The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The critic calls it a welcome revival and one of classic cinema’s great uncategorisable outliers that returns triumphantly to the big screen. They single out its unique mix of Christian parable, folk tale and social concerns, along with the striking Carpenter Gothic visuals by Stanley Cortez and Lillian Gish’s performance.

The review hails the film as cutting a clear line between innocence and depravity in Charles Laughton’s sole directorial effort. It singles out Robert Mitchum’s performance as the heart of absolute darkness and the masterful black-and-white contrasts that make it the most haunted and dreamlike of American films.

The critic deems it the greatest directorial one-off in cinema history, praising its elemental power rooted in American conflicts of sin, violence, and good versus evil. Mitchum's dark charisma and Cortez's shadows create terror, while the river sequence offers poetic allure.

The critic deems it one of the finest movies ever made, lauding Mitchum's magnetic performance as the preacher villain and the film's innovative direction and lyrical river sequence.

The review presents the film as a timeless masterpiece blending Expressionism, folk tale, and parable, noting its initial mixed reception and later acclaim. It singles out the child's-eye view and the contrast between Mitchum's villain and Gish's benevolence for praise.

The critic calls it one of the greatest American films, praising its expressionistic style, timeless quality, and unforgettable villain. He highlights the visual fantasy and Mitchum's iconic performance as elements that make it enduring despite its initial failure.

The critic calls the film one of the most twisted evocations of godliness gone awry. Laughton's delirious compositions evoke a Grimm landscape where love wars with hate, making it perhaps the best film about spiritual perseverance.

A restored version of Charles Laughton's sole directorial outing shows the movie has lost none of its haunting visual power. Unforgettably haunting images make this a perennially unsettling masterpiece.

The critic calls the film one of the greatest American films, praising its lyrical strangeness, technical brilliance in photography, and status as a masterpiece despite its initial failure.

The rereleased 1955 thriller still has the power to shock despite its flaws. It has grown in stature over the decades and is now regarded as a masterpiece of American cinema.

The piece celebrates Laughton’s beautiful and terrifying masterpiece as one of the strangest and finest films of 1950s Hollywood, with its expressionist style and nightmare atmosphere. It singles out Mitchum’s performance for praise while noting occasional broad-comedy moments that keep the film just short of the very greatest achievements.

The review highlights the re-release of Laughton's only film as a genuine film noir and intriguing cautionary melodrama, noting Mitchum's casting as the homicidal preacher.

The review describes the film as a weird and intriguing horror story with stark visuals and strong performances, especially Mitchum's chilling preacher. It notes that the story's toughness softens toward the end with a message about children enduring.

The critic finds the film uneven, alternately artistic and arty, with too much allegory and heavy-handed contrasts. He praises the performances, especially Mitchum's, and notes it avoids usual movie banalities even if it ultimately fails.

The critic praises the film's timeless themes of greed, faith, and manipulation, highlighting Robert Mitchum's chilling yet charismatic performance as the villainous preacher. They single out the effective use of shadows, silhouettes, and music for enhancing the horror elements.

The critic hails the film as an extraordinary, visionary one-and-done masterpiece that blends horror, Southern Gothic, suspense, and dreamlike fable in a unique way. He singles out its unforgettable high-contrast black-and-white imagery, especially the river sequences and expressionistic shadows, as the element that makes it unrepeatable.

The critic describes the film as a brilliant oddity and unsettling vision combining religious allegory, horror, fairytale, and noir, praising the haunting black and white photography and Mitchum's repulsive yet alluring villain performance. They note Lillian Gish's strong supporting role and lament that Laughton directed only this one film.

The critic praises the film as a grim American fairy tale with ethereal cinematography that was misunderstood upon release but has since become an American classic. He singles out Robert Mitchum's icily seductive performance as the magnetic antagonist Rev. Harry Powell and the distinctive, dreamy visuals for particular acclaim.