Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Geoff C — 07 Apr 2012

One of the greatest horror-thrillers ever made. Shot in black and white and drawing on German expressionism, the film chronicles the attempts of Reverend Harry Powell, a serial killer and a con artist, to locate the $10,000 his cellmate, convicted robber Ben Harper, has hidden with his family.

To that end, he woos and marries Harper's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters), to gain access to Harper's children, who he believes know the location of the money. He cons Willa and the West Virginia townspeople but not the children.

He murders Willa but the children escape, floating down the river until they are rescued by the God-fearing Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish), who defends them against Powell. The film's unusual mise-en-scene with its odd camera angles and stark lighting create an atmosphere of dread and foreboding.

However, Robert Mitchum's greatest performance as the evil preacher with LOVE and HATE tattooed on his knuckles relentlessly pursuing the defenseless children while singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" makes the film one of the most disturbing ever made.

Some of the images recorded by cinematographer Stanley Cortez linger long in the memory. The image of the dead Shelley Winters, tied in her Model T Ford, sitting at the bottom of the river with her hair streaming with the seaweed in the river haunts me still.