The Night of the Hunter

                    JOHN
          I'll see to Pearl.

                    RACHEL
          I'll make coffee.

They get up and start into kitchen.

GROUP SHOT -- THE CHILDREN, OVER RACHEL AND JOHN
They lie huddled in calm sleep.  JOHN and RACHEL watch a moment.

                    JOHN
          She's all right.

They start for the stove.

TWO-SHOT -- RACHEL AND JOHN, AROUND STOVE
RACHEL puts her gun beside the stove, ready to hand, and picks up a coffee-
pot; JOHN puts kindling in stove.

                    RACHEL
          John, you know?  When you're little, you have
          more endurance than God is ever to grant you
          again?  Children are Man at his strongest. 
          They abide.

JOHN looks at her a moment.  O.s. we hear police car sirens.  They look
towards the sound.

FULL SHOT -- THROUGH POLICE CAR WINDSHIELD
We SHOOT OVER TWO TROOPERS.  Sirens loud, they rapidly approach RACHEL's
house as RACHEL, without gun, holding JOHN's hand, comes down to fence. 
Presently, the other CHILDREN hurry out of house behind.  The car brakes.

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN OVER TWO POLICE CARS -- BARN IN BACKGROUND
The TROOPERS, fanning wide, advance towards the barn.  RACHEL and the
CHILDREN are grouped a short distance behind them.  The barn door gapes
black.  Short pause; then PREACHER appears.

                    A TROOPER
               (shouting)
          Is that him, Ma'am?

                    RACHEL
               (shouting)
          Yes!  Mind where you shoot, boys!  There's
          children here!

                    TROOPER
          Whyn't you call us up before?

                    RACHEL
          Didn't want yer big feet trackin' up my clean
          floors.

CLOSE SHOT -- PREACHER
He stands, swaying; his left arm is bloody and helpless.  In his right hand
the open knife hangs apathetic.  His eyes are glazed.  He does not seem to
care whether they come or not.

                    TROOPER'S VOICE (o.s.)
          Harry Powell, you're under arrest for the
          murder of Willa Harper!

MEDIUM SHOT -- PREACHER AND TROOPERS -- JOHN'S VIEWPOINT
TROOPERS close in on PREACHER, from before and behind, exactly as for BEN's
arrest.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN
The same sickly look, as at BEN's arrest.

MEDIUM SHOT -- PREACHER AND TROOPERS -- JOHN'S VIEWPOINT
One TROOPER smacks the back of PREACHER's head with a pistol-barrel.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

                    JOHN
               (shouting)
          Don't!

RESUME VIEWPOINT SHOT
Another TROOPER, with pistol-barrel, knocks the knife from PREACHER's lifted
hand.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

                    JOHN
               (shouting)
          Don't!

RESUME VIEWPOINT SHOT
PREACHER sinks to his knees as both men, and two others from the front, close
in on him.  The tableau is the same as in BEN's arrest.

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN

                    JOHN
               (shouting)
          DAD!

FRONT GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
JOHN grabs the DOLL from PEARL and starts to run.

                    RACHEL
          John!  John!

She starts after him.

FULL SHOT -- TROOPERS, JOHN, RACHEL, OVER PREACHER
PREACHER prostrate along bottom of screen.  TROOPERS are beating him.  JOHN
runs up from BACKGROUND followed by RACHEL.  JOHN rushes among the TROOPERS,
flogging PREACHER over the head with the DOLL.  The TROOPERS, astounded, lay
off.  RACHEL is stopped in her tracks.

                    JOHN
          Here!  Here!  Take it back!  I can't stand it,
          Dad!  It's too much, Dad!  I don't want it!  I
          can't do it!  Here!  Here!

The DOLL has burst open and the money has spilled over PREACHER.  Now two
TROOPERS gently lift JOHN away.  RACHEL lifts him in her arms; she turns
towards house.

FULL FIGURE SHOT -- RACHEL AND JOHN -- GROUP IN BACKGROUND
She carries JOHN towards the house.  His head hangs back over her arm.  We
hear his dry, exhausted sobs.

INT. COURTROOM -- DAY -- CLOSE SHOT -- ICEY

                    ICEY
               (yelling)
          Lynch him!  Lynch him!

TWO-SHOT -- WALT AND ICEY

                    ICEY
               (yelling)
          Bluebeard!

                    WALT
               (yelling at all the men around him)
          Twenty-five wives!

                    ICEY
          And he killed every last one of 'em!

