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The Night of the Hunter

  • 1955
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
92K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,691
1,796
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer1:35
3 Videos
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir

A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.

  • Director
    • Charles Laughton
  • Writers
    • Davis Grubb
    • James Agee
    • Charles Laughton
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Shelley Winters
    • Lillian Gish
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.0/10
    92K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,691
    1,796
    • Director
      • Charles Laughton
    • Writers
      • Davis Grubb
      • James Agee
      • Charles Laughton
    • Stars
      • Robert Mitchum
      • Shelley Winters
      • Lillian Gish
    • 512User reviews
    • 222Critic reviews
    • 97Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins

    Videos3

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:35
    Watch Trailer
    The Night of the Hunter
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch The Night of the Hunter
    The Night of the Hunter
    Trailer 1:40
    Watch The Night of the Hunter

    Photos140

    Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum, Sally Jane Bruce, and Billy Chapin in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Sally Jane Bruce, and Billy Chapin in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, and Gloria Castillo in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Lillian Gish, Sally Jane Bruce, Cheryl Callaway, Gloria Castillo, Billy Chapin, and Mary Ellen Clemons in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum, Sally Jane Bruce, and Billy Chapin in The Night of the Hunter (1955)
    Robert Mitchum Nigt Of The Hunter (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Harry Powell
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Willa Harper
    Lillian Gish
    Lillian Gish
    • Rachel Cooper
    James Gleason
    James Gleason
    • Uncle Birdie Steptoe
    Evelyn Varden
    Evelyn Varden
    • Icey Spoon
    Peter Graves
    Peter Graves
    • Ben Harper
    Don Beddoe
    Don Beddoe
    • Walt Spoon
    Billy Chapin
    Billy Chapin
    • John Harper
    Sally Jane Bruce
    Sally Jane Bruce
    • Pearl Harper
    Gloria Castillo
    Gloria Castillo
    • Ruby
    • (as Gloria Castilo)
    Corey Allen
    Corey Allen
    • Young Man in Town
    • (uncredited)
    Oscar Blank
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Bryar
    Paul Bryar
    • Bart the Hangman
    • (uncredited)
    Nora Bush
    • Townswoman
    • (uncredited)
    Cheryl Callaway
    • Mary
    • (uncredited)
    Alexander Campbell
    Alexander Campbell
    • Judge
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Chapin
    Michael Chapin
    • Ruby's Boyfriend
    • (uncredited)
    Noble 'Kid' Chissell
    Noble 'Kid' Chissell
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Charles Laughton
    • Writers
      • Davis Grubb
      • James Agee
      • Charles Laughton(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The sequence with Powell riding a horse in the distance was actually a dwarf on a pony. It was filmed in false perspective.
    • Goofs
      (at around 59 mins) The turtle that John says could be made into soup is actually a desert tortoise, not found in West Virginia/Kentucky.
    • Quotes

      Rachel Cooper: It's a hard world for little things.

    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: La monnaie de l'absolu (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Dream, Little One, Dream
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      Arranged by Walter Schumann

      Sung by a chorus during the opening credits

      Reprised offscreen by an unidentified female when the chldren are on the run

    User reviews512

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    One of the most extraordinary movies ever made. Essential viewing for anybody interested in American movies!
    'The Night Of The Hunter' is recognized by most critics and hard core film buffs as one of the most extraordinary movies ever made, but sadly it's still frequently overlooked by the many movie fans, probably because it's so difficult to categorize. Yes, it's a thriller but it's also a child's nightmare. A Noir but also a fable. Robert Mitchum gives one of his very best performances as Harry Powell, the charming but evil preacher with "love" tattooed on one hand, "hate" on the other. Powell is one of the most memorable screen villains of all time, and 'The Night Of The Hunter' is worth watching just for Mitchum, who is mesmerizing. Shelley Winters is surprisingly effective as the widow Powell woos, Peter Graves has a small role at the beginning as her first husband, and Lillian Gish plays the saintly Ms. Cooper, guardian of unwanted children. Because this movie isn't set in isn't the "real world" many viewers don't know exactly how to react to it. Charles Laughton's small town America is a stylized, dreamlike place, in some ways not unlike David Lynch's twisted world depicted in 'Blue Velvet' and 'Twin Peaks'. It also reminds me of Flannery O'Connor's Gothic South in her classic novels 'Wise Blood' and 'The Violent Bear It Away'. Some of the scenes involving Powell menacing Winters' children deliberately invoke James Whale's 'Frankenstein', and the sequence depicting the children's journey down the river is charming but blatantly artificial. While I'm a big fan of "outsider" film makers like Russ Meyer, Coffin Joe and Alejandro Jodorowsky, I also greatly admire those who work within the system but still manage to subvert Hollywood with doses of surrealism. I'm thinking of movies such as 'Kiss Me Deadly', 'Shock Corridor' and 'The Manchurian Candidate'. Each of these films are unique but they also remind me of each other and of 'The Night Of The Hunter'. I highly recommend them all and wish that there were a lot more movies like them today. 'The Night Of The Hunter' is essential viewing for anybody interested in American movies!
    helpful•189
    51
    • Infofreak
    • May 20, 2004

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    FAQ11

    • Why do multiple characters such as Mr. Spoon and Bart refer their respective wives as "Mother" on multiple occasions?
    • What happens to the money in the end?The police confiscated the money after it spilled out of the doll.
    • What is 'The Night of the Hunter' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 27, 1955 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • MGM
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die Nacht des Jägers
    • Filming locations
      • Moundsville, West Virginia, USA
    • Production company
      • Paul Gregory Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $795,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,519
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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