THE
HAUNTED STRANGLER (1958)Director: Robert Day
Image Entertainment
THE
HAUNTED STRANGLER (1958)It's invigorating to think of how consistently Boris Karloff worked in horror films throughout his later years. The decade of the 1950s was a so-so period in terms of quality productions featuring the endearing actor, infested with misfires like MONSTER OF THE ISLAND ('53) and VOODOO ISLAND ('57). Even acceptable fare like THE STRANGE DOOR ('51), THE BLACK CASTLE ('52), and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE ('53) came up short in some ways regarding Karloff's input.
It's ironic then that one year alone (1958) would produce the three finest Boris Karloff offerings from the rock n roll decade: CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, FRANKENSTEIN 1970 (that's right, I'm including this underappreciated funfest), and THE HAUNTED STRANGLER (called GRIP OF THE STRANGLER in England). With the aid of Mr. Richard Gordon, Image has been able to release DVDs for CORRIDORS and STRANGLER. For those interested in the Warner-owned FRANKENSTEIN 1970...well, maybe you can find a "VHS drive-in" Web site somewhere (sorry, it's not our fault).
THE HAUNTED STRANGLER begins in the London of 1860, where a blood-hungry mob is cheering the hanging of Edward Styles, aka the "Haymarket Strangler". The indifferent cackling of the crowd despite the desperate protests from the innocent victim makes for an unsettling opening.
Twenty years later, a novelist by the name of James Rankin (Karloff) becomes obsessed with the case of Edward Styles and his own hunch that the man was not guilty. Despite discouragement from his wife to let the past remain buried, Rankin continues to track down any evidence he can find. His ultimate conclusion is that a mysterious coroner called Dr. Tenant might have been involved, but the doctor's history shows that he vanished without a trace. Also curious is the fact that Tenant's surgical knife is missing, and Rankin deduces that the murder weapon must have been stashed inside Styles' coffin with his remains.
Gaining entry into a creepy graveyard at midnight, Rankin digs up Styles' coffin and manages to locate the infamous scalpel inside amidst a heap ofbones and ashes. Upon grasping the knife, Rankin's body contorts and his brain convulses. He becomes a grimacing, half-paralyzed maniac, prowling the night in search of pretty girls to strangle and stab.
After the strange seizure passes, it doesn't take Rankin long to arrive at an answer that his loving wife confirms: James Rankin actually IS "Tenant!" She explains how she protected her schizophrenic husband for the past two decades, re-shaping his demented mind into the identity of a "new man," hoping that he would never be found out nor that his dormant memories would never be awoken.
Although this revelation occurs midway, there is still much more to the story to enjoy after this, as Karloff's character kills his wife and gets thrown in an asylum when he raves that he's the Haymarket Strangler between transformations. Though mad, he struggles to make all things right by trying to return the deadly scalpel to its coffin where it belongs. This is Karloff the Consummate Actor at his finest, never missing a beat for a man in his advancing years. He's grim and effective as he portrays the murderer simply by mussing his hair, removing his false teeth, biting his lower lip, and distorting his left arm.
This full screen DVD looks relatively sharp and clean, yet there is an underlying "flicker" that can be detected if you choose to concentrate on it. This is never distracting, and gives the feeling of watching the movie on a cable station. The effect was also present on the laserdisc, so it's something slight that we just have to live with. The mono sound is very clean and defined.
A letterboxed theatrical trailer is gratefully included, though it's much less defined than the feature itself and just serves to remind us how acceptable the movie really looked! (Joe Lozowsky)