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Probably [[Robert Mitchum]]'s best-known performance was in this extremely creepy suspense-horror film from 1955. It's the one where he has "Love" and "Hate" [[Knuckle Tattoos|tattooed across his knuckles]]. He plays Harry Powell, a preacher and psychotic serial murderer who one day gets married to Willa Harper, newly widowed and mother of two. Willa's previous husband has just been hanged for robbing a bank and killing two men in the process, and Harry is hoping to get his hands on the hidden money. And then it gets really messed-up.
 
One of the all-time classics of American cinema, and [[Charles Laughton]]'s [[One -Book Author|sole film as a director]].
 
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* [[Adults Are Useless]]: Pretty much everyone except Rachel {{spoiler|and even she admits she "lost her son's love" a long time ago.}}▼
=== This film provides examples of: ===
** Especially Willa, who {{spoiler|doesn't lift a hand in her own defense when Harry kills her, despite knowing full well he's likely to kill her children next.}}▼
 
* [[The Atoner]]: {{spoiler|Rachel has stated that she "lost her son's love" a long time before the story started. She seems to be looking after the kids as a way to make up for her previous actions. All in all, this just demonstrates that she's a better person than most of the other adults in the film. She knows she did something wrong and now she's trying to make it right, and she doesn't deny her sins.}}▼
▲* [[Adults Are Useless]]: Pretty much everyone except Rachel {{spoiler|and even she admits she "lost her son's love" a long time ago.}}
* [[Author Filibuster]]: Invoked. Rachel ends the film with a sermon about how children can recover from any psychological trauma, blithely ignoring that at least two of her foster children have quietly gone insane. The [[Hays codeCode]] insisted that the children be all right at the end.▼
▲** Especially Willa, who {{spoiler|doesn't lift a hand in her own defense when Harry kills her, despite knowing full well he's likely to kill her children next.}}
▲* [[The Atoner]]: {{spoiler|Rachel has stated that she "lost her son's love" a long time before the story started. She seems to be looking after the kids as a way to make up for her previous actions. All in all, this just demonstrates that she's a better person than most of the other adults in the film. She knows she did something wrong and now she's trying to make it right, and she doesn't deny her sins.}}
▲* [[Author Filibuster]]: Invoked. Rachel ends the film with a sermon about how children can recover from any psychological trauma, blithely ignoring that at least two of her foster children have quietly gone insane. The Hays code insisted that the children be all right at the end.
* [[Bad Habits]]
* [[The Bluebeard]]: Lampshaded during the finale.
* [[Brainwashed]]
* [[Broken Pedestal]]: Say what you will about the stepfather, but the kids' real father is no screaming hell either. And Uncle Birdie turns out to be utterly useless.
* [[Call Onon Me]]: Uncle Birdie tells John this at one point, but when the time comes he's passed out drunk.
* [[Children Are Innocent]]: They abide, too.
* [[Cool Old Lady]]: Rachel
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* [[Determinator]]: John will do anything to keep his father's secret.
* [[Devil in Plain Sight]]
* [[Executive Meddling]]: Which he never outright stated it, it's clear that [[Charles Laughton]] had a different ending intended than the one that was seen on-screen, which borders almost on a [[Big Lipped Alligator Moment|BLAM]] at times. Because of the Hays Code, he had to make hasty edits to make it up to their standards.
* [[Expy]]: Many villains are based on Mitchum's performance as Powell, such as Kane from ''[[Poltergeist|Poltergeist II: The Other Side]]'' and Caleb from [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]. Even ''[[The Simpsons (Animation)|The Simpsons]]''' Sideshow Bob gets in on the action in one episode, and [[The Clash (Music)|The Clash]] give him a [[Shout Out]] in "Death or Glory".
* [[Fille Fatale]]: Ruby, who has some serious psychological problems.