GROUP SHOT -- WALT, ICEY, MEMBERS OF COURTROOM AUDIENCE
Perhaps ten faces.  Most are frenetic.  Our two LOAFERS are having fun. 
General hubbub o.s.  A gavel o.s.

                    ICEY
               (yelling)
          If the People of Marshall County...

                    LOAFERS
               (cynically, across her)
          Bluebeard!  Bluebeard!

CLOSE SHOT -- JOHN
He looks to sound of gavel.  The hubbub and the gaveling stop.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          Will you identify the prisoner?

JOHN looks over his shoulder in same direction as the gavel.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          Please, little lad.  Won't you look yonder...

His pointing finger enters the SHOT.  JOHN shakes as if he had a cold.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          ...and tell the Court if that is the man who
          killed your mother?

JOHN looks at the finger.  Short pause.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          It's all right, Mrs. Cooper.  You can take the
          little fellow away.

The LAWYER's hands gently help him from chair.

GROUP SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
... as LAWYER's hands consign JOHN to RACHEL.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          Merry Christmas to you and yours, Mrs. Cooper.

The CHILDREN bob and reply, ad lib, "Merry Christmas to you."  RACHEL sniffs.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          And what's Santy Claus going to bring you,
          little man?

Above JOHN's head, by winding and holding to ear, RACHEL pantomimes a watch.

                    LAWYER (o.s.)
          Oh-ho-oo-o!

                    ICEY (o.s.)
          Them is the ones he sinned against, my friends!

Gaveling starts.

                    LOAFER (o.s.)
          Bluebeard!  Bluebeard!

                    CROWD (o.s.)
          Bluebeard!  Bluebeard!

As RACHEL and CHILDREN turn to go, gaveling and hubbub fade and we

                                        LAP DISSOLVE TO

INT. A CAFE -- NIGHT
RACHEL and her CHILDREN sit in two booths in a corner, next to a big front
window.  Christmas parcels on bench at RACHEL's right.

FULL SHOT -- RACHEL AND HER GROUP, THEN CAFE AND WINDOW
Sound o.s. of approaching crowd.  As we PULL BACK we bring in a few other
customers and the big window.  There are Christmas decorations in the cafe
and the street outside is hung with them.  Thirty feverish people, some of
whom carry torches, enter the scene; ICEY stares in the window and screams.

                    ICEY
               (high-pitched)
          Them's hers!

Everyone in the cafe stands up.  RACHEL gathers her parcels.  ICEY rushes to
door and opens it.

                    ICEY
          Them's her orphans!

She turns to crowd.

                    RACHEL
          Where's Ruby?

                    CLARY
          She went.

ICEY shouts into the cafe.

                    ICEY
          Them poor little lambs!

ICEY turns to the street mob.  RACHEL hurries her CHILDREN to door.  ICEY
leaves door to yell at mob.

                    ICEY
          Them's the ones he sinned against, my friends!

                    CASHIER
               (across Icey)
          Go out the back way, Miz Cooper.

As RACHEL leaves SHOT, the CASHIER shouts and locks the door.

EXT. BACK ALLEY -- NIGHT -- PANNING SHOT -- RACHEL AND COMPANY
...emerging from door.  MARY and CLARY come out first and start walking to
our left.  RACHEL comes out and hurries off to our right, followed by JOHN
holding PEARL's hand.  We PAN to MARY and CLARY.

                    CLARY
          Ain't we goin' to the Bus Depot?

No answer.  They turn and we PAN with them as they hurry after RACHEL, and we
bring in RACHEL, charging away from us with her brood hustling to keep up.

GROUP SHOT -- FEATURING WALT AND ICEY
ICEY carries a torch.  She is flanked by rabid faces and smiling LOAFERS, one
of whom carries an axe.  As she speaks, a MAN rushes up to WALT and gives him
a rope.

                    ICEY
               (shouting, high-pitched)
          Draggin' the name of the Lord through the evil
          mud of his soul!

                    WALT
               (bellowing)
          Come on!

They all start marching, in step.

PANNING SHOT -- RACHEL AND CHILDREN
Marching and voices o.s. and in BACKGROUND.  Carrying Christmas parcels, they
hurry alongside a building and at CENTER of PAN, cross the end of a street. 
The MOB marches down the street TOWARDS CAMERA; MEN run to join it.

                    ICEY
               (high-pitched)
          He lied!

                    WALT
          Tricked us!