poe-48833
THE HAUNTED STRANGLER just misses the mark (of Greatness): while Karloff gives another fine performance, it's a tad too over-the-top for my tastes (at least when it comes to a performer of Karloff's caliber); one would've liked to have seen a more SUBTLE approach as he finds himself gradually getting caught up in the unshakable "grip" of The Strangler- and the "Jekyll and Hyde look" could've been toned WAY down. As pointed out elsewhere in these comments, Karloff's look is more akin to that of a mentally challenged man than a Monster. The production values are outstanding; it's only the handling of the material which could've been better.
dbdumonteil
This film bears the appropriate scars of the time :it begins with the obligatory prologue in the past which is perhaps the best scene: a man is hanged ,and people gather around the scaffold for the show.Later ,Rankin (Boris Karloff) is convinced that they hanged the wrong man and his hard task is to clear his name and to find the real culprit.Of course things will soon turn wrong.This is actually Stevenson's "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde" revised and updated.The split personality has been used too many times to be really absorbing.The only relatively endearing character is the wife who has always known but...
ferbs54
I am still kicking myself in the buttocks repeatedly for having missed the double feature of Boris Karloff's "The Haunted Strangler" (1958) and "Targets" (1968) at NYC's Film Forum a little while back. Thus, seeing a nice, crisp-looking DVD version of "Strangler" the other day came as a very nice consolation prize for me. In this one, Karloff plays a writer and social reformer living in London in 1880. He is investigating what he believes to be the wrongful execution of a man 20 years earlier; a man who had been accused of being the notorious Haymarket Strangler. Unfortunately, as Boris proceeds with this Victorian "cold case," all leads come back to...himself, and before long, he begins to act just a wee bit homicidal. As his Hyde-like nature emerges, Boris bites his underlip, sticks his teeth out, closes one eye and sweats a lot; still, it's a fairly impressive-looking transformation. Karloff was 71 when he essayed this role, but he still manages to exude a great deal of energy and enthusiasm (just watch him try to rip himself out of that straitjacket!). Perhaps being back in England again to make a film was somewhat responsible for this boost. And speaking of energy boosts, I must say that a neat surprise concerning Boris' character comes halfway through that really does shake things up. "The Haunted Strangler" also offers some interesting supporting characters, including cancan dancer Vera Day (who, with her bullet bra, made such a double impression on me in the following year's "Womaneater") and Scotland Yard agent Anthony Dawson (who, come to think of it, attempted a bit of strangulation himself in 1954's "Dial M For Murder"). Bottom line: This Karloff pic really ain't half bad!
dbborroughs
Boris Karloff is a crusading novelist trying to change the British legal system by looking into the Haymarket Strangler case. Boris is convinced the man hung for the crime didn't do it. Of course his investigation turns up proof that he was right, and that he himself was the killer. Well made and well acted little thriller is on okay film to have on in the background. Recently released by Criterion as part of a 4 film set its an okay time killer best watched late at night. To be certain Karloff is wonderful to watch, especially in the scene where he finds the important piece of evidence which proves him right and also slides him into madness. However the mover isn't anything special and can be a bit dull (too much music). (The criterion commentary is excellent and the real reason to pick this up)
