The Night of the Hunter (1955), directed by Charles Laughton in his only directorial effort, is a visually striking and psychologically intense thriller. Robert Mitchum stars as Reverend Harry Powell, a murderous con man posing as a preacher who marries a widow to find hidden loot from a robbery. When his new wife dies, Powell pursues her two children across a dreamlike rural landscape, intent on forcing them to reveal the money’s whereabouts. With its haunting imagery, shadowy cinematography, and chilling performance by Mitchum, this film has grown from a box office disappointment to one of the most celebrated cult classics of American cinema.