The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter is a 1953 novel by American author, Davis Grubb. The book was a national bestseller and was voted a finalist for the 1955 National Book Award.

Plot overview

The film is set in West Virginia, along the Ohio River; the era is never explicitly stated, but seems to be during the Great Depression.

Related Topics:
West Virginia - Ohio River - Great Depression

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Mitchum portrays Harry Powell—one of his hands tattooed with "LOVE" on its knuckles, the other tattooed "HATE"—who shares a prison cell with Ben Harper (Graves). Harper is sentenced to hang for his part in a robbery, but hid the money from the robbery, and trusted his children John (Chapin) and Pearl (Bruce)—about ten and five years old, respectively—with the money's location.

Related Topics:
Harry Powell - Tattoo - Hang - Robbery

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Upon his release from prison, Powell masquerades as a preacher. He woos and marries Harper's widow, Willa (Winters) in order to obtain the robbery money, and eventually kills her. A famed scene shows the dead Willa, seated in a Model T at the bottom of a river.

Related Topics:
Preacher - Marries - Model T

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The children, especially John, distrust and resist Powell. After their mother's death, they escape and find sanctuary with Rachel Cooper (Gish). Powell eventually finds them, however, and succeeds in learning the money's location from John after threatening Pearl. Just as he is about to escape, however, he is arrested by the police, whom Rachel had called. He is then tried for multiple murders and executed.

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