What If I Don’t Like It? – Season Two Finale: The Night of the Hunter (1955)

For the season two finale, I’m joined by film critic Carl Gustafson ("@Carlthefilmcritic") to talk about The Night of the Hunter (1955), a classic horror film often called one of the greatest and most influential movies ever made. Why do filmmakers love it? Why did it fail on release? And why can it feel intimidating to first-time viewers?

This episode is perfect for anyone who has avoided this classic because it feels lofty or intimidating. Carl and I break down the film’s direction by Charles Laughton, Robert Mitchum’s iconic performance, its expressionist cinematography, and why it remains a genuinely tense, emotional, and influential movie.

Whether you’re a horror fan, a classic film lover, or just curious about this famous movie, this conversation is a friendly guide to The Night of the Hunter.

Where You Can Find Us

Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@movieruntime Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movieruntime YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieRuntime

Carl Gustafson (@Carlthefilmcritic) TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carlthefilmcritic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlthefilmcritic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CarlTheCritic

00:00 Introduction to The Night of the Hunter and Episode Overview

11:15 Film Reviews, TikTok, and How We Talk About Movies

16:58 First Movie Memories, Comfort Films, and Horror Origins

22:31 The American Dream and Classic Hollywood Themes

27:32 The Night of the Hunter Plot Overview and First Reactions

31:57 Film Noir, Expressionism, and Cinematic Style

36:00 Cinematography, Shadows, and Visual Storytelling

39:40 Influence on Modern Horror and Filmmakers

42:04 Women in The Night of the Hunter: Sexuality and Power

45:50 Religion, Good vs Evil, and Moral Fear

48:20 Iconic Scenes and Lasting Imagery

52:37 Pacing, Structure, and Narrative Choices

56:07 Character Development and Child Protagonists

01:00:49 Robert Mitchum’s Performance as a Horror Villain

01:04:42 Film Score, Sound Design, and Atmosphere

01:11:22 Why The Night of the Hunter Still Matters

01:18:33 Corrections, Context, and Extended Discussion

01:19:34 True Story Influences and Charles Laughton’s Direction

01:21:02 Release Problems, Critical Reception, and Reevaluation

01:27:14 Final Thoughts, Legacy, and Season Wrap-Up

Movies Referenced in This Episode

Listed by year of release

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

• Nosferatu (1922)

• Frankenstein (1931)

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

• Dumbo (1941)

• The Night of the Hunter (1955)

• Marty (1955)

• Lady and the Tramp (1955)

• East of Eden (1955)

• Cape Fear (1962)

• My Fair Lady (1964)

• Onibaba (1964)

• Eraserhead (1977)

• Suspiria (1977)

• The Fox and the Hound (1981)

• Das Boot (1981)

• Blue Velvet (1986)

• Do the Right Thing (1989)

• Edward Scissorhands (1990)

• Perfect Blue (1997)

• The Big Lebowski (1998)

• Requiem for a Dream (2000)

• No Country for Old Men (2007)

• Coraline (2009)

• Black Swan (2010)

• The Shape of Water (2017)

• Suspiria (2018)

• Midsommar (2019)

• Us (2019)

• Bo Is Afraid (2023)

  Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Is Fried Green Tomatoes secretly the beginning of a Wendigo movie?A fun and heartfelt deep dive into Fried Green Tomatoes with Brian Cottington from Cinema Psychos. We break down the film’s queer subtext, Southern Gothic themes, adaptation changes, VHS nostalgia, and why this 1991 classic still resonates. Plus: Hellraiser, food in movies, 90s comfort rewatches, and way too many cannibalism jokes.

We get into:• why Fried Green Tomatoes still hits emotionally• book vs. film changes (and what got censored)• queer coding, agency, abuse, and Southern Gothic vibes• VHS nostalgia, NES cartridges, and growing up on tapes• comfort rewatches, horror gateways & Brian’s love for Hellraiser• how movies shape food culture (Tampopo, Wonka bars, fried green tomatoes)• the Christina Ricci movie we absolutely blanked on• plus… more cannibalism jokes than anyone asked for 😅

If you love movies, film history, weird trivia, and totally unhinged tangents—welcome home.

New episodes drop monthly.
Subscribe for long-form deep dives with equal parts heart and chaos.

