100 All-Time Films (To see the entire list, click here)
Charles Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter (1955)
This is a film unlike any you’ve seen before. It has a very lyrical and expressionistic style that was unique compared to other films of its time. It was also the only film directed by Charles Laughton. It was one of those out-of-the-blue masterpieces.
I liken this movie to a scary children’s bedtime story, maybe like a Grimm fairy tale. A prison inmate played by the extraordinary Robert Mitchum breaks out of jail and takes on the role of a preacher. Adults are enamored by him while children, specifically the two protagonists, can sniff out his evil. The film overly emphasizes his nightmarish qualities while their sweet savior Rachel, is shown to be just the opposite. These views are as a kid would see the people, which is part of the brilliance of the film.
Most famous for the tattoos on Mitchum’s knuckles (later used in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing), it really is a quirky take on the battle of good and evil but an absolutely unforgettable film. The film has images of eerie beauty and odd humor that pulls together to make an expressionistic American classic.
