The Night of the Hunter

Although this is a review of the book Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb, I can’t help but write about the 1955 movie that was made of this book. Robert Mitchum gave a chilling and haunting performance of the religious fanatic and malicious killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This movie stayed very close to the book, and I certainly pictured Robert Mitchum throughout the read.

Posing as a prison chaplain, Harry Powell comes to the family after husband and father Ben Harper has been hung for robbery and murder. He is convinced that Ben told someone in the family where the bank money was hidden. He charms the widow and marries her but all too soon his attention turns to the children who he discovers know where the money show more is hidden.

Unfolding like a parable of good against evil, the tension mounts, the atmosphere gets darker and darker and the reader is in constant fear for these children. The story takes place in the 1930’s, a dark time in America which suits this story perfectly. The author uses this backdrop as he sets the children on the run with a monster trailing them.

This noir thriller really took a hold of me and I was totally captivated. The author’s almost biblical prose, the shadowed atmosphere, and the deliberate characterizations make this “lambs being hunted by a wolf” story creepy, stylish and a great read. show less

File this one under the heading of What is Possible is Scarier than What Isn’t. This book is perfect if you want to be truly frightened for Halloween, because I would much rather have a ghost in my house than have Preacher Harry Powell sleeping under my roof.

The novel is set in West Virginia during the great depression. Ten-year old John Harper’s father, Ben, commits a crime, steals several thousand dollars, and in the process kills two men. Before he is hauled off by the lawmen who come for him, he hides the money and tells John were it is, swearing him to secrecy. His crime and the terrible secret he thrusts upon his son sets a frightful series of events into motion, that bring into the lives of his wife and children the most evil show more of evil men, a self-proclaimed preacher named Harry Powell, who is intent on finding the money at any cost.

I’m not sure I breathed normally through the entire telling of this tale. That Grubb based it on a true story that occurred in his own hometown made it even more harrowing. I am not generally a fan of either murder thrillers or horror films, which probably explains why I never saw the classic movie made from this novel. Robert Mitchum was cast as the soulless Powell and, having seen him in Cape Fear, I had no problem imagining him in the role. I remember having a lot of trouble sleeping after seeing Cape Fear--I think Night of the Hunter might have the same effect. I believe this is the kind of book the word spine-chilling was invented for. show less

For those of us who are old enough to remember (and perhaps for a few of you young'uns as well) this novel was made into a film directed by Charles Laughton in the 1950's, with Robert Mitchum giving a breathtakingly terrifying performance as Preacher. What I didn't know when I saw the film, and not until AFTER I finished the novel, was that the story was "inspired"? by a real life 'Bluebeard' killer of widows.

Quick summary:
During the Great Depression, Ben Harper, arrested for a bank robbery and murder, awaits execution in a cell with Harry Powell who, unbeknownst to authorities, is a serial killer of widows. Ben has hidden the loot from the bank robbery He refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the money to officials--even though doing show more so might spare his life Only his children, John, nine, and Pearl, four, know where he secreted the cash Before being apprehended, he secures their promise to divulge the secret to no one. John takes his pledge to heart. That Ben did not reveal the hiding place to Willa causes her wrenching anxiety and even greater suffering later. In prison, Preacher relentlessly inveigles Ben for the whereabouts, but Ben goes to the gallows with his secret. Afterwards, Preacher finds his way to Ben's home. He wins over Willa, Pearl, and friends, the friends encouraging her to marry him, which she does. John, however, resists, because in the first minutes of meeting, he understands what Preacher really wants and Preacher discerns John knows where the money is hidden. Employing devious and psychologically damaging tactics, Preacher hounds and persecutes John, stealing away the boy's and Pearl's mother, turning the family's friends against John. Finally, fearful and seeing no alternative, John flees with Pearl. Preacher pursues them, obsessed by the money. John and Pearl live as feral children, until they end up in the yard of Rachel Cooper, who proves to be more than a match for Preacher.

Style:
The first thing one should know before starting this book is that no quotation marks are used to signal dialogue, so it does take just a bit more concentration when reading, but after 20 pages or so, one gets used to it. This embeds the character's words into the general narrative and in the end proves quite effective.

Another unorthodox element of Grubs' style is the minimal use of commas. It is amazing how the author can write extremely long sentences, sometimes encompassing a whole paragraph, constructed with a string of phrases and clauses that move unhesitating to its end. Again, this requires some extra effort on the part of the reader because if one pauses too long the continuity of the sentence can be broken, and may require a re-read. This gives the writing a flowing attribute, and I'm tempted to think this is somehow connected to the Ohio River, which is foremost in the setting throughout the whole book. Sweeping, yet bleak portraits of river life
are an integral part of the reading experience.

The suspense at the end is intense and in fact, scarey
The perspective of John is much better in the novel than in the film,and he was by far the most sympathetic character. Taking the narrative from John's view, we get into his mind and thoughts as he confronts Preacher. John, seemingly the only one who can look through Preacher, sees him for what he is: a venomous and pathological criminal.

Finally, some things I didn't feel comfortable with. I had a problem with Preacher's character. He actually believes God talks to him? This implies psychosis yet in other respects he is clearly sane, although he just as clearly has a personality disorder (sociopath/psychopath). For me this is somewhat of a flaw in character development on Grub's part. Insanity, e.g. voices in his head, is not what drives his actions, but rather greed, selfishness, lack of conscience are the factors in his ruthless behavior.

His aversion to women and to sex in general also begs explanation (most psychopaths have over-active sex drives). There's no indication that Preacher preferred men. This asexual personality is hard for me to accept.

It is also not clear why Ben did not want to tell his wife, but only his children where he hid the money and made them promise not to tell their mother.

The above criticisms are the reason I did not give it 5 stars (although I was tempted to overlook them).
But I'll say this: there are few books, even among those that I love, that I am motivated to re-read. This might be one of them. show less

The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb is a 1953 publication.

I’ve seen the movie, which was adapted from this book, starring Robert Mitcham, who did an incredible job with the role of “Preacher”. It is yet another situation in which I’d seen the movie, but somehow never got around to reading the book, despite considering it countless times.

Naturally, I’m already familiar with the plot. A con man/ serial killer is stalking John and his little sister Pearl, because they know where a nice stash of stolen money is hidden. The Preacher insinuates himself into the children’s lives by marrying their mother, who accepts his proposal under the guise of providing a father to her children. From there a terrifying game of cat and show more mouse ensues, as the Preacher menacingly pressures poor John relentlessly, while his mother remains clueless about her new husband’s true motives….

It seems the book was well represented on the big screen as it appears, to the best of my recollection, it remained faithful to the book, with only a few differences. Was the book better than the movie? Well, in this case I’d say they were both very good, which is rare. I did think I got more insight into some of the characters’ actions and attitudes, like the way John behaved in Rachel’s care- which was a bit of a mystery to me- but made more sense after reading this book.

Overall, this a very chilling story of serial killer moving amongst people under the guise of being a man of God. It is also a story of hope for John and Pearl who are freed from the evil and danger that lurked around every corner, and land in a wonderful, stable, loving environment.

4.5 stars show less

I have to thank NPR for recommending this recently. The writing is sort of Cormac McCarthy Light. The story is fast-paced and gripping with suspense, as John and Pearl try to escape the clutches of their hunter. The book takes place along the banks of the Ohio river. I was rooting for Uncle Birdie to come through in the end.

Extremely effective melodrama with horrific elements.

I read this book a long time ago and thought it was excellent. I believe it stands the test of time. I also so the movie starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. A TV version was made in the 80s I believe, it wasn't bad, but not as good as the first movie.