THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Charles Laughton

Written by - James Agee, Charles Laughton (based on a novel by Davis Grubb)

Starring - Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish

"A religious fanatic marries a widow to get closer to her children, who are reluctant to tell him where their dead father hid the 10,000 dollars he stole and was hung for. The Night of the Hunter is one of the most amazing nightmarish vision ever brought to the screen, and while it seems to be influenced by the popular film noir style of the time and from older fables like ones from The Brothers Grimm, Laughton's film is simply one of the most unique and doesn't resemble many productions which came before it or indeed after it. A haunting portrait of good and evil, this film was deemed too avant garde at the time of its release, yet today it stands as the most well preserved productions of the fifties, and none of the power of its thematic representation of good and evil has been lost. Furthermore, Robert Mitchum in his performance as the iconic preacher with 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his hands is a powerful, sinister, cunning,  menacing presence; a performance worthy of praise."

Noir, USA