Charles Laughton's The Night of the Hunter is a film noir that doesn't concern detectives or femme fatales, but upholds a sinister quality to make it one of the most unforgettable films in the genre.

Adapted from a novella by Davis Grubb, the story follows Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a self-described 'reverend' who moves from town to town giving sermons on the forces of love and hate (which he has tattooed on his hands) and bewitching the townspeople who aren't able to see the wolf in sheep's clothing. Harry has ulterior motives however, preying on the weak and kind-hearted, with a preoccupation for killing and robbing various women he's able to charm, and taking off before anyone is any the wiser.

Briefly incarcerated in prison, Harry learns from his bunkmate Ben Harper (Peter Graves) about a stash of cash hidden with his family, leading Harry to his next target for deviousness. He manages to coerce Ben's wife Willa (Shelley Winters) and in a short matter of time becomes her new beau, though Willa's children John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) - the only ones aware of where the money is - are not as easily fooled. Much of the film is told from their perspective, and its from this area that The Night of the Hunter resembles a fairy tale - though most certainly one of the gothic tradition.