NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) review

At times, Night of the Hunter has an uneven tone to it, but I’ll be damned if the movie isn’t genius despite it. The theme weighs heavy on the bond of family and the desperate need to find security for those under your charge.

If you’re not in the know, the movie focuses on a serial killing preacher who worms his way into a widow’s house to find the stolen money stashed away by her late husband. The money’s whereabouts is known only to her two children; the eldest boy has sworn a vow to keep his sister and the money protected at all costs.

Night of the Hunter is pure fairytale — and when the kids take a journey down the river to escape their sinister step-father, the world itself literally turns into a Grimm’s fairy tale. I’m guessing it was shot on a soundstage: the harsh nature of the flowing water and mud is in sharp contrast to studio lighting and perfectly framed shots of predatory birds and frolicking bunnies. It’s surreal, mesmerizing and nightmarish. Only more so that it delves into some extremely dark issues: murder, child abuse, religious hypocrisy and moral apathy. It’s no surprise the film is cited as being influential to the cinema of David Lynch and the Coen Brothers.

Like I said above, there is an uneven tone to it. The preacher is a force of darkness. He has a Ted Bundy/Charles Manson control over women (most of whom he murders) and has no qualms in terrorizing kids (threatening to break arms, chasing them with an ominous switchblade). But then there are weird Home Alone moments where he’s comically dispatched (a string of glass jars fall on his head and the only thing missing is a halo of cartoon birds circling his head). But in the end, it’s a minor annoyance. There’s a reason why Night of the Hunter stands next to Citizen Kane as one of the best films ever made, and one of the scariest ever seen.