Let's talk about a film that actually scared me: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
I know I have been pretty harsh on all of the films I have written about thus far on my 2020 Spook Watch, and have been unphased and unimpressed by most of the new ones, save The Lost Boys and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
So for a change of pace, let's talk about a film that far exceeded my expectations and scares the ever loving shit out of me: the 1955 classic The Night of the Hunter.
I was casually interested in The Night of the Hunter, but assumed for whatever reason that it was going to be cheesy. It most certainly was not. I knew that the LOVE/HATE tattoos had been parodied. I knew that Tori Amos had drawn great inspiration from the film for Boys For Pele (the cover image being a nod to the scene on the porch with Lilian Gish's character), and of course for her album Night of Hunters. I, for some reason, saw these associations and thought this was just going to be a cheesy old movie, and again, it most certainly was NOT. I foolishly decided to watch this one late at night, and did not sleep for 2 weeks afterwards.
I know that it is technically considered a "thriller," rather than a proper "horror" film, but since it scares the shit out of me, I am going to count it as a horror film.
You can read a proper synopsis of it here, and I will do my best to refrain from spoilers, since it seems so many people have not seen this one (and they should).
In many ways, The Night of the Hunter has a lot stylistic similarities to The Shining, and just employs them exponentially better. Both have sociopaths whose veneers fade into a decent of madness after children challenge their fantasies. Both films are considered "expressionistic," although The Night of the Hunter better uses it for effective storytelling, rather than glorified arthouse indulgence. Robert Mitchum is an infinitely commanding and convincing actor than Nicholson.The build up in The Night of the Hunter isn't so much a "watching the grass grown for and hour and 45 minutes until the grass catches on fire" as The Shining is. When the curated façade Mitchum's Reverend Harry Powell finally unravels, the result is spectacular, versus Jack who just has a two and half hour tantrum that grows increasingly violent. Powell is riveting, whereas we cannot wait for Jack to be cacked if he talks to his wife like that one more time.
One of the most iconic and unsettling aspects of the film is its employment of Chiaroscuro to create terror and suspense.
The pathos are not forced, but curated, the terror is a real world one, tangible, real (and, in fact, based on an actual real-life serial killer). The thrills come from the acute suspense, the pay offs are incredibly satisfying. There is a prevailing sense of terror and peril throughout the entire film. Powell is charming, sexy, with sociopathic, diabolical, ice cold evil lingering just beneath the surface.
Although it is a spectacularly rendered film, it was considered "too artsy," its director never worked again, and it was met with a mixed reaction when it debuted. It is a masterclass of storytelling, and has held up very well over all these decades, and since its release has become to be considered a classic.
In terms of scary movies, The Night of the Hunter is exactly the kind of film I like. Nothing about it is cheap, and the entire thing rests on pathos, suspense and good storytelling, versus the reliance on blood, jump scares, racism or sexual violence. I am not knocking anyone else's preferences, I am just stating what I gravitate towards.
If you have not seen this film yet, please stop everything you're doing this evening and watch it.