User reviews

I just saw this on TCM this morning. I agree that the other actors were quite wooden and some of the things the police overlooked (or the scriptwriter conveniently left out) were ridiculous, but Victor Buono was perfect as the killer and that is the reason to watch this film. They got much right about serial killers and their MO and "type" and Buono's ability to move from tenderness to arrogance and hatred creepiness and craziness - all with his face - was quite a thing to see. Just watch it for his portrayal. Ellen Corby as the harridan of a mother is quite fine too. The women who worked at the arcade were a bit dense, though I was glad to see the mother's nurse and the woman who worked with Buono in the lab were not. The movie is of its time, but Victor Buono is so good in this, it shouldn't be discounted.

... even though the who of this crime drama is always known. It's the what - as in what will he do next? - that kept me engaged.

Allied Artists, under the direction of Walter Mirisch in the 50s, had tried to put out some quality productions. But at the end of the 50s Allied decided it wanted to go back to cheap schlock, with the budget sci fi film cycle being in full swing at the time. This is a rare example of a film after Mirisch's departure that showed quite a bit of quality.

An overweight 30ish lab technician, Leo Kroll (Victor Buono), has been going about strangling women who are strangers to him, other than maybe seeing them in the hall at the hospital he works at or some other place out and about. Leo always uses a stocking to kill the women, always positions their bodies like they are being laid out for a funeral, always closes their eyes. Then he goes home and undresses a doll that corresponds to the latest victim and puts that doll in a desk drawer. He gets some sexual charge out of this activity. Enough is shown about Leo's life that you know he has no friends, no girlfriend, and lives alone except for his mother who has spent her life belittling him and emotionally strangling him.

The police are hitting dead ends in this case that is becoming higher and higher in profile. They have no leads because there is nothing linking the victims to one another or to one particular person. In 1964, such motiveless crimes are still uncommon. And then Leo makes a mistake. He strangles a victim where his motive is personal, and thus the crime scene looks like none of the others. He doesn't know the victim, but now the police have reason to suspect him and note that he told a lie - albeit a minor one - in a past interview where he was one of many interviewed about one of the victims. Complications ensue.

This was a really good performance by Buono, and for that matter, the rest of the largely no name cast. Ellen Corby was good as the mother who drove Leo to insanity with her pettiness, nagging, and criticism. It's a rare instance of her not being the pleasant older lady. Buono was in many ways like Steve Buscemi. Both were rather "funny looking guys" to quote Fargo, yet they excelled at their craft. Given how look-centric Hollywood is though, I have to wonder why they thought they'd have a shot in this profession.

Oddball, but enjoyable low-budget horror film features Victor Bruno as an overweight, insecure lab technician with an overbearing mother, which somehow drives him to become a serial killer, strangling nurses at the hospital where he works. "The Strangler" capitalized on Bruno's Oscar nominated performance in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and although this clearly a lesser film, it does have a low rent William Castle type of charm. Bruno carries the film, giving a creepy performance as an unassuming killer along the lines of David Berkowitz or John Wayne Gacy, far removed from the usual more flamboyant of serial killers presented on films (i.e. Hannibal Lecter, Patrick Bateman in "American Psycho," Harry Powell in "Night of the Hunter", etc.). Overall, it's not a classic and is not for all tastes, but if you're in the mood for something along the lines of "Strait-Jacket" or "Homicidal," you'd probably enjoy this low budget chiller.

It's a Buono showcase. His restrained portrait of an unattractive, mother-hating serial killer is a grabber. No wonder he loathes his bed-ridden mom. Obviously, she's brow-beaten him his whole life, taking what little self-esteem he ever had. Now, at thirty, he lumbers around like a fat rhino among sleek gazelles, picking off single women one-by-one and leaving cheap arcade dolls in their place. Somehow in his twisted mind, however, she won't stay dead. No matter how many times he kills her, there she is back again in her bed, making whining demands. He's almost a figure of pity as much as loathing, and it's to actor Buono's credit that he manages to create the difficult mix.

I like the cops here, especially Sgt. Clyde (Barron). They come across more like real cops than the usual. At the same time, their interviews with suspect Kroll (Buono) are little gems of thrust and parry. Director Topper films in straightforward fashion, without the sinister lighting that might be expected, but with good judicious use of close-up. This is not a slasher-type movie. In fact, despite the lurid material, the movie comes across more like a dark psychological study than a horror film, thanks mainly to Buono's shrewdly calculated performance and Topper's refusal to play up the violence.

Was very intrigued by the story for 'The Strangler', being a fan of murder/mystery/psychological films this was the sort of story that would have appealed to me straightaway, and have liked Victor Buono in other things. The racy content that 'The Strangler' has been referred to as having was another interest point.

'The Strangler' turned out to be a nicely done, entertaining and intriguing film that does much more right than it does wrong. Not great or a masterpiece but well above average and worth a watch, would say too that it deserves more attention than it gets. It is very rarely seen now and it deserves better than that.

It does lack finesse visually, with it looking like it was made hastily. Occasionally the pace creaks in spots.

Other than Victor Buono and Ellen Corby, the rest of the cast don't really stand out, not because they're awful but their characters are nowhere near as interesting. Would have liked a slightly clearer motivation for what drove Kroll to target nurses perhaps and why he chose the methods.

Buono however is the main reason to see 'The Strangler'. He clearly has a ball here and while he is often chilling Buono succeeds in making Kroll more than that and gives him a sympathetic edge. Corby is suitably beastly as the dominating mother figure. The direction is more than capable and much of the script is taut and thought-provoking. The music is haunting without being intrusive.

