The Night of the Hunter

By Mr. Tropnevad

Summary

Preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum)learns that his cellmate Ben Harper (Peter Graves)has $10,000.00 on his property in a small town. When Powell is released he charms his way into the hearts of the towns people and into Ben's widow (Shelley Winters). Powell is desperate for the money and the only thing that stands in his way are the widow's children.



Expectations

This movie is something different from the 50s. How different you ask. If you were to Google “the top 100 scariest movies” this movie is usually on the list. It isn’t at the bottom or even the middle. I have seen it within the top ten to top 20 range. My mother-in-law asked me to review this and I told her that I have seen this but in bits and pieces. The overall question I had going into this was can it live up to today’s horror suspense standards and is it something someone can find scary.

The Review

I was unaware that this was based off of a book by Davis Grubb. It can still be found in paperback for about $10 but good luck buying it in hardback. Amazon sells it for $160. After watching this I would like to see the differences in the two. I have a strong feeling though that the book can’t hold up to the movie due to Robert Mitchum. The man is a huge intimidating factor in the movie and I believe without him being the antagonist the movie would fall flat.

Mitchum plays Reverend Harry Powell who does everything in the name of god. That’s right folks a 1950s movie that has an insane preacher in it. That was something uncommon for the 50s and it is still rarely scene today. Lets get down to business with the preacher. In the first two minutes and forty seconds we have our first death. It’s just a pair of legs in a cellar but its enough to give you the chills due to the circumstances of how it is found. After all this wasn’t something people saw everyday at the movies in the 50s.

Powell is different than most preachers. He is wanting ten thousand dollars and will do anything to get it. All in the name of god. Within ten minutes we understand his hatred for women. While he is sitting at a burlesque show he is getting angry just watching a woman dance. I got the idea he was trying to hide from the police but really why go watch promiscuous women when we clearly understand you hate them by the look and reaction he gives. Then we see his knuckles have tattoos that say love on one hand and hate on another. So naturally he isn’t our normal preacher.

We come across Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who has stolen ten grand and took it home and gave it to his kids to hide. Problem is while he is in jail Powell is bunking with Harper and keeps trying to find a way to get him to talk so he can get the money. Then we find out that the Powell somehow brought a switchblade into his cell. He continues to preach to Harper telling him all the good that could be done with the money. Then we have our next death in the movie which is Harper’s hanging. We don’t see it but it is interesting to know that America was still hanging people at this time for murder.

After Harper’s death Powell is set free and he heads to Harper's town to try and get the money from the family. When Powell arrives in the town he has an intimidating look and he can draw people in by his voice. He does a wonderful job of convincing everyone in town that he is a nice preacher and he was helping Harper in prison. Her son John (Billy Chapin) doesn’t trust him.

The movie really starts to heat up after the mom and the Powell get married. Everyone in town is excited for them except for John because he knows the man is there for other reasons. On their wedding night Powell is lying in bed and the mom tries to act sexual before getting into bed. This is something that was rarely scene at this time if at all. Powell begins to express his hatred for sex and tells her that sex is only for having children and nothing else.

One night while the mom is away from home Powell asks the children one by one where the money is. The atmosphere is creepy because the house is quite and you can tell the children are frightened. They know he is there for the money and not to be a father. We get an outside view of the house where the fog is thick and the house appears to be alive with evil. During these outside shots we hear Powell talking and that is enough to frighten anyone. During the next several nights confrontation between the kids and Powell increases and you begin to question when Powell is going to find the money and kill the children.

Billy Chapin is decent for a child actor. Actually he is better than most child actors of today. He isn’t great or even excellent but he does a wonderful job of getting his seriousness across. The title of the movie comes from half way through the movie when Powell hunts these kids down until he can find them. The boy begins to question when Powell sleeps and doesn't understand what keeps Powell motivated.

When Powell is searching for the children he uses religion, good looks, and a strong voice to persuade a young girl into telling him everything he wants to know. This alone shows how dangerous the preacher is and you can see just how religion is used as a vice at this point. I mean it was already bad enough that he did everything but now he is seducing a young girl.

Near the end of the movie I began to question the story more and more. I had more than one issue but my main problem involved the police. We see the police at the beginning of the movie and why doesn’t anyone call the police half way through the film. Seriously there are several instances where I found my self questioning where the police were. I just couldn’t believe that adults wouldn’t call the police and that even a child as young as John was unaware to call them.

Overall Thoughts

The movie is very entertaining but by no means should anyone think that this is a horror movie. This is a genuine thriller at best and you will find yourself entertained throughout. The movie can still hold up to today's standards even though there is that small issue of no one calling the police. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and Robert Mitchum will amaze you by how he can be so intimidating.

This movie should be watched and if anything it shows children that when some weirdo comes into your life and starts bossing around your mom and beating your siblings that the police need to be called. Normally I wouldn’t say this but I would actually like to see this remade. Only problem is I know Hollywood would turn it into a slasher film and ruin the entire movie. It could be done but I don’t think anyone could play the preacher. I recommend buying this on blu-ray because this is the criterion collection which means this is the best the movie will ever look and there are tons of extras to watch. Amazon sells this for $25 for the blu-ray and $10 for the DVD.

Overall-buy