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

The plot was based on the true story of Harry Powers, who was hanged in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children in Moundsville, West Virginia.

In 1955, the book was adapted by Charles Laughton and James Agee as the film The Night of the Hunter starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. The film version has earned ranks in numerous movie lists[2][3] and was added to the National Film Registry in 1992.