Watch This Classic Scary Movie if You Want to See the Danger of Believing “Anyone With a Bible”
Star Robert Mitchum observed in his youth that “People would believe anything a man said as long as he had a bible in his hands.”
Modern horror movie audiences may think that they couldn’t be scared by a simple black-and-white thriller, but those that have seen The Night of the Hunter (1955) know they are mistaken.
Considered one of the best movies ever made, The Night of the Hunter follows a serial killer who self-identifies as a religious authority, Preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum). In prison, he meets Ben Harper, a man who tells him he hid $10,000 and only his children, John and Pearl, know where it is. Upon release, Powell searches out Ben’s family and begins courting the mom, Willa, as a way to gain access to the children hoping to force them to tell him where the money is hidden.
Mitchum has said that Night of the Hunter is one of his favorite films he’s been in and that he was interested in the role because of how it portrays his character as able to manipulate those around him through religion. Because of his charm and status as a “Preacher”, Powell is quickly trusted by Willa and the townspeople. The children are harder to manipulate. John, just 9-years-old, is the only one who really sees Powell for the nefarious man he is.
At the time, the idea that a Christian preacher could be a bad person was so controversial, it was actually against the Hays code. To get around this, production was careful to show that Powell was not a “real, ordained minister” but simply professed that he was a Preacher. This is also what drew star Robert Mitchum to the project.
Mitchum left home at 14-years-old and “bummed” through the states, trainhopping and staying in different communities where he observed hustlers at work. He said, “People would believe anything a man said as long as he had a bible in his hands.” And indeed, in Night of the Hunter, they hang onto Preacher Harry Powell’s every word. Anyone who challenges Powell, is told they are challenging God, the Bible or Christian principles.
Of course the moral of this story is not that Christians are bad, or even that religious leaders are bad. The moral is that bad people will use religion as a tool to establish unearned authority and manipulate others. In the end, the children are saved by a good Christian — widow Rachel Cooper. She is a devout and kind Christian who takes in children who need a home, but is also discerning enough to see through Powell’s schtick and tough enough to chase him off her property with a shotgun and eventually exposes him to the police. Because of her actions, the children are saved from Powell and have a loving home to grow up in.
The Night of the Hunter (1955) is currently streaming free on Tubi.
Further reading:
- 20 Best Religious Horror Movies of All Time
- 50+ Best Movies About Cults
- 34 Scariest Movies of All Time
