Night of the Hunter is without question, one of my favorite movies. When I saw this film for the first time, it opened my eyes to the wealth that can be found in classic cinema. The photography did things I have seen before or since. The imagery is masterful. The performances are intense. There are scenes in this film that are chilling. A visceral film.
I watched it for the first time earlier this month and was a bit disappointed. Mitchum is, of course, fantastic, but the film blows through an excellent cat-and-mouse setup in the children's home by the 45-minute mark. The rest of the film is a bit of a slog despite some cool cinematography. I'm baffled the director chose to structure the plot the way he did.