6 Best Traveling Preacher and Revival Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 20, 2026

The charismatic, often morally murky world of traveling revival preachers and tent-show evangelists has powered some of cinema’s most searching character studies. In Marjoe (1972): A former child evangelist returns to the revival circuit one final time to expose its manipulative theatrics on camera. Equally memorable is A Face in the Crowd (1957): A folksy drifter’s rise to television stardom reveals his hidden talent for cynical, dangerous mass manipulation.

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A folksy drifter's rise to television stardom reveals his hidden talent for cynical, dangerous mass manipulation.

Directed by Elia Kazan · 2h 05m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Apostle (1997)

TMDB ★ 6.3

A disgraced Pentecostal preacher flees after a violent act and starts a new congregation under an assumed identity.

Directed by Robert Duvall · 2h 14m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Leap of Faith (1992)

TMDB ★ 5.8

A traveling faith healer's elaborate con is threatened when a genuine miracle appears to occur in his tent.

Directed by Richard Pearce · 1h 48m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Elmer Gantry (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A charismatic, morally compromised traveling salesman reinvents himself as a fire-and-brimstone revival preacher.

Directed by Richard Brooks · 2h 26m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Sky Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marjoe (1972)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A former child evangelist returns to the revival circuit one final time to expose its manipulative theatrics on camera.

Directed by Sarah Kernochan & Howard Smith · 1h 28m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, DocuramaFilms Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Wise Blood (1979)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A disillusioned war veteran founds his own blasphemous anti-religion while wandering the American South.

Directed by John Huston · 1h 46m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Traveling Preacher and Revival Movies

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

The Apostle (1997)

Leap of Faith (1992)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Marjoe (1972)

Wise Blood (1979)

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