Today's dark rediscovery is The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb

 

 

Originally published in 1953, this dark Southern Gothic thriller concerning "Reverend" Harry Powell, an unstable ex-con with "LOVE" and "HATE" tattooed across his fingers, who slithers into the lives of a widow and her two children in his search for a dead man's hidden fortune.

Trivia Tidbits: The novel was based on the true story of Harry Powers, who was hanged in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children in West Virginia.

Filmed in 1955, starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. Despite being considered a classic film noir today,  it was the only film ever directed by Charles Laughton.

Reblogged from Reclusive Reads