The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck. Seedy story. Bad acting. Horrible direction. Case in point: what was up with that ooo-eee-ooo-eee-ahh hop run that propelled Mitchum to the barn near the end of the film? I feel quite sure that the direction he was given was "Hey, Bob -- remember when Bugs Bunny gave Elmer Fudd a hotfoot? Do what he did, but with a Yosemite Sam accent. OK -- Action!"

Ninety minutes that feel like several hours. I must've been in a really good mood the first time I saw it -- I can't think of any other reason that I gave it a "D-" rather than the lowest possible rating. At least I can be thankful that Charles Laughton never directed any other films.

F