The Night of the Hunter, 1955.
Directed by Charles Laughton.
Starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce.
SYNOPSIS:
Shortly before he is executed for murder, young John and Pearl Harper’s father makes the two swear to never reveal the location of the $10,000 he stole from his victims. The presence of hidden money peaks the interest of Harry Powell, a deranged preacher and serial killer who will stop at nothing to take the money for himself.
When we talk of the history of horror, we often think of the 1950s as being something of a rather mixed era. While the Europeans, recovering from the horrors of war, managed to craft all manner of stylish and creative works that continue to influence directors to this day, America seemed largely content to pump out a deluge of cheesy atomic-themed B-movies with a slight hint of commie scaremongering.
At least, that’s what we often think. Take a closer look and maybe loosen up the definition of “horror” a tad and you find yourself some nice little treasures.
Perhaps no treasure is more deserving of its sparkling reputation as a classic of both horror and of cinema in general than Charles Laughton’s dark fairy tale-infused horror thriller The Night of the Hunter. Suffice to say this is one film you’ll definitely want in your collection.
There are a lot of reasons to watch The Night of the Hunter but if I had to pick just one it’s this: Robert Mitchum. Mitchum’s outstanding performance as Harry Powell is one of the great villain performances of all time, a devious character whose charming and fatherly exterior as a God-fearing preacher hides a creature of barely repressed sexual rage and murderous intent.
With a lesser actor in the role, Henry Powell could have easily been a rather one-note evil character that leaves no lasting impression. Mitchum however, with his towering presence and magnetic charm, elevates the character into a much more complex and fascinating beast, one laced with charm but also dripping with greed and evil. Yet, Mitchum, with his soothing yet sinister voice still makes this repellent character somewhat alluring and you really find yourself sitting up when he starts to preach from “The Good Book”. You’ll also never hear another man whose singing voice makes you break out in goosebumps quite like Mitchum.
Mitchum’s performance is supported by an excellent supporting cast who all manage to take their potentially one-note characters and develop them into much deeper ones, with the stellar performances only leaving you wanting to know more about each one of them.
Shelley Winters is on fine form as the widowed Mrs Harper who finds herself seduced by the evil Powell’s charms, yet made to feel like a sinner by him because she longs for pleasures of the flesh. We also have a terrific turn from silent movie legend Lillian Gish as Rachael Cooper, a strong-willed matriarch whose stern yet kindly religious leanings contrast against the fiery hypocritical rhetoric of Powell.
Even the child actors are excellent, especially Billy Chapin as John Harper, a troubled child but one who is wise enough to see through Powell’s facade, with the young actor excelling at creating a character who we can sympathise with in his battle of wits against the murderous preacher.
While Charles Laughton is perhaps best known for his celebrated work as an actor, The Night of the Hunter marked the first time he stepped behind the camera and what a wise move it was indeed with Laughton drawing from the films of the past to create his images. The most obvious inspiration on Laughton’s visual style is the macabre and striking visuals of German Expressionism, with the film being draped in heavy shadows, low lighting and a bizarre deliberately artificial-looking set design which makes the film’s frames seem like pages in a dark picture book.
None is this more evident in the middle of the film in which the Harper children find themselves sailing down the river in a raft, their small boat viewed through the gaps of a giant spider web and watched upon by all manner of creatures on the riverbank. The whole sequence plays out like something straight out of the tales of the Brothers Grimm and it’s hauntingly beautiful to watch.
I personally love the way the film uses shadows, with the image of Powell’s recognisable hat casting a looming and ominous figure through the children’s bedroom window being a particularly chilling image. Or in what is easily my favourite part of the film, a chilling duet of the old hymn ‘Leaning on the Everlasting Arms’ between Powell and Cooper, with the lighting serving to mark the two as “light and dark” or “good and evil” in a subtle and clever bit of imagery.
With one of the greatest villains ever committed to film courtesy of one of the most charismatic actors of his era, beautifully dark visuals and an effectively simple story that keeps you glued to the screen, The Night of the Hunter is a masterpiece that every cinephile should have in their collection.
The only disappointing thing here is that, despite clearly being a master behind the camera, Charles Laughton never directed another film. Now that’s a real sin.
Scare Rating: ? ? ?
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Graeme Robertson
