The Night of the Hunter

                    RACHEL
          A sight better than they was.

By now, JOHN is on the top step beside RACHEL.  One of his hands holds on to
her skirt, as if he were pulling her towards him.  His eyes never leave hers.
All the CHILDREN freeze, PEARL is on ground, just beyond JOHN.  Others in
BACKGROUND; RUBY as near PREACHER as she can get.

                    PREACHER
          Gracious, gracious!  You are a good woman, Miz
          Cooper!

                    RACHEL
          How you figgerin' to raise them two without a
          woman?

                    PREACHER
          The Lord will provide.

PEARL with a wail of happiness, drops the DOLL on the step and runs to
PREACHER, who picks her up.  JOHN instantly picks up the DOLL and holds it to
him.  He looks up at RACHEL.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND RACHEL
JOHN looks deep into RACHEL's eyes.

                    PREACHER (o.s.)
          The Lord is merciful!  What a day is this!  And
          there's little John!

                    RACHEL
          What's wrong, John?

                    JOHN
          Nothin'.

He smiles.

                    PREACHER (o.s.)
          Come to me, boy!

                    RACHEL
          What's wrong, John?

TWO-SHOT -- PREACHER AND PEARL

                    PREACHER
          Didn't you hear me, boy?

TWO-SHOT -- JOHN AND RACHEL
RACHEL bends a little over him.  She wants the situation clarified.

                    RACHEL
          John, when your Dad says 'come', you should
          mind him.

                    JOHN
          He ain't my Dad.
           
HEAD CLOSE-UP -- RACHEL
She takes this in; JOHN has sold her.  She looks to PREACHER o.s.

                    RACHEL
          He ain't no Preacher, neither.  I've seen
          Preachers in my time, an' some of 'em was
          saints on earth.  A few was crookeder'n a dog's
          hind leg, but this 'un's got 'em all beat for
          badness.

She starts to turn.

GROUP SHOT
She walks purposefully into the house.  PREACHER lunges for JOHN and the
DOLL.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- PREACHER AND JOHN
JOHN ducks under the porch and PREACHER tries to follow him.  He can't get
under.  O.s., we hear the slam of the screen door.  PREACHER's head comes up
to see and we TILT UP, shooting OVER the back of his head.  RACHEL stands
there full figure, with a pump-gun.

                    RACHEL
          Just march yourself yonder to your horse,
          Mister.

Back of PREACHER's head is still immobile.

                    RACHEL
          March, Mister!  I'm not foolin'.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER, OVER GUN BARREL
PREACHER gets to his feet.  The open knife is in his hand.  As we see it, the
gun barrel twitches.  PREACHER backs away towards his horse, bouncing the
knife lightly in his hand.

                    PREACHER
               (screaming)
          You ain't done with Harry Powell yet!  The Lord
          God Jehovah will guide my hand in vengeance! 
          You devils!  You Whores of Babylon!  I'll come
          back when it's dark.

As he mounts his horse we

                                        DISSOLVE TO

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
It is dark.  O.s. we hear PREACHER singing "Leaning."

FULL FIGURE SHOT -- RACHEL
She sits in profile, her gun across her knees.  Song continues o.s.

FULL SHOT -- THE CHILDREN, ASLEEP
... in a big bed.  RUBY sits up, listening to song o.s.

FULL FIGURE SHOT -- RACHEL, AS BEFORE
Song continues o.s.  We PAN to PREACHER outside.  We see him through window. 
He sits hunched on a stump.

FULL SHOT -- THE HOUSE, OVER PREACHER
He continues singing.

HEAD PROFILE -- RACHEL
After a moment, we see her mouth open; and either to comfort herself or to
drown out PREACHER's voice, she joins in the hymn.

FULL SHOT -- THE HOUSE -- AS IN OPENING SHOT
A descending candle moves past a window; RACHEL and PREACHER sing o.s.

FULL SHOT -- PREACHER ON STUMP
... over back of RACHEL's head.  The song ends. RUBY enters SHOT carrying a
candle.  Its light blacks out the window-glass. RACHEL looks up.

                    RACHEL
          Moonin' around the house over that mad dog of a
          Preacher!  Shame, Ruby!

She blows out the candle.  We see through the window.  PREACHER has gone.

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL

                    RACHEL
          Merciful Heaven!

She stands up.

CLOSE TWO-SHOT -- RACHEL AND RUBY

                    RACHEL
          Ruby, get the children out of bed.  Bring them
          all down here to the kitchen.

RUBY leaves the SHOT.  RACHEL moves towards window.  She puts her hand over
her eyes.

                    RACHEL
          Women is such fools!

The soft hoot of an owl o.s. RACHEL looks up.

CLOSE SHOT -- AN OWL ON A BRANCH LOOKING DOWN

CLOSE SHOT -- A BABY RABBIT

CLOSE SHOT -- THE OWL SPREADS HIS WINGS AND SWOOPS

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL
Still for a second; then, o.s., the scream of a rabbit.

                    RACHEL
          It's a hard world for little things.

OVER this line we have heard the patter of feet down staircase.  She turns.

