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The Night of the Hunter (re-release)
The Night of the Hunter (re-release) Image
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Metascore
99 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 6 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 30 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters
  • Summary: In this re-release of 1955's eerie meditation on good and evil, a demented preacher (Mitchum) relentlessly torments two small children in the Depression-era Bible Belt in order to get at their dead father's stolen fortune.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    One of the greatest of all American films, but has never received the attention it deserves because of its lack of the proper trappings. Many "great movies'' are by great directors, but Laughton directed only this one film, which was a critical and commercial failure long overshadowed by his acting career.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    This is the only film Laughton ever directed, and he packed it with a mixture of eerie chills, ingenious suspense, and absurdist humor. It's a genuine classic.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    This start for Gregory as producer and Laughton as director is rich in promise but the completed product, bewitching at times, loses sustained drive via too many offbeat touches that have a misty effect.

See all 6 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. powerjack00
    10
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    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. LordNaseby
    10
    Pretty much as brilliant as movies get. Mitchum plays the serial killer preacher(his favorite role he said) with absolutely no morals(except get money). The scene on the porch at night is probably THE most brilliant movie scene in history. Good acting, good story, good movie. this is film making at it's very best. A suspenseful masterpiece. there are moments where i am actually worried that he would catch the kids. An excellent film. I particularly like how he would fool his victims and their friends. He has more or less memorized the basics of Christianity and he uses that for his own ends. He is so evil that you like him a lot. also I like how this was Laughton's first attempt at directing. It was his first time and he came up with this. the only other time that I have seen that is with Citizen Kane. A masterpiece that will never fade into the ages. It has and will continue to stand the test of time.… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  3. DHE
    2
    Overall, this movie is a mess. It was badly acted, badly directed, and the plotting was plodding. Suspenseful? Give me a break. The child actors were especially annoying and the extras were just plain silly. I like classics, so it's not just that it's an old movie. This could easily be the worst movie I ever watched all the way through. I would give it a zero except for some interesting camera work (for which Laughton may or may not deserve credit).… Expand
    • 0 of 2 users said yes

See all 12 User Reviews

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