It’s a hard world for little things.
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.
The Night of the Hunter (1955) is a crime, drama and thriller film directed by Charles Laughton, released on July 26, 1955 with a runtime of 1h 33m. It stars Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish and Billy Chapin. Viewers rate it 7.9 out of 10 across 1,896 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Night of the Hunter before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Night of the Hunter.
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Teaser
Featurette
Featurette
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Featurette
Robert Mitchum
as Preacher Harry Powell
Shelley Winters
as Willa Harper
Lillian Gish
as Rachel Cooper
Billy Chapin
as John Harper
Sally Jane Bruce
as Pearl Harper
James Gleason
as Uncle Birdie Steptoe
Evelyn Varden
as Icey Spoon
Don Beddoe
as Walt Spoon
Peter Graves
as Ben Harper
James Griffith
as District Attorney
Gloria Castillo
as Ruby
Gloria Pall
as Burlesque Dancer
Directed by Charles Laughton, written by Charles Laughton, Davis Grubb and James Agee, produced by Paul Gregory.
Average viewer score of 7.9/10 from 1,896 ratings.
The only film directed by the great English actor Charles Laughton, "The Night of the Hunter" is a brilliant allegory about the battle between good and evil. The film failed upon its release but is now considered a classic. Robert Mitchum has never been better as the malevolent "preacher" who marries the hapless Shelley Winters. Mitchum had been in prison with Winters husband and knows there is money to be had from…
Reviewed on March 22, 2016
Laughton crafts a nightmarish fairytale that stands up now as a true masterpiece. A religious maniac marries an idiotic widow and mother of two children in the hope of finding out where the $10,000 is hidden that the now executed husband and father garnered from a robbery. Upon release back in 1955, the critics of the time kicked this first directorial effort from Charles Laughton to such a degree he never directed…
Reviewed on September 18, 2019
Continuing with my quest to establish where or not Charles Laughton ever made a bad movie, I recently came, again, to this - one of my all time favourite films. I remember cowering behind the sofa as a child when this film came on television late in the evening. It all centres around a robber who has hidden $10,000 somewhere. His jailbird pal "Powell" (Robert Mitchum) is out, masquerading as a puritanical preacher,…
Reviewed on March 28, 2023
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The Night of the Hunter (1955) is available to stream on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Criterion Channel and MGM Plus, and to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home and Spectrum On Demand. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Night of the Hunter (1955) includes Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce. The film was directed by Charles Laughton. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Night of the Hunter was released on July 26, 1955 and runs for 1h 33m.
The Night of the Hunter (1955) holds an average rating of 7.9 out of 10 from 1,896 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime, drama and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Night of the Hunter trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