GROUP SHOT -- THE CHILDREN [IN KITCHEN]
They look at her with complete trust.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL, OVER CHILDREN

                    RACHEL
               (snapping)
          Children, I got lonesome.  I figgered we might
          play games.

PEARL and MARY jump up and down, patting their palms.  RACHEL extends her
hands and they gather close to her.

                    PEARL
          Won't you tell us a story?

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL

                    RACHEL
          I might.
               (a swift furious glance
                into the moonlight)
          I might tell a story.

She sits down, the gun against her knees.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
... as MARY and PEARL sit at her feet.  RUBY stands beside RACHEL.  JOHN
stands near RACHEL.

                    CLARY
          I'll light the lamp.

                    RACHEL
          It's more fun hearin' stories in the dark.

CLARY sits at RACHEL's feet.

CLOSE PANNING SHOT -- JOHN
He is alert now.  He moves in close beside RACHEL, whom we PAN into

CLOSE TWO-SHOT with him, and presses the whole of his right arm against her
arm. RACHEL registers quietly.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN

                    RACHEL
          Well... mind what I told you about little Jesus
          and his Ma and Pa and how there was No Room at
          the Inn?

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- RACHEL
Her eyes, sharp and glittering, look outside.

FULL SHOT -- THE OUTSIDE
Featuring empty stump, RACHEL's viewpoint.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
She gets up with gun; we PULL AWAY; in BACKGROUND, CHILDREN turn faces to
keep watching her.  She comes close to window, gun ready, CHILDREN in
BACKGROUND.

                    RACHEL
          Well, there was this sneakin', no-'count,
          ornery King Herod!

She turns round and walks back to her chair; CHILDREN's eyes always on her.

                    RACHEL
          And he heard tell of this little King Jesus
          growin' up and old Herod figgered: Well, shoot! 
          There sure won't be no room for the both of us!
               (she sits down)
          I'll just nip this in the bud.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN, FROM SIDE

                    RACHEL
               (continuing)
          Well, he never knowed for sure which one of all
          them babies in the land was King Jesus.

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- RACHEL
Her eyes glittering as she turns to look towards us.

RESUME SIDE GROUP SHOT
RACHEL gets up with gun.  Again we PULL AWAY, as faces of all CHILDREN in
b.g. turn to watch her.

                    RACHEL
          And so that cursed old King Herod figgered if
          he was to kill all the babies in the land, he'd
          be sure to get little Jesus.

Without speaking, she goes back to her chair.

FRONT GROUP SHOT

                    RACHEL
          And when little King Jesus' Ma and Pa heard
          about that plan, what do you reckon they went
          and done?

                    CLARY
          They hid in a broom closet!

                    MARY
          They hid under the porch!

HEAD CLOSE-UP -- JOHN

                    JOHN
          No; they went a-runnin'.

TWO-SHOT -- RACHEL AND JOHN

                    RACHEL
          Well, now, John, that's just what they done!
          They went a-runnin!

The clock starts striking three.  RACHEL looks to sound o.s.

FULL SHOT -- CLOCK AND HALL MIRROR, BEYOND DARK KITCHEN
In the mirror, a shadow ducks.

FULL GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
RACHEL gets up, gun at port, and faces into the darkness.

                    PREACHER (o.s.)
          Figured I was gone, huh?

Eyes on the darkness, she bends low to the CHILDREN.

                    RACHEL
               (whispering)
          Run, hide in the staircase!  Run quick!

They scatter out of SHOT; RUBY lingers.

                    RACHEL
               (without turning to her)
          Ruby, git.

RUBY obeys in a trance.  RACHEL, gun at ready, looks into the darkness.

FULL SCREEN -- DARKNESS
Pause.

                    RACHEL
               (o.s., in a high, steady voice)
          What do you want?

                    PREACHER (o.s.)
          Them kids!

                    RACHEL (o.s.)
          What are you after them for?

                    PREACHER (o.s.)
          None of your business, Madam.

                    RACHEL
          I'm givin' you to the count of three to get out
          that screen door; then I'm a-comin' across this
          kitchen shootin'!

A stepped-on cat screams o.s. and PREACHER's satanic face, and his hand
lifting the open knife, rise swiftly from the floor.

FULL FIGURE SHOT -- RACHEL -- SAME SHOT AS BEFORE
She fires off her gun.

FULL SHOT -- SCREEN DOOR
PREACHER staggers out and runs yelping with pain into the barn.  O.s. we hear
the zing-zing of a country phone being cranked.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL, OVER BACKS OF CHILDREN'S HEADS
They huddle on the stairs in reverent silence.  RACHEL, her gun slung
sportily under one arm, talks into wall phone which hangs just within the box
stairway.

                    RACHEL
          Miz Booher?  Rachel Cooper.  Git them State
          Troopers over to my place.  I done treed
          somep'n up in my barn.

                                        DISSOLVE TO

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL AND JOHN
RACHEL sits on the screened porch, awake, gun on knees.  JOHN sits on floor,
asleep, his head leaning against her.  Barn in BACKGROUND.  Sunrise.

CLOSE SHOT -- RACHEL AND JOHN
Same position.  JOHN awakes.