The Night of the Hunter

1955 · directed by Charles Laughton

Rating

98/100

Hit

yes

Prestige lists

BFI Top 100, TSPDT 250

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), directed by Charles Laughton, rates 98/100 — a hit. See how its director, cast and crew rate across their careers.

Cast

• Robert Mitchum
• Shelley Winters
• Lillian Gish
• Billy Chapin
• Sally Jane Bruce
• James Gleason
• Evelyn Varden
• Don Beddoe
• Peter Graves
• James Griffith

Crew

• Stanley Cortez — Director of Photography
• Robert Golden — Editor
• Walter Schumann — Original Music Composer
• Charles Laughton — Screenplay
• James Agee — Screenplay

How these numbers work: Methodology