The only film directed by the great actor Charles Laughton, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER has enjoyed cult status across six decades. Blending the frightening mythological power of the Brothers Grimm fable with Southern Gothic creepiness, it's the story of two children guarding their dead father's stash of stolen money from a seemingly benevolent but secretly malicious preacher, played with unhinged gusto by Robert Mitchum. With expressionistic lighting effects and memorably stylized, even psychedelic art design, it's a marvel to look at, and Mitchum, usually the paragon of cool, here gives a flamboyantly over-the-top performance as the psychotic villain. DIR Charles Laughton; SCR James Agee, from the novel by Davis Grubb; PROD Paul Gregory. U.S., 1955, b&w, 92 min. NOT RATED