The Night of the Hunter

Set in Depression-era West Virginia, The Night of the Hunter follows two young children, John and Pearl, whose father hides stolen money near their home and makes them promise to keep its location secret before he is arrested and sentenced to death. In prison he shares a cell with Harry Powell, a self-styled preacher who is in fact a murderer. Once released, Powell pursues the children, determined to find the money, and insinuates himself into their family.

Charles Laughton directed the film, his first time behind the camera, working from a screenplay he wrote with James Agee. Robert Mitchum plays Powell, with Shelley Winters as the children's mother, Lillian Gish as Rachel Cooper, and Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce as John and Pearl. It was released in 1955 and runs 93 minutes.

The film holds a rating of 8 out of 10 on IMDb from over 95,000 votes, a 7.9 out of 10 on TMDB, and a critics' rating of 9.1 out of 10 from 86 reviews. Made in the United States by Paul Gregory Productions and released through United Artists, it has drawn consistent approval from both audiences and critics over the decades.