Join us Thursday, October 17, at 6 pm, for a screening of Charles Laughton’s Night of the Hunter (1955, US, 92 min., digital transfer from 35mm), which screens as part of our Nature’s Underworld Film Series, featuring eight films inspired by the exhibition Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld.

A horror movie with qualities of a Grimm fairy tale, Night of the Hunter stars a sublimely sinister Robert Mitchum as a traveling preacher named Harry Powell (he of the tattooed knuckles), whose nefarious motives for marrying a fragile widow, played by Shelley Winters, are uncovered by her terrified young children. Graced by images of eerie beauty and a sneaky sense of humor, this ethereal, expressionistic American classic—also featuring the contributions of actress Lillian Gish and writer James Agee—is cinema’s most eccentric rendering of the battle between good and evil.

About Nature’s Underworld Film Series

Nature’s Underworld Film Series features both popular Hollywood cinema and experimental works that examine humankind’s strained relationship with the environment. The series is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature’s Underworld. Dion and Rockman, both film lovers, have cited many of these films as sources of inspiration. The series includes a special screening of Life of Pi (2012) on September 30, at which Alexis Rockman will introduce the film and talk about his experience working on it.

Nature’s Underworld Film Series Screenings

– Thursday, September 12, 6 pm: The Birds (1963)

– Tuesday, September 17, 6 pm: A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

– Monday, September 30, 6 pm: Life of Pi (2012)

– Thursday, October 17, 6 pm: Night of the Hunter (1955)

– Thursday, October 24, 6 pm: La Jetée (1962) and Weekend (1967)

– Thursday, November 14, 6 pm: Silent Running (1972)

– Thursday, November 21, 6 pm: Last Things (2022)

All screenings are free and open to the public.