The Night of the Hunter

Order the DVD or Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.

"For its contribution to cinema history, Criterion's The Night of the Hunter ... is the outstanding home video release of the year." -- TCM

"...it's never looked -- nor likely ever will look -- better than this. And, to top it off, the supplements are extensive and utterly fascinating." -- DVD Talk 
 

About the Film

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding from The Film Foundation and Robert B. Sturm.

Actor Charles Laughton's first and only directorial effort, the expressionistic The Night of the Hunter stars a delightfully sinister Robert Mitchum as the ex-convict-turned-"reverend" Harry Powell, who preys upon a naive widow (Shelley Winters) and her two children for the stolen money in their possession.

Bonus Features

From the Criterion Collection:

• New digital transfer made from 35 mm film elements restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive, in cooperation with MGM Studios, with funding provided by The Film Foundation and Robert Sturm, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
• Audio commentary featuring second-unit director Terry Sanders, film critic F. X. Feeney, film restorationist Robert Gitt, and author Preston Neal Jones
• Charles Laughton Directs “The Night of the Hunter,” a two-and-a-half-hour treasure trove of outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage, assembled by Gitt
• New documentary featuring interviews with producer Paul Gregory, Sanders, Feeney, Jones, and author Jeffrey Couchman
• New video interview with Laughton biographer Simon Callow
• Clip from the The Ed Sullivan Show in which cast members perform a scene deleted from the film
• Fifteen-minute episode of the BBC show Moving Pictures about the film
• Archival interview with cinematographer Stanley Cortez
• Gallery of sketches by author Davis Grubb, author of the source novel
• New video conversation between Gitt and film critic Leonard Maltin about Charles Laughton Directs
• Original theatrical trailer
• PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by critics Terrence Rafferty and Michael Sragow

Watch the trailer below:

Starring:  Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Directed by:  Charles Laughton
Produced by:  Paul Gregory
Written by:  James Agee, from the novel by Davis Grubb
Production Company:  Paul Gregory Productions
Released by:  United Artists Corp.
Runtime:  93 min.
Year:  1955
Color:  B&W
Aspect Ratio:  1.66:1
Audio:  Dolby Digital
Language: English
Country:  USA
Format:  Available on DVD and Blu-ray