Preacher Harry Powell

Harry Powell is a fictional character in

list.

In the 1953 novel and 1955 film

Powell is a self-declared itinerant

.

There he meets Ben Harper, who is sentenced to

, Powell leaves prison and heads downriver to Harper's home in Cresap Landing to find the money. He meets Harper's widow, Willa, and her children, John and Pearl, and ingratiates himself into the family by pretending to have been the prison chaplain and a good friend of Ben's; Willa and Pearl are smitten, but John doesn't trust him. Powell learns that the children know where the money is, and marries Willa to have access to them.

After Willa learns the truth about her marriage, Powell kills her and drops her body in the

, orphaned, and abandoned children.

However, Powell has followed their trail and comes to the house one day claiming to be the children's father. Rachel is not fooled and pulls a gun on him; he leaves, but vows to return later. After nightfall, the desperate preacher charges into the farmhouse only to be shot by Rachel. Yelping in pain, Powell runs into the barn and is arrested the next morning after Rachel calls the state police in

.

Real-life inspiration

Author Grubb based Harry Powell on

In popular culture

The Preacher Powell character has become one of cinema's most popular, influential villains. Mitchum's performance has reaped widespread acclaim; he later said Powell was his favorite role. Stephen King has called Powell one of the greatest villains in fiction.^[3]

The tattoos on Powell's knuckles of the words "LOVE" and "HATE" have become one of the most iconic images in film history; it has been referenced and parodied in films ranging from Do the Right Thing and Blazing Saddles to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well as television shows such as The Simpsons and Seinfeld and songs by groups such as The Clash and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

The Ren & Stimpy character Reverend Jack Cheese, who goes around preaching "the gospel of meat," is based on Powell. His knuckle tattoos say "PITY" and "SELF PITY". In the episode "It's a Dog's Life", meanwhile, Stimpy is shown to have the words "Love" and "Hate" tattooed on his upper and lower lip. Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi has called The Night of the Hunter his favorite film.

In the

plays part of Powell's speech on love and hate from The Night of the Hunter as part of a trap he sets.

See also

• Lonely hearts killer
• Night of the Hunter (1991)
• The Night of the Hunter (1955)

References