paulhjrickards

A fine movie showing at the London Film festival. In the Belgium hard-htting tradition of the Dardenne's, with a hint of the great Alan Clarke's minimal shooting style. SHort and brutally honest. The director has an interesting voice...

I still hear the lullaby singing sweetly in my head, like a hazy, haunting dream that won't go away.

From the opening scene of the beautiful Lillian Gish and her children, watching over the world in a starry sky, this movie just sinks you into a mesmeric fairy tale land. The camera takes us down in one sweeping move to a scene of children playing, a hot sunny day, and right to the feet of a murder victim. And that sweet music turns on us like a twisted nightmare as the scene chases after a car speeding along a country road to find one of movies worst villains.

Charles Laughton, in sadly his one and only stab at directing, created a masterpiece of horror with Night of the Hunter. The moments of sugar coated sweetness only make this movie even more disturbing as you wonder how the two can inhabit the same world.

Mitchum is terrifying. More-so in a town full of simple folk ready to match him up with the local widow who needs a father for her lit'le n's. Its like he's walked into the middle of a Frank Capra movie and he's going to do what he wants to.

This is not just a great horror movie, but an artist achievement to rival Welles' Kane. The river scene is one of many moments of pure visual splendor. And that sound track just keeps drifting alone, as if trying to coax you into slumber, till the singing madman of your nightmares comes over the hill, relentless. "Chil-dren, Come along now"

You don't watch this movie, it watches you. ...Hush, Lit'le ones, Hush.

I like this film, although I dont know why. Like Homer Simpsons view of Twin Peaks: "Great..., I have know idea whats going on."

This film is best described as being what David Lynch's dreams probably look like.

Great film. ...But I have no idea whats going on.

A better film about Thatchers Britain? I've never seen anything to compare this film to. 80's fascism and its effect on the working class shown with the kind of force that makes you cry with anger. I live near Borstal in Kent, home to the fist prison of its given name, and the building still has this concentration camp feel to it. If only all films made in Britain were this good. No wonder Clarke is being name checked by Directors all over the world, and most of his work was for TV. Eastender this is not. Genius.