Wow, I just cannot say enough bad things about this film. The acting covers the complete spectrum from "ham-fisted" to "wooden." Poor Shelly Winters is obviously misdirected to deliver her lines as though she were reading from a cue card. If you don't believe she can act, check out "A Patch of Blue" or "The Diary of Anne Frank." She is certainly capable of better than this horrible performance which evokes no emotion whatsoever beyond disbelief. And Robert Mitchum! He certainly shows some chops, but my goodness, has there ever been a more ignorant and stupid character in film history? He'd fit right in with "Dumb and Dumber!" How could anyone in his position (who ostensibly had gotten away with murder and robbery on several occasions) NOT see that the money was hidden in the doll? He oozes menace in some scenes, but then is reduced to popping up like something in a carnival shooting gallery and whooping his way into a barn when Lillian Gish shoots him. Seriously, if you want subdued menace in a BELIEVABLE character, how about Tony Perkins in "Psycho" or Sterling Hayden in almost anything? The only actors who manage to pull off believable performances are Billy Chapin and a wonderful Peter Graves, who, in the few minutes he has on screen, out-acts old Bob handily. Think about it, you actually sympathize with a robber and murderer because Graves turns in an almost "Fonda-esque" performance. Oh, and I can't leave out the wonderful old James Gleason as Uncle Birdie. He's both likable and pitiful and has far too little screen time.
In addition to lame dialogue and poor directing, the sound track is an evil entity of its own. Laughton uses it with the subtlety of a jackhammer to announce that "Rev Powell is a bad guy" or "Rev Powell is on that train," etc. I'm all for overshadowing but these "hints" are more like headlines.
Most of the remaining cast of characters are almost cartoons. Evelyn Varden does a particularly egregious bit of overacting as "Icey Spoon". In fact the film itself could be a parody of film noir! Come on, Lillian Gish actually SINGS A DUET with the menacing man sitting outside her house waiting to kill her! I have no idea why people feel compelled to rave about the greatness of this film. It doesn't hold a candle to REAL 1950's film classics like Kubrick's "The Killing" or "Hatful of Rain" or "On the Waterfront," which has more feeling and menace and credibility in the cab scene than "Night of the Hunter" has in its entire fabric. Face it folks, there's a good reason why this was Charles Laughton's ONLY directorial offering.
In addition to lame dialogue and poor directing, the sound track is an evil entity of its own. Laughton uses it with the subtlety of a jackhammer to announce that "Rev Powell is a bad guy" or "Rev Powell is on that train," etc. I'm all for overshadowing but these "hints" are more like headlines.
Most of the remaining cast of characters are almost cartoons. Evelyn Varden does a particularly egregious bit of overacting as "Icey Spoon". In fact the film itself could be a parody of film noir! Come on, Lillian Gish actually SINGS A DUET with the menacing man sitting outside her house waiting to kill her! I have no idea why people feel compelled to rave about the greatness of this film. It doesn't hold a candle to REAL 1950's film classics like Kubrick's "The Killing" or "Hatful of Rain" or "On the Waterfront," which has more feeling and menace and credibility in the cab scene than "Night of the Hunter" has in its entire fabric. Face it folks, there's a good reason why this was Charles Laughton's ONLY directorial offering.