Reverend Harry Powell

Rev. Harry Powell (played by Robert Mitchum) is the main villain and antagonist in the 1955 Charles Laughton's film The Night of the Hunter. He is introduced as a preacher with a contempt for women, who travels across the estates surrounding the Ohio river delivering his sermons. His modus operandi is to marry widows only to later kill them and steal their money. While serving 30 days in jail he received for the theft of a car, he meets bank robber Ben Harper, who has been condemned to death because of the murder of two men during the robbery. He tries to convince Harper to tell him where are the 10.000 dollars he stole, which he gave to his children to hide. As he refuses, Powell decides that after his release, he'll find and marry Harper's widow to get the money.