Bonfire story
A preacher is willing to commit murder in order to get a woman's manor for his church. Directed by: Joseph Pevney. Story by: William D. Gordon, Alfred Hayes.
11 total · 4 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| finding religion | major | Robert spoke to Laura about how he found faith in a coal mine. She professed that she too would like to mend her wicked ways and be saved. |
| greed for riches | major | Robert murdered two women out of a desire to inherit their home. |
| murder | major | Robert killed both Naomi and Laura in a bid to get their house. |
| romantic courtship | major | Robert methodically put the moves on an Laura until he thought he won her over. |
| aunt and niece | minor | Naomi and Laura didn't correspond much, explained Laura. |
| coping with the death of a spouse | minor | Robert spoke of his late wife who had "had an accident" after asking him to go back to the coal mines. |
| divorce | minor | Laura briefly mentioned her divorce. |
| economic downturn | minor | In his intro, Alfred Hitchcock visited a town that was abandoned in the wake of an economic bubble bursting there. |
| law enforcement | minor | The police arrived to arrest Robert at his sermon. |
| moderation in all things | minor | Robert uttered the words "all things in moderation" before downing a glass of wine. |