At the time of its release, "The Night of the Hunter" received mixed reviews, but over the years it has come to be regarded as a classic. It began as a cult film, with a small group of fans, and regularly played at museums and in revival houses. Its popularity grew as a new generation of children were exposed to the film when it played on television. In the 1970s, as the field of film criticism began to expand, many articles were written about the film.