I've Been Bad

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1955's Night of the Hunter, the sole feature directed by prolific actor Charles Laughton, is perhaps the most reliable re-enactment of a nightmare seen through the eyes of children. Adults, by and large, cannot be trusted--and those that seemingly can are weak, off-putting, and fail to protect them. For ankle-biters John and Pearl, the danger comes in the form of a murderous, corrupt "Preacher" named Harry Powell (the always-fantastic Robert Mitchum, clearly in his element here), with LOVE and HATE tatted on the fingers of each hand, and a driving desire for the ten grand in cash the kids are hiding.

From the get-go, things are badder than bad for John and his sister. Their father stashes unclean bank-robbery dough with them, then is promptly arrested and hanged the following day. If that weren't enough, daddy's cellmate--the aforementioned evil man of God--is released, and puts the moves on mommy. Before long, he marries her and begins taking whatever measure necessary to make the tots spill the proverbial beans. No matter what they do, or where they run, they're just no match for a full grown man with massively skewed morals and a pocket knife he ain't afraid to use.

Laughton's imagery also lends itself to the nightmare/fairy-tale feel--with horrifying images and landscapes enclosed on the screen, almost like pages in a storybook. Down rivers, through streets and houses, Powell's singing silhouette stalks them every step of the way. In the end, it's only a kind, righteous old lady that can save them.

It's really a shame that, apparently due to poor critical/commercial reception and dashed hopes, Laughton gave up on filmmaking. Night of the Hunter shows him as nothing less than a master, especially considering he adapted the script himself (uncredited) in addition to directing it. We'll never know if this was a total fluke, or if Laughton's could-be follow ups would be able to touch this with a ten foot pole. Either way, he made one of the best American classic films I've seen--and I've seen a few.