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Summary: Just let me say this....
Review: Really great movie. Kind of unnerving to modern audiences because of it's almost cartoonish (albeit black-n-white) cinematography. Not meant to be photorealistic, for sure, which is part of the fun. Has many odd moments that made me say ,"whuh? " It's strange, hypnotic, eerie, chilling, and sometimes unintentionally funny. However, once you see it you'll never forget the chills that run down your spine when you hear Mitchum's sing song voice calling, "Chillll-dren".
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Summary: Mitchum is the ORIGINAL hunter!
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It's Robert Mitchum in one of his scariest roles, on the same level as "Cape Fear." The main characters are a pair of children, and perhaps it's their point of view that makes this film so creepy. The tone is half surreal, half real. And being shot in black and white adds a dimension of light and shadow essential to the atmosphere of the film. Some sets are reminiscent of the German expressionists, but with distinctly American trappings. This film is a must for anyone who likes Robert Mitchum and/or scary movies.
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Summary: Perfectly done interpretation of a beautiful work
Review: Everybody associated with this movie did his part perfectly. Davis Grubb wrote a unique, beautiful book. Charles Laughton must have realized that with such a book, you can't just take the story and put it willy-nilly on screen -- at least if you want the result to be any good. The directing/screen play/cinematography is perfect, catching the spirit of the original work, or maybe even improving upon it. Robert Mitchum played his part with chilling accuracy; like a great actor can, he made a character on paper come alive on the screen. The same was done by Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, and Billy Chapin with Rachel, Willa (?), and John, respectively. As somebody else pointed out, the choice of black and white for this film was an inspiration. In other words, it's that rarety of Hollywood: a good book transferred to the screen without losing anything, and maybe even gaining something. The result is a masterpiece. Watch it.
Rating:
Summary: "Leaning on the everlasting arms...."
Review: Where do I begin? Awe-inspiring. Beautiful. Haunting. Terrifying. Unforgettable. If you are passionate about movies, you will love this immortal diamond. From start to finish it is bliss to watch. Mitchum, with his relentless pursuit of the children, is the stuff of nightmares. Every time he appears you will be chilled. As with Psycho, to shoot this movie in black and white was a masterstroke. Who can ever forget the eerie silhouette of Mitchum on his horse moving across the horizon, his song ("Leaning, leaning...") lilting across the fields to the children in the barn? Or Lillian Gish rocking on her porch seat with a shotgun? Or the radiant Shelley Winters in the car at the bottom of the lake, like the dead Simon in the novel Lord of the Flies? If I could, I would give it 10 stars. A must buy. Don't miss it for the world.
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Summary: Beware of false reviewers....
Review: Kate/Kathy Cheer seems to me to have a problem. Maybe she doesn't get out much, I don't know. I don't care. But I do care that someone so obviously small-minded insists on damning this movie. Customer comments should be fair because that is what influences others to buy that item. Fair enough, I had seen The Night of The Hunter before ordering it from Amazon, but if I had not, I would have been cautious after reading three one-star reviews. She shows strange obsession with this movie, hating it so much yet still watching it again and reading reviews of it. She has to have her say in not one, but three reviews ("Once again, did we see the same movie?"). Kathy, you are entitled to your opinion, just let it be intelligent and unbiased. There was another biased review from someone from MA. They called the movie a bad joke, laughing etc. Any self-respecting reviewer with a clue about things such as acting, direction, etc. MIGHT look on this movie as disappointing, maybe, but as a risible, joke of a movie? Sounds pretty biased to me.... Regarding my own opinion of The Night Of The Hunter, i can't say anything which hasn't been said before. For anyone who is thinking about buying this video, do it, it is superb and will haunt your memory for years to come. Or if you're not going to buy it, at least read those reviews which sound intelligent.
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Summary: CLASSIC B&W THRILLER
Review: I saw this film many years ago, and being a classic film buff have recently purchased it. I think it has has all the elements of fear & terror. If you watch as if you are the children, then you too will be scared. The shot of Shelly Winters in the lake has always run chills up my back. Unfortunately, this is not the type of movie that TODAY'S generation will find exciting...there are no "special effects" and you have to really THINK about the story instead of having it handed to you on a platter. I notice that all three bad reviews of this film are from the same person...odd, don't you think??? I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY.....
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Summary: Uh, kateccheer? You OK?
Review: Hey, kateccheer, is there a problem or something we're not aware of? I mean, I wasn't going to bring this up, but it appears you've written in no less than three times to register your disdain for Night of the Hunter, and then you get mad at people who like it. I happen to be one of them, but I'm not here to pick a fight. Instead, I'm here to say that if you don't like the movie, that's OK. It's a free country. Really. The Night of the Hunter police are not going to beat down your door and throw you into a dungeon. You have every right not to like Night of the Hunter. And believe me, if you suspect that anyone thinks any less of you because of your dislike for Night of the Hunter, that's their problem, not yours. I hope this makes you feel better, and that you can pick up the pieces and move on. And I want to thank amazon.com for permitting me the opportunity to reach out to the Night of the Hunter-disliking community.
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Summary: Only Saw It Once, But...
Review: I only saw it once, but it just knocked me over. WOW. What a movie. Sheer brilliance. Mitchum is believeably creepy (although he was even better in CAPE FEAR - rent these two together for a great double feature!). A great, great movie.
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Summary: night of brilliance
Review: The 'night of the hunter' is a masterpiece that's for sure. Charles Laughton proved with this one film that he was a great director. It is a pity that he was never again given the chance to direct. It is annoying to say the least to read every now and then the same tedious critic from a narrow-minded person who has nothing else to do. In this film the acting is top-notch and in the manner that was intended since we are dealing with a modern fairytale, a dream-like experience where the actors, landscapes and animals all evolve in a delicately exuberant fashion. Not all people will like this little gem but I feel It deserves after all these years it's place among the hundred greatest movies of all times. Amen to Sir LAUGHTON.
Rating: 
Summary: Once again, did we see the same movie?
Review: I am wondering if everyone who has reviewed this movie since me, like this movie because they have to because it is considered a "classic", like Children of Paradise, a crashing bore. Is it good considering the time in which it was made? Now, each movie is flawed to some extent because of the time in which it was made, witness Birth of a Nation--no one really, except for the blacks who couldn't afford to go to movies--really understood those white hoods. Now, I digress, please check out the acting--it is gruesome; well, I have said this before. I do love Robert Mitchum, but he needed more dialogue coaching. Elm Street was more terrifying.
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