocative cinematography and offbeat touches received a cool response from the critics and audiences of 1955. Its intentionally anomalous rejection of the rigidity and strictures of cinematic visual storytelling were woefully misunderstood, and due to its esoteric unconventionality, it was perceived as melodramatic and stilted. Indefinable and defiant, the film was viewed as a failure of its time, unfairly maligned until a resurgence of new Hollywood auteurs universally recognised it as an influence; the contemporaneous critical analysis was even more positive, further renewing interest in the film as a wrongly scorned masterpiece deserving of veneration. In 1992, the film's reappraisal led to its induction into the National Film Registry as a culturally and artistically significant landmark, securing its revived status for future generations.

Ostensibly a fairy-tale remixed with elements of Film Noir and Southern Gothic, the film recalls the silent era with its lyrical, expressionistic style. Robert Mitchum's self-appointed preacher and serial killer Harry Powell terrorises West Virginia in the pursuit of his hanged former cellmate's ill-gotten gains, threatening his wily children and brutally murdering his widow in the process. In his exemplification of true evil, Robert Mitchum's performance is as icy and stark as the film's complex lighting arrangements, of which illuminate his character rather than envelope him in darkness, circumventing the conception of light representing goodness. Harry Powell is diabolical, but he is not indestructible and impervious as villains in cinema would later become; outwitted by a child and overwhelmed by an elderly woman, both of whom are invulnerable to his superficial charm, contrary to the gullible majority, and accordingly, he fails in his mercenary quest. Laughton's express intention was to bewitch audiences, and with certain shots, including the unforgettable stillness of a bound Shelley Winters in the car underneath the lake, he achieves his aim. Shot entirely in black and white in the styles and motifs of German Expressionism (strange shadows, stylised dialogue, distorted perspectives, surrealistic sets, irregular camera angles, and complex lighting techniques) the film is emblematic of a bygone era in which directors were able to design a unique look without locations or CGI.

Curiously simplistic in its depiction of two children overcoming evil aided by an unlikely saviour, the nightmarish quality of West Virginia, reimagined as a vast place of beauty menaced by hidden peril elevates it into realms of magical terror only suitable for adults. Oozing danger in every scene, the film's exploration of evil in the form of a sonorous male black widow, albeit misogynistic and entirely without care for anything other than money, is particularly unsettling in its accuracy. Dream-like and magnetic in a way that most horror films are not and visually reflective of its characters, "The Night of the Hunter" instead operates as a disturbingly beautiful mythic tale saturated by the misty folklore and enchanting yet dread-laden wildness of the Brothers Grimm universe.

Since I kept hearing great things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit it, it is a really odd feature, the only directing effort by Charles Laughton, Robert Mitchum’s favorite movies of his one, and, unsurprisingly, it was a critical and financial flop when it was released. Honestly, could you expect such a weird dark tale to reach an audience back in the 50’s? Even myself, 60 years later, I find it difficult to grasp the whole thing. Roger Ebert had some interesting theories about this movie, that it was some kind of nightmare which was something I didn’t think of while watching it and he also described it as an horror feature but I didn’t really agree on this. Like I said before, the whole thing is rather odd and, sometimes, it jumps from one scene to another without much continuity but there is no denying that it was quite spellbinding to behold. Above all, it is not often that you will come across such a despicable messed up and yet somewhat charismatic main character with a pitch perfect Robert Mitchum. To conclude, it is a really unique feature, a fascinating flick and it is definitely worth a look.

The Night of the Hunter is truly a stand-alone masterwork. A horror movie with qualities of a Grimm fairy tale, it stars a sublimely sinister Robert Mitchum as a traveling preacher named Harry Powell, whose nefarious motives for marrying a fragile widow, played by Shelley Winters, are uncovered by her terrified young children. Graced by images of eerie beauty and a sneaky sense of humor, this ethereal, expressionistic American classic is cinema’s most eccentric rendering of the battle between good and evil. The war of wills between Mitchum and Gish is the heart of the film's final third, a masterful blend of horror and lyricism. Laughton's tight, disciplined direction is superb. The music by Walter Schumann and the cinematography of Stanley Cortez are every bit as brilliant as the contributions by Laughton and Agee.

"Leaning... leaning... safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning... leaning... leaning on the everlasting arms."

Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter is another definitive example of a monochrome masterpiece tragically overlooked and criticised upon initial release. Director Charles Laughton was reportedly so disappointed and saddened by the film's poor critical and commercial reception that he vowed never to direct again...and he never did. Truth be told, every moment of Laughton's film is riveting and thrilling...haunting performances, evocative music and a terrific contrast of light and dark.

