Principal cast
Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce
Film 118 of 498 on the Screen Path
The Night of the Hunter
It’s a hard world for little things.
About the film
The Night of the Hunter at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1955 film at stop 118 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.
Key craft credits
Stanley Cortez (director of photography), Robert Golden (editor), Walter Schumann (original music composer), Charles Laughton (screenplay) and James Agee (screenplay)
- Director
- Charles Laughton
- Release
- 1955-07-26
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Genres
- Crime, Drama and Thriller
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyCitizen Kane is the complete public example: both learning videos and a five-question sample quiz are available below.
Start the example →Full cast
Full cast
- Robert MitchumCharacter: Preacher Harry Powell
- Shelley WintersCharacter: Willa Harper
- Lillian GishCharacter: Rachel Cooper
- Billy ChapinCharacter: John Harper
- Sally Jane BruceCharacter: Pearl Harper
- James GleasonCharacter: Uncle Birdie Steptoe
- Evelyn VardenCharacter: Icey Spoon
- Don BeddoeCharacter: Walt Spoon
- Peter GravesCharacter: Ben Harper
- James GriffithCharacter: District Attorney
- Gloria CastilloCharacter: Ruby
- Gloria PallCharacter: Burlesque Dancer
Full crew
Full crew
- Charles LaughtonCredits: Screenplay, Director
- Stanley CortezCredits: Director of Photography
- Davis GrubbCredits: Novel
- James AgeeCredits: Screenplay
- Walter SchumannCredits: Original Music Composer
- Paul GregoryCredits: Producer
- Robert GoldenCredits: Editor
- Hilyard M. BrownCredits: Art Direction
- Kay SheaCredits: Hairstylist
- Milton CarterCredits: Assistant Director
- Evelyn CarruthCredits: Wardrobe Assistant
- Jerry BosCredits: Wardrobe Designer
- Don L. CashCredits: Makeup Artist
- Louis DeWittCredits: Special Effects
- Ruby RosenbergCredits: Production Manager
- Alfred E. SpencerCredits: Set Decoration
- Joe LaBellaCredits: Property Master
- Jack RabinCredits: Special Effects
- Stanford HoughtonCredits: Sound
Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.