Songfacts®:

• "Night of the Hunter" is a gritty narrative of vengeance and its inescapable consequences. It paints a picture of a man driven by rage, resorting to violence to avenge his friend's death. However, the thrill of retribution is short-lived as the sirens wail, signaling the imminent arrival of law and justice. He knows he faces a long imprisonment, accepting his fate but not necessarily apologizing for his actions.
  
  "This fella doesn't really know why his mate's dead, but he's got a feeling his mate had it coming to him," explained Libertines frontman Pete Doherty. "He f---ed with the wrong people, and he stole something he shouldn't have, and he got stabbed. So, he's angry and hurt and he has to go and get revenge, so he does and that's it for him, basically."
  
  "Once he has stabbed the lad who stabbed his mate, that's it for him," Doherty added. "He lashed out in revenge and he knows they're coming to get him and he's not even going to try and run because he knows he'll just be running forever."
• Love and hate
  Tattooed on the knuckles 'round the handles of a blade
  
  While the song itself doesn't mention the title, it draws inspiration from the 1955 film of the same name. This dark, western-gothic movie stars Robert Mitchum as a menacing preacher with "LOVE" and "HATE" tattooed on his knuckles.
  
  The Clash used a similar lyric on their London Calling track "Death Or Glory":
  
  "Love 'n' hate" tattooed across the knuckles of his hands
• Carl Barat's guitar riff, reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," laid the foundation, and the addition of the theremin played by Claude Samuel Levine adds a melancholic touch. "It took about a day to get the theremin in tune, but he once he played the sequence it worked beautifully," said Barat.
• "Night Of The Hunter" was released on December 6, 2023 from All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. The Libertines recorded the album over a four-week period in February and March 2023 at the Albion Rooms in Margate, a location owned by the band members. As well as sharing a name with Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel, the album's title is in honor of the band's Margate hotel, studio, restaurant and bar.
• All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade was produced by Dimitri Tikovoï (The Horrors, Charli XCX, Becky Hill). The four band members share the songwriting credits.
• Director Alex Brown (La Roux, James Blake) shot the music video in Cliftonville, Margate, and at The Albion Rooms. The visuals serve as the second part in a series of Margate-themed clips, picking up where the video for All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade's lead single, "Run, Run, Run," left off.
• The Libertines gave the song its live debut on December 9, 2023, during their gig at the 500-capacity Lido Cliff Bar in Margate.