"It's a hard world for little things."

I read in multiple places that The Night of the Hunter was a critical and commercial failure when it was released in the United States way back in 1955. After finally seeing this dark little gem after years of procrastination, I can fully understand HOW it would've been a failure but I still don't know WHY.

The Night of the Hunter is just inches short of being a masterpiece. A truly one of a kind film both figuratively and literally. Not a lot of other films come close to blending many genres and tones this seamlessly and sadly director/actor Charles Laughton never got a chance to prove himself twice. The failure of the film in 1955 ensured that he never directed again, so it makes this film's success and legacy all the more profound.

I could sit here all day and beam on and on about how stupid people must have been back then, but like I said above, I understand how it would've been polarized.

The Night of the Hunter was just too damn cool and too damn twisted.

It's got a cool title. Possibly the coolest ever.

It's got a cool villain.

It's got a twisted story.

It's got a twisted filming style.

I think this film must've broke the brains of the general public back in the day. Often the movies that are the first to try new things were polarized but became recognized later on. Criterion did an amazing job bringing this experimental film out of the golden age; the sharp black and white photography looked sharp as the stiletto the preacher carries. When the picture isn't sharp as a knife its saturated and dense. It's amazing how much the director was able to accomplish with just two colors here. He managed to create a nightmarish and surreal feeling by just using different lighting and set effects. It was technically and thematically ahead of its time.

The whole film essentially plays out like one big childish nightmare. Two young children, John and Pearl, have recently lost their father. He was a death row inmate who was executed for murder. Before he was hauled away to the big house, he left his children with a large sum of money to stash and protect with their lives. Enter Reverend Harry Powell. He shared a cell with the children's father and learned of the sum of money, but not of its whereabouts. Upon his release the false prophet makes his way to the homestead to cozy up to the desperate widow and pry the secret from the kids. Harry Powell is played with a charming and enigmatic power by Robert Mitchum. He virtually steals the show as the menacing and two-faced fake preacher. He is a charming man of god on the outside but he wields a stiletto in his pocket and carries a twisted soul behind his homely face and bouncy hair. He is two men basically. He has "love" tattooed across his knuckles on one hand and "hate" on the other. This is a symbol of the duality of men and he represents the force of nature behind every struggle between good and evil. He is stuff of nightmares and virtually represents the grim reaper to the children he is trying to rob and possibly murder. He is always cast in ominous light and his shadow stretches long across walls. The nightmarish sets and dreamlike lighting almost reminded me of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in some ways. It all looks like a twisted fairytale. And I was transfixed throughout.

I seriously wish I had gotten to this sooner. Reverend Harry Powell instantly became one of my favorite on screen characters and seeing him at work was morbidly fascinating. The film takes some dark turns and is pretty bleak in its nightmarish tone. But once the children reach their safe haven the film lightens up and it almost becomes an entirely different movie once the children think they are away from Powell and their nightmares. But his return is always marked with a return to nightmarish cinematic qualities. I truly was sad that this movie ended. It ended on a happy note but I could've watched Powell chase these kids to the end of the universe. I wanted it to go on forever. They all mesh well and it was a great fable of epic proportions. It contained commentaries on church, money, inner struggles, and most importantly childhood naivety and innocence. It was a very nostalgic feeling movie; it had kids down by the creek, going fishing and saying hi to the friendly and hospitable neighbors. Its a picturesque suburban portrait but its all turned upside down by Powell rolling into town. His entrance and his plotting and scheming propels the movie forward like a steam engine. That being said, I think the finale was thematically rich but I felt it was pretty anticlimactic given the amazing buildup and characterization. But I still loved it. I still loved the terrible child acting as well. It was all charming despite being a twisty and dark thriller. The Night of the Hunter was a macabre fairy tale that I won't soon forget. And I recommend it to all who haven't seen it yet!

And who else thought little Pearl looked like a fucking alien?