Strangler of the Swamp (1946)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Frank Wisbar

Writers:

Frank Wisbar (story) and
Leo J. McCarthy (story) ...

Release Date:

2 January 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

He was hanged for a crime he didn't commit, and now he's the... [Strangler of the Swamp]

Plot:

A number of swamp land men have died by strangulation and the inhabitants believe that an innocent man...

Plot Keywords:

Innocent | Strangulation | Ferry | Strangler | Hanging

Cast

Rosemary La Planche	...	Maria Hart
Robert Barrat	...	Christian Sanders
Blake Edwards	...	Christian Sanders Jr.
Charles Middleton	...	Ferryman Douglas
Effie Laird	...	Martina Sanders (as Effie Parnell)
Nolan Leary	...	Pete Jeffers
Frank Conlan	...	Joseph Hart
Therese Lyon	...	Dark-haired Woman
Virginia Farmer	...	Anna Jeffers

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11211)

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Trivia:

One of the very, very small number of films produced by PRC that are critically regarded as achieving something approaching B-movie status. It's notoriety was enhanced by it's inclusion in William K. Everson's "Classics of the Horror Film" (1974) in which he praised German director Frank Wisbar's work on the film.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Fährmann Maria (1936)

Not bad poverty row thriller

No, it's not PRC's finest hour (and even though it's listed at 59 minutes, I swear it's closer to 50)--that honour has to go to Edgar Ulmer's Detour. Strangler of the Swamp is a neat little cheapie, though, and it's atmosphere is unlike that of any other Hollywood film, with the exception of Night of the Hunter. Perhaps Charles Laughton caught this at the bottom of the bill one night and tucked his memories away for a decade. It certainly strikes me as being more or a fable than a true horror story, and what little I've read of Frank Wisbar's earlier Ferryboat Maria seems to bear out that interpretation. The film is rife with illogic, starting with the idea that a ferry is needed across a swamp that seems to span no more than a few yards. Villagers try to run away in order to escape the curse of the Strangler, and instead of leaving via the ferry they take a donkey cart on a road that otherwise doesn't figure into the story! Leading lady Rosemary La Planche sleepwalks through her role as the granddaughter of the cursed ferryman, and Blake Edwards is reasonably likeable as the heartthrob whose love heals all wounds. All things considered--not least it's brevity and dreamlike atmosphere--Strangler of the Swamp is essential viewing for anyone interested in second features, Poverty Row cinema, or the influence of German filmmakers on American cinema.