Overview
A chilling tale of deception and survival unfolds as a family faces a sinister predator.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- nightmarish
- foreboding
- oppressive
- classic film night
- dark rainy evening
What critics said
Though initially rejected by audiences and critics for its stylized melodrama, the film is now broadly regarded as a landmark, visually daring classic of film noir.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film transforms the river, the children's flight, and domestic interiors into highly stylized spaces of menace and wonder.
Harry Powell's fraudulent religious persona is contrasted with the children and Rachel Cooper's protective moral clarity.
The concealed ten thousand dollars, hidden in Pearl's doll, motivates Powell's manipulation of the Harper family.
Powell targets Willa as a widow and uses evangelical respectability to gain access to her children and the stolen money.
Films like The Night of the Hunter, and why
Shadow of a Doubt
shared film noir atmosphere, criminal predation, moral ambiguity, and stylized visual storytelling
Cape Fear
shared nightmarish crime melodrama, endangered children, and a charismatic domestic predator
The Seventh Seal
shared expressionist imagery, religious symbolism, and a battle between innocence and corruption
Movie Details
- Director
- Charles Laughton
- Release Date
- 1955-07-26
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (1910)
Cast
- Robert Mitchum
- Shelley Winters
- Lillian Gish
- Billy Chapin
- Sally Jane Bruce
- James Gleason
- Evelyn Varden
- Don Beddoe
- Peter Graves
- James Griffith
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Night of the Hunter about?
- A fraudulent preacher hunts two children for stolen money in a haunting Depression-era fable about predation, innocence, and moral resistance.
- What is The Night of the Hunter like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Night of the Hunter as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Night of the Hunter violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Night of the Hunter as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Night of the Hunter?
- Though initially rejected by audiences and critics for its stylized melodrama, the film is now broadly regarded as a landmark, visually daring classic of film noir.
- Which films are like The Night of the Hunter?
- Films with a similar feel include Shadow of a Doubt, Cape Fear, and The Seventh Seal.
- How long is The Night of the Hunter?
- The Night of the Hunter runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Night of the Hunter?
- In United States, The Night of the Hunter streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
