THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, Junji Ito, Gift Guides And MORE!
In this Issue:
- Horror History: A Little Story About The Night Of The Hunter
- Image of the Week: The Window Next Door Is Coming For You
- Tiny Bites – This Week’s Best Horror Headlines
- Things We Love: Come Play With Gingerbread
- Gift Guide: We Have Such Gifts To Give You
- Hey, That’s Us! – Shudder in the News
HORROR HISTORY: A LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
By Kristen Lopez*
The Night Of The Hunter (1955) is, simply, one of the iconic films of the 20th century. Visually enigmatic, it’s inspired some of cinema’s great auteurs from Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers to Spike Lee. It defies genre, working deftly as a psychological thriller, a horror movie, a family drama, and a staple of Film Noir. Though now recognized as a masterpiece, it is the only directing venture for prolific actor Charles Laughton; its failure so demoralized Laughton that he refused to get behind the camera again.
The Night Of The Hunter is a dark fairy tale about a pair of siblings trying to escape their new stepfather. John (Billy Chapin) discovers his fugitive father has hidden $10,000 in his little sister’s doll. After John’s father is killed by his former cellmate, Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), the murderer shows up disguised as a fake preacher looking for the money. He courts the children’s mother, Willa (Shelley Winters), and is determined to find the cash by any means necessary.
The Night Of The Hunter is best known for some of its iconic imagery, most notably the “Love” and “Hate” tattoos on Harry Powell’s knuckles, which later were paid tribute in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). Lee lifts both the knuckle art and Powell’s speech, giving it to Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), but changes the tone. In Hunter, Harry Powell uses the battle of Cain and Abel to show the struggle between love and hate, as well as his own powerful nature. He’s selling himself as a man of God when he’s anything but.
The Night Of The Hunter is best known for some of its iconic imagery, most notably the “Love” and “Hate” tattoos on Harry Powell’s knuckles, which later were paid tribute in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). Lee lifts both the knuckle art and Powell’s speech, giving it to Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), but changes the tone. In Hunter, Harry Powell uses the battle of Cain and Abel to show the struggle between love and hate, as well as his own powerful nature. He’s selling himself as a man of God when he’s anything but.
The Night Of The Hunter’s horror lies in the fear of being a child, suddenly left alone in the world. Its evocative imagery adds another layer to Southern Gothic beauty and its legacy as a horrific Noir legend. It’s wondrous and haunting in ways we’re still talking about today.
*Kristen Lopez is a freelance pop culture essayist whose work has appeared in Forbes, MTV, and The Hollywood Reporter. She also runs the classic film podcast, Ticklish Business.
IMAGE OF THE WEEK
The Window Next Door Is Coming For You
Twitter user and special fx artist @jpspiders showed off their chops last week with their outstanding take on an iconic Junji Ito character. The figure is from the legendary horror mangaka’s story The Window Next Door.
TINY BITES
ANTEBELLUM, HOLIDAY HORROR AND MORE
Last week, the horror Gods gave us a trailer to the vague and tantalizing Antebellum, starring Janelle Monáe.
Horror has its ebbs and flows of popularity throughout history, but there’s no denying it’s been increasingly prominent in the last few years. The reason? Politics.
Tom Hanks may be getting Oscar buzz for playing Mister Rogers, but Bloody Disgusting is interested in his horror pedigree. Honestly, same.
The Simpsons didn’t have enough spooky fun this Halloween, so they’re doing their first-ever Thanksgiving Of Horror episode, and Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive clip.
Jamie Lee Curtis has nothing but glowing praise for Kyle Richards’ return to the Halloween franchise in this Us Weekly interview.
Check out these felt recreations of iconic horror movie posters. They may be soft and fluffy, but make no mistake, Bruce still has bite.
The Los Angeles Review Of Books takes a searing look at horror’s “elevated” problem and its impact on Midsommar in this must-read article.
For some, spooky stories should be relegated to October and Halloween. The Smithsonian begs to differ in this piece on Christmas ghost stories.
While you’re scaring your loved ones this holiday season, venture out to Florida for this Krampus-themed haunted house…
… and take a look through this list of the 10 most gruesome dinner scenes in horror history.
Library Journal has been putting together their best novels of 2019, and here are their top-rated horror selections of the year.
SyFy Wire’s Fangrrls take a new spin on horror heroine chic, saying that dresses have become powerful symbols of strength in the genre.
For IndieWire, Nicolas Winding Refn wrote his 35 favorite movies he thinks you must see, including a nice mix of classic and lesser-known horror gems.
THINGS WE LOVE
We Like Peaches Best
Sacred Bones Records is releasing a limited edition pressing of the soundtrack to Bong Joon-Ho’s latest, Parasite, and we’re desperately coveting the peach variant.
GIFT GUIDE
We Have Such Gifts To Give You
From box sets and books to jewelry, board games, housewares and more, we’ve got your gift-giving needs covered for the horror fiends in your family this holiday season. Visit the Shudder Blog for the full list.
HEY, THAT’S US! – SHUDDER IN THE NEWS
From Peacock To Disney+, Here Are The Top Sci-Fi Shows On Every Streaming Service (Creepshow)
The Best Under the Radar Streaming Shows You Should Add To Your Queue (Creepshow, A Discovery Of Witches)
Now 2019 Holiday TV Calendar: A Guide To Every Special, Episode, Marathon, And Movie Of The Season (Joe Bob’s Red Christmas, Unhappy Holidays Collection w/ Deadly Games)
SHUDDER in December: THE HEAD HUNTER, DEADLY GAMES And a Host of Craven Faves to Cap Off The Year
