Children flee bogus preacher with switchblade. Criterion Collection Year 1955 Video Release 2000-01-18 Studio MGM Genre Suspense MPAA Rating Not Rated Color Black and White Runtime 93 Animated Live-Action Full Synopsis A tall, handsome preacher his knuckles eerily tattooed with love and hate roams the countryside, spreading the gospel...and leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake. To Reverend Harry Powell Robert Mitchum , the work of the Lord has more to do with condemning souls than saving them,especially when his own interests are involved. Now his sights are set on 10,000 and two little children are the only ones who know where it is. Chill... dren! the preacher croons to the terrified boy and girl hiding in the cold, dark cellar... innocent young lambs who refuse to be led astray. The Night of the Hunter stars Mitchum in the most daring and critically acclaimed performance of his career. Spellbinding, ominous, and hauntingly suspenseful, this extraordinary film noir classic remains one of the most frightening movies ever made Pauline Kael . Director Charles Laughton Cast Charles Laughton; Robert Mitchum; Shelley Winters; Lillian Gish; Evelyn Varden; Peter Graves; James Gleason; Billy Chapin; Sally Jane Bruce