* [[Flashback Echo]]: Done more subtly than many recent cases. At the end of the film when {{spoiler|Harry is being arrested}}, John's freak-out, begging them not to take him away, and {{spoiler|throwing the money}}, echoes what he was feeling but didn't fully express when his father was being arrested at the [[Book Ends|beginning of the film.]]
* [[The Great Depression]]
* [[Grimmification]]: Notably the bible verses and children's songs used to eerie effect.
<!-- %%** Can we have some detail? Preferably from somebody who's read the full version of the book? (Which is out of copyright in the US, incidentally--just written in a [[{{Understatement}} unique style]].) -->
* [[Guess Who I'm Marrying]]: Just about the wickedest stepfather in anything ever, that's who!
* [[Henpecked Husband]]: Walt Spoon, who notably has to endure his wife ignoring his presence to tell half the town about {{spoiler|how she ignores him during sex.}}
* [[Heroic Vow]]: John has sworn not to tell anyone where the stolen money is, and has to remind Pearl of this frequently. {{spoiler|The finale reveals this is a pointed subversion: all John had to do all along was return the money to the police and Powell wouldn't have been a threat. Keeping the secret caused the deaths of at least two people, including John's mother.}}
** Of course, the movie seems to be trying to point out just how shitty it was for John's father to put that burden on his young son in the first place.
* [[Hypocrite]]: A town ''full'' of them, exemplified by Mrs. Spoon.
* [[Implacable Man]]: "Don't he ever sleep?"
** {{spoiler|He's also shot point blank by a surprised Rachel during the climax. He shrieks and flees, but is still alive the following morning.}}
* [[Ironic Nursery Tune]]: "There Once Was a Pretty Fly".
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]]: The heavy handed Mrs. Rachel Cooper.
* [[Knife Nut]]: He doesn't like it when you touch it...
* [[Knight Templar]]: Harry Powell...perhaps?
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* [[Large Ham]]: Harry Powell. "JOHN DOESN'T MATTER!"
* [[The Load]]: Pearl, who, even for a four-year-old, is pretty useless throughout the film.
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: Harry.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: The Spoons (the wife's name is Icey), who sell ice cream.
* [[Never Mess Withwith Granny]]: Rachel {{spoiler|pulls a shotgun on Powell when he goes after John.}}
* [[Nostalgia Filter]]: The adorably quaint little town.
* [[Offscreen Teleportation]]: With [[Lampshade Hanging]].
* [[One -Book Author]],: inIn regard to Charles Laughton's directorial career (Thethe original release received a poor reception from both audiences and critics).
* [[Only Sane Man]]: John Harper, although even he has his crazy moments. Mr. Spoon sometimes has moments, but his wife is swift to fix ''that''.
** Rachel Cooper, smart enough to see the inconsistencies in Powell's sob story, smart enough to pull a shotgun on him.
* [[Scenery Porn]]: The riverboat scene.
* [[Serial Killer]]
* [[Sinister Minister]]: Harry maintains that he's doing God's work. Then again, he's nuts. {{spoiler|Rachel doesn't fall for the act for a moment.}}
* [[Smug Snake]]: Mrs. Spoon really needs to die. Harry's a smug bastard, too.
* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: ''Leanin', leanin', safe and secure from all alarm...''
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* [[They Look Just Like Everyone Else]]: Harry Powell.
* [[Torches and Pitchforks]]: The film's climax has the Spoons leading an angry lynch mob against Powell.
* [[Why Did You Make Me Hit You?]]
* [[You're Not My Father]]
 
{{reflist}}
{{AFI's 100 Years 100 Heroes and Villains}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:The Criterion Collection]]
[[Category:The Criterion Collection (LaserDisc)]]
[[Category:Roger Ebert Great Movies List]]
[[Category:National Film Registry]]
[[Category:Danny Peary Cult Movies List]]
[[Category:OneThe Hundred100 Scariest Movie Moments]]
[[Category:Films of the 1950s]]
[[Category:The Night Of The Hunter]]▼
[[Category:Film]]
▲[[Category:TheFilms NightBased Ofon The HunterNovels]]
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