Director: Charles Laughton
Synopsis: Harry Powell (a lunatic con-man/murderer that believes God is talking to him and telling him to kill skanky women) shares a cell with a bank robber and learns about $10,000 the man hid with his wife and 2 young kids. Powell gets out of prison after his cell mate is executed and seduces the bank robber’s wife, trying to force the kids to reveal where the money is hidden.
My take: Night of the Hunter is a film of opposites – beyond the classic LOVE and HATE tattooed on Powell’s fingers. It mixes a kind of disturbing horror that hadn’t been seen before with smiley, goofy scenes that belong in It’s a Wonderful Life or garbage like that. Powell’s character alternates between intensely terrifying and ridiculously acted, especially in his conversations with God. I can see how this film was a big influence on the stalking killer genre, but some of it was just too damn silly (i.e. the ending).Most frightening image of 1950’s cinema: the mom’s dead body at the bottom of the river, the slit on her throat gaping wide open.
1 1/2 out of 4 Zombie Faces
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