Night of the Hunter, a suspense novel written by Davis Grubb in 1953, was made into a movie in 1955. The story, about a demonic preacher who menaces two young children in hopes of extracting the secret of their father's ill-gotten wealth, is set in and near Grubb's native Moundsville. It was the only movie directed by actor Charles Laughton, from a screenplay by Laughton and James Agee. The black-and-white film starred Robert Mitchum as a serial killer preacher, Shelley Winters as Willa the unfortunate widow, and silent film star Lillian Gish. The film was set on the Ohio River although most of the footage was shot on set in California. Mitchum gives what is often considered his best performance as the preacher. Although the film was never nominated for an Academy award and it was considered a commercial and critical failure, it was included in the Library of Congress's list of 100 best American films. A made-for-television version of Night of the Hunter was produced in 1991.

See also Davis Grubb

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