Follow Brian Cottington (Cinema Psychos)Instagram: @CinemaPsychosTikTok: @CinemaPsychosPodcast: Cinema Psychos Show

Follow KT Baldassaro (What If I Don’t Like It?)Instagram: @MovieRuntimeTikTok: @MovieRuntimeYouTube: @MovieRuntime

Timestamps

00:52 – Cold Open + Intro01:41 – Guest Intro: Brian from Cinema Psychos05:44 – Writing Episodes: Script Process & Workflow08:32 – TikTok Growth, Visual Style & On-Camera Tips12:57 – Audio Quality Talk: Mics, Sound Design & Best Practices17:07 – VHS Nostalgia: Watching 2001: A Space Odyssey on Tape22:22 – Brian’s Film Habits & Comfort Rewatches28:22 – Hellraiser: Cenobites, Clive Barker & Franchise Evolution30:30 – Fried Green Tomatoes: Adaptation Choices31:21 – Oscars History: What Beat It That Year32:50 – Queer Representation: Coding, Tropes & Supermarket Sweep42:62 – Gender, Abuse, Identity & Agency55:12 – Food in Movies: Tampopo, Wonka Bars & More1:00:07 – Christina Ricci Tangent (Now and Then)1:06:73 – Cannibalism Running Gag + Ravenous1:08:24 – Righteous Gemstones: Danny McBride Archetypes1:22:42 – Final Thoughts

Movies Mentioned2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Tampopo (1985)
Hellraiser (1987)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Batman (1989)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
A Goofy Movie (1995)
Now and Then (1995)
May (2002)
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Avatar (2009)
Batgirl (unreleased, 2022)
Wile E. Coyote vs. Acme (unreleased, 2023)

Horror film reviewer Taylor Complains (@taylorcomplains) joins host Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime) to dig into Frank Oz’s 1986 cult horror musical classic Little Shop of Horrors. Killer plants sing, Rick Moranis charms, and the bleak alternate ending is somehow more expensive than Aliens.

Kt and Taylor dive into what happens when a horror fan with zero patience for musicals meets one of the campiest cult classics of the 1980s. From killer plants to killer performances, they debate whether Little Shop of Horrors deserves its legacy, or if it’s all just Muppet-fueled madness.

We also dig into:

🎭 Frank Oz’s Muppet DNA and why his practical effects still hold up 40 years later

💀 That infamous alternate ending… the one test audiences couldn’t handle

🎥 Rick Moranis’s “lovable loser” energy and why it somehow works every time

🧵 Why horror and comedy blend perfectly, but musicals can drive even die-hard horror fans insane

🌆 The original 1960 version with Jack Nicholson, and how it evolved from B-movie to Broadway hit

😂 Taylor’s brutal honesty, his case for bleak endings, and why he rates this one a "2… maybe 2.5, but only because it eats everyone at the end.”

Whether you’re a Little Shop devotee or a proud musical hater, this episode delivers sharp film analysis, chaotic humor, and a surprisingly heartfelt appreciation for practical effects and bad decisions.

🔗 Follow Taylor Complains

TikTok: @taylorcomplains

YouTube: @taylorcomplains

Instagram: @taylorcomplains

🎧 Follow Kt Baldassaro (@MovieRuntime)

Instagram & TikTok: @MovieRuntime

Letterboxd: @MovieRuntime

YouTube: @MovieRuntime

#LittleShopOfHorrors #FrankOz #RickMoranis #HorrorMusical #FilmPodcast #CultCinema #MovieRuntime #WhatIfIDontLikeIt #80sMovies #PracticalEffects #SteveMartin #JackNicholson #PodcastInterview #FilmCritic #HorrorTikTok #TaylorComplains #HorrorCommunity #FilmAnalysis #ComedyPodcast #cultmovies

Master Chronological List of all Films Mentioned in this Episode

Go Ask Alice (1973)

Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

The Dark Crystal (1982)

The Thing (1982)

Gremlins (1984)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

The Fly (1986)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Spaceballs (1987)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Arachnophobia (1990)

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Vampires (1998)

Ravenous (1999)

Magnolia (1999)

Boondock Saints (1999)

Rush Hour (1998)

Blade (1998)

The South Park Movie (Bigger, Longer & Uncut) (1999)

The Descent (2005)

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

[REC] (2007)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

Quarantine (2008)

Antichrist (2009)

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Melancholia (2011)

Evil Dead (2013

The Voices (2014)

The Lure (2015)

Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Him (2024)

Longlegs (2024)

Sinners (2024)

Chapters:

00:00 Intro & Guest Introduction

01:00 Why Horror Musicals Are Hard to Love

03:00 Anna and the Apocalypse vs. Little Shop

05:00 Theater Kids, Performance, and Authenticity

08:00 Taylor’s Horror Background & Top Films

13:00 Film Critique and Letting People Like What They Like

17:00 Nihilism, PTA, and Modern vs. Classic Horror

28:00 Why the Bleak Ending of Little Shop Works

31:00 Frank Oz, The Muppet Aesthetic, and Practical Effects

35:00 The Alternate Ending and Test Audiences

42:00 American Audiences’ Obsession with Happy Endings

44:00 Despair, Self-Indulgence, and What Makes Art Work

47:00 Puppetry, Performance, and the Magic of Lip Syncing

53:00 Character Voices, Archetypes, and Rick Moranis’ “Lovable Loser”

01:35:00 Final Thoughts: Why the Film Endures Despite Its Flaws