The Night of the hunter [DVD]

On its initial release “The Night of the Hunter” shocked audiences and critics with its combination of lyrical imagery and sadistic violence. However, this masterpiece of horror, directed by actor Charles Laughton and based on a script by author and critic, James Agee, remains one of the most astonishingly beautiful and disturbing films ever made. Two young children are thrown into a nightmarish world when their mother (Shelley Winters), remarries a psychopathic preacher (Robert Mitchum), murder forces them to flee and seek refuge with an old woman (the magnificent Lillian Gish). As the preacher pursues them through the rural splendour of the South, the suspense and terror intensifies to an almost surreal pitch. Also stars James Gleason, Evelyn Varden and Peter Graves. Cinematography is by the master of light, Stanley Cortez. Mitchum’s frightening central performance is possibly the finest work of his career. Based on the novel by Davis Grubb. Music by Walter Schumann.