Film critics from 1955 have a lot to answer for. Said critics ridiculed The Night of the Hunter: it was continually and collectively criticised as more funny than sinister, and seldom suspenseful. Frankly, one must wonder if they were watching the same movie because, once all these geriatric buffoons were securely ensconced in retirement homes for anguished movie-folk, decent contemporary film pundits have acknowledged the genuine splendour of Laughton's cinematic achievement. The film is certainly corny, and it probably comes across as pretentious and overwrought. Much of the repetitive music has dated and lost its potency. And yes, at times the film is laughable and some facets are impossible to believe...yet every frame is gripping and it's hard to lose interest. Ignored for decades, but now the film is impossible to ignore. Currently it's rightfully regarded as a masterpiece: the title it should have been granted in the first place.

Harry Powell (Mitchum) is a crook disguised as a preacher. Harry travels across America from town to town; convinced he's doing the Lord's bidding as he murders widowed women whom he believes should no longer be a target for the lust of men. He arrives in another small town where he's arrested for car theft. Harry shares a cell with a man named Ben Harper (Graves). Ben stole $10,000 and murdered a number of people, and is condemned to face the hangman's noose. But he hides the money with his two children, John (Chapin) and Pearl (Bruce). Harry Powell learns of this money and desires to get his hands on it. After being released from gaol and witnessing the execution of Ben Harper, Harry then pursues Ben's widow Willa (Winters) with the objective in mind of obtaining the money. Willa doesn't know of the money's location, but John and Pearl do. Harry marries the gullible Willa with a secret agenda on his mind. It soon becomes clear to John of Harry's true intentions...but no-one will believe him.

Robert Mitchum is mesmeric as the evil pseudo-preacher. Mitchum grinds out an unsettling study in menacing, inveighing malevolence on a par with his performance in the original Cape Fear. Harry Powell is a truly sinister, hymn-chanting "preacher" who roams the countryside as he steals and kills. This psychopath abhors sexuality and all things feminine as he leaves a trail of dead women in his wake. Mitchum is truly incredible at the film's dramatic core. His character of Harry Powell is one of cinema's greatest villains: he's the archetypal evil stepfather that only a child can see through. Apparently Mitchum's performance is so highly regarded that it was among Robert De Niro's chief influences when he portrayed Max Cady in Martin Scorsese's 1991 Cape Fear remake (ironically, Mitchum portrayed Cady in the original Cape Fear). The interminable sound of Mitchum's Harry Powell spitting out a repetitive hymn is haunting. This certain hymn is so unforgettable in Mitchum's performance that it disturbed me for weeks.
The rest of the cast cannot match Mitchum or even come close to his standard. Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce are fairly impressive as the kids considering their age. Director Charles Laughton hated kids so much that he despised directing them throughout the production. Consequently, Mitchum directed the kids a number of times.
Shelley Winters is worth mentioning as the troubled widow. She presents a very impressive portrayal.

As I previously stated, Laughton is terrific at handling the directing duties. The Night of the Hunter is such a suspenseful experience imbued with immortal, haunting images and tunes. Laughton's direction and Stanley Cortez's cinematography creates a banquet of visual delights. There are ambitious helicopter shots, deep focus, underwater photography (an astonishing, virtually surreal picture of a corpse sitting in a car at the bottom of the river, hair streaming in amongst the river weed with throat deeply cut is pure genius) in addition to incredible utilisation of light and shadow. The opening sequence is probably the most memorable image the film has to offer: an arrestingly modern aerial shot, followed by the moment when Mitchum's sociopathic preacher appears on the screen, "LOVE" and "HATE" tattooed on his knuckles.
Like I said before, the film has unfortunately dated as well. There are a few technical imperfections that cause an audience to wonder what just happened. Perhaps if a few things were better distinguished the film would have stood the test of time more effectively. Still, the filmmakers had guts to create a story like this during the 1950s.

All in all, The Night of the Hunter is a suspenseful horror film that succeeds in creating a nightmarish atmosphere for its characters to develop in. It's definitely dated and occasionally comes across as slightly cheesy...nevertheless this is essential viewing. It's also worth noting that credibility is occasionally this film's enemy. It's difficult to believe that a woman would agree to marry a man a mere 24 hours after their first meeting. Robert Mitchum is still magnetic enough to keep his audience enthralled throughout the film's sometimes silly occurrences.

7.9/10