The Haunted Strangler (1958)

A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.

Director:

Robert Day

Writers:

John Croydon (as John C. Cooper), Jan Read (screenplay)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Anthony Dawson, Jean Kent

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Boris Karloff	...	James Rankin
Jean Kent	...	Cora Seth
Elizabeth Allan	...	Barbara Rankin
Anthony Dawson	...	Supt. Burk
Vera Day	...	Pearl
Tim Turner	...	Dr. Kenneth McColl
Diane Aubrey	...	Lily Rankin
Max Brimmell	...	Newgate Prison Turnkey
Leslie Perrins	...	Newgate Prison Governor
Jessica Cairns	...	Asylum Maid
Dorothy Gordon	...	Hannah
Desmond Roberts	...	Dr. Johnson
Roy Russell	...	Medical Superintendent
Derek Birch	...	Guyse Hospital Superintendent
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Kate

Storyline

A writer investigating the execution of a serial killer known as "The Haymarket Strangler" 20 years previously begins to suspect that the wrong man might have been hanged. However, when he picks up a scalpel used by the murderer, he finds himself possessed by the killer's spirit and begins committing similar murders.

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Plot Keywords:

serial murder | psychotronic film | year 1860 | prison | public execution | 

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Taglines:

Karloff-KING OF MONSTERS-In His New Picture of 1,000 Horrors!

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer John Croydon first met Boris Karloff on the set of The Ghoul (1933) 25 years earlier as a tea boy.

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Goofs

In the opening scene at Newgate Prison, the excess end of the rope for the noose changes length from long, to cut off, to long again between shots.

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Quotes

James Rankin: I'm sorry, Barbara, but a man must do the work in which he believes!

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Connections

Referenced in Inside the Tower (2015)

User Reviews

Bizarre Version of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Legend

Some people have asked why Boris Karloff never played a serious version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" . Well, here it is, even though it is in the form of some "Dr. Tennant / Hyde-like strangler" duality. Once again, Boris Karloff plays the "monster" and like Mr. Hyde in the previous films, he plays a man who degenerates to a rampaging animal which lives to kill. Also like Mr. Hyde, the transformations to the lower form seem to be based on some sort of sexual repression that bursts out in the form of savage attacks on women. In addition, like the "beast" in the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" films, whether one is watching Fredric March, Spencer Tracy, or John Barrymore, the transformation from man to the lower animal state gets uglier with each change. Another thing, the graveyard scenes in the movie are really creepy - kind of a throwback to films such as "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", "Return of the Vampire", and "The Body Snatcher". Even though the plot has some strange twists, this is one of the best post-Universal thrillers starring Boris Karloff - one of the last in which he plays both the monster ("Mr. Hyde") and the mad doctor (Tennant). (Karloff did the same thing in "Frankenstein 1970" in which he played both creator and created.) Great hair-raiser.

Watch it in the dark.

Dan Basinger

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Haunted Strangler

Filming Locations:

Walton Studios, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP70,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producers Associates, Amalgamated Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1