The Strangler (1964)

An overweight lab technician with low self esteem, brought on by his dominant mother, becomes a serial killer of female nurses.

Director:

Burt Topper

Writer:

Bill S. Ballinger

Stars:

Victor Buono, David McLean, Diane Sayer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victor Buono	...	Leo Kroll
David McLean	...	Lt. Frank Benson
Diane Sayer	...	Barbara Wells
Davey Davison	...	Tally Raymond
Baynes Barron	...	Sgt. Mack Clyde
Ellen Corby	...	Mrs. Kroll
Michael Ryan	...	Detective Mel Posner
Russ Bender	...	Dr. Clarence Sanford
Jeanne Bates	...	Clara Thomas, the Nurse
Wally Campo	...	Eggerton
Mimi Dillard	...	Thelma
Byron Morrow	...	Dr. Morton
John Yates	...	Intern
James Sikking	...	Artist
Robert Cranford	...	Jack Rosten

Storyline

Leo Kroll, a lab technician in a large unnamed city, is responsible for the strangulation murders of several young nurses. He feels that in some twisted way, that he is getting back at his overbearing shrew of a mother. Leo also kills the nurse who is taking care of his mother in the rest home she is staying at. As a result, Mrs. Kroll dies from a heart attack. He also kills an arcade worker whom he feels is can identify him.

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Plot Keywords:

nurse | strangulation | serial killer | arcade | murder | 

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Taglines:

WHY Does He Do It? HOW Does He Do It? WHO Is His Next Victim?

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 April 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boston Strangler

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bischoff-Diamond Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Victor Buono plays the mother-fixated Leo Kroll. Psychiatrists have theorized that the Boston Strangler had a mother fixation.

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Goofs

When the police are on the way to the first murder shown in the movie, they are driving in a 1950s boxy sedan. However, when the police arrive, they are in an early-1960s era sedan.

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Crazy Credits

In the main opening titles, actor Michael Ryan has the middle initial "M" in his billing, but it is not in the full cast list in the end credits.

User Reviews

Pure Exploitation

I watched this film for the first time when I was about 8 years old and I thought it was rather creepy. I'm now 36 and I see this film for what it is, pure exploitation. The only ones that turn in credible performance is Victor Buono as Leo Kroll the strangler and Helen Corby as Leo's harpy of a mother. All the rest of the actors in this flick are a bunch of amatures and this was probably the only jobs they could get at the time. But the thing that I think makes this is an exploitation pic is that the victims, for the most part, are all in various stages of undress just before they are murdered, especially the third victim who is killed in the shower ("Psycho" rip off anyone). This is quite interesting because of the fact that this was filmed in 1964, four years before the MPAA ratings were initiated and this surely would have gotten a PG-13 by today's standards. Other than the performances, this is not a bad flick considering the exploitive nature of it.