It's the Deep South, the Texan Bible Belt, and navy dischargee Elvis arrives on the doorstep of a charismatic local preacher claiming to be his son from a long forgotten liasion. Initially rejected by the patriarchal dictator he slowly worms himself into the family, both through the father and the pants of his virginal half-sister. Is Elvis hell-bent on revenge, if so for what? Or is he seeking a father? These are some of the questions that the director poses. And how will he resolve the dilemma find out more...

Laughton's only stab at directing, with Mitchum giving a stunning performance as the psychopathic preacher who, whilst in jail for a minor offence, hatches a devious plan to get his hands on the loot stashed by his condemned cell-mate. Set in '30s rural America, the film polarises into a struggle between good and evil for the souls of innocent children. Laughton's deliberately old-fashioned direction throws up a startling array of images: an amalgam of Mark Twain-like exteriors (idyllic riversid find out more...