From start to finish, the story is compelling with lots of suspense, especially in the build ups to the killings, and it is hard to not admire the film's raciness in its unconventionally (at the time) brutal tone, that provides some genuine unsettlement, and the ahead of its time content. The pace is mostly both controlled and tight and the investigative/procedural approaches are fascinating.

On the whole, well done. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Straightforward and with very few frills this one has almost a too-real-feel that makes it a rather disturbing Movie. The Acting and production look fine and it all unfolds at an even unsettling pace. The murders are quick but quintessentially quirky and there is very little restraint on the Sexual-Psycho aspect.

Keeping with the post Psycho (1960) theme that it's all Mother's fault, this is another Boy who was dominated and ridiculed from birth by his MaMa and that means trouble. This is quite heavy handed here even throwing in a significant Doll that says Mama, Mama. But most of the Psychological aspects and Police procedures are done with some attention to detail.

Overall, with a great performance from the rotund Victor Buono with his expressive face and brightly shining eyes, and some fine work by the production staff this is an above average entry in the popular Genre of Serial Killers that really got going in the 1960's.

This movie is actually based on the Boston Strangler. There are many hints to it such as; women setting up bottles in front of their door so they can hear the strangler coming in, the stocking tied around the victim's neck and the fact that most of the women killed were nurses. At the time of the murders, they also believed the Boston Strangler was mother fixated, as Leo Kroll is in the movie. There are many things I like a lot better in this movie than The Boston Strangler with Tony Curtis. I love the plot, the score, and of course, the great acting by Victor Buono. Although it is hard to say whether Buono is better than Tony Curtis. You never really see Curtis strangling in his movie. You barely see Tony Curtis at all in The Boston Strangler. That's probably because no one is absolute certain that Alberto DeSalvo was the Strangler. The interesting thing about this movie is that the real Boston Strangler could've very well been a guy like the one in this movie.

After seeing this movie and a couple other movies of Buono, I think he is a great actor. The black and white cinematography is also very good. One thing that definitely sets the mood is the eerie music while Buono is hiding from his victims in the dark. There's even an incredible point of view shot through the Strangler's eye in the beginning. One thing that is very realistic is the fact that Buono gets pleasure while he is strangling, like a real serial killer. Buono also got me to sympathize with him in the movie. Even up until the very end. One of my favorite parts in the movie is when there is a sudden burst of violence when Buono strangles his mother's nurse. Especially great acting by Buono in that scene. At first I thought this would just be another B movie, but it wasn't. It was very well made. See this movie. You won't be disappointed.

Very watchable thriller featuring the rotund funny-man Buono in a decidedly unfunny portrayal of an unhinged mummy's boy and daytime lab scientist whose over-bearing mother leads him to commit a series of murders of young women placing the city in the grip of fear. Buono essentially reprised the role several years later in the Italian black comedy "The Mad Butcher", his MO virtually identical albeit in a more farcical manner.

Rugged Marlboro Man David MacLean is the tired, dairy devouring (was the milk drinking scene a product placement ad?) detective under pressure to make the city safe again, whilst a plethora of female victims include Jeanne Bates, Mimi Dillard, Davey Davison and the defiant Diane Sayer set up as bait to lure the killer as his crimes escalate to more brazen opportunism and flagrant audacity. James B.Sikking (Hill Street Blues) has a bit part as a police sketch artist.

The film is nicely photographed in B&W whilst the set decor is detailed and the pace and plot neatly executed. All round, it's a coherent little thriller (loosely inspired by events of the time), taut, economical and well worth watching more than once.

While this is not by any stretch of the imagination a good film, because of the slow pacing, the inane police sequences, and the thuddinmg obviousness of much of it. It still has it's imaginative stretc hes. For example, showing that the killer has an orgasm every time he kills is unusual and quitye ahead of the time. Several of the strangling scenes where suspensilly paced, but weakened by how quickly the victim usually died (it only takes him about 10 seconds to strangle each woman with a silk stocking!) and also weakened by having every woman changer into her underwear before she gets killed. Basically much of this is saved by Victor Buono's performance which is not his best, is still quite menacing and one of the more realistic serial killers on film. His exaggerated false smiles of respectability brought to mind similiar ones I had seen on the faces of John Wayne Gacy. And the scene where he trashes the apart ment the hole time his mouth workingh inadvertenly was magnificent.

The Strangler, directed by Burt Topper, is a retro ride through 1960s exploitation cinema. With a clear nod to Hitchcock, this psychological thriller delivers a disturbing, voyeuristic experience.

The film opens with a bold, artistic flourish-a woman undressing, superimposed over an eyeball-setting the tone for the fetishistic, visually symbolic journey ahead. This disturbing image foreshadows the warped mind of the film's protagonist, Leo, a disturbed lab technician with a penchant for strangling young women.

The movie, with its low-budget origins, aims to capitalize on the contemporary Boston Strangler murders. It is no surprise, then, that the film is steeped in sexual repression and psychosexual themes. Each woman slain by Leo is a symbolic stand-in for the mother he despises, and his mommy issues are at the heart of his murderous rampage. It's a tale as old as time: a man dealing with his issues in a completely unhealthy and destructive way.

While the story and characters may not offer any surprises, with well-worn tropes of the time, including sexual hangups and psychobabble, it is the unpredictable nature of Leo that keeps viewers engaged. Victor Buono's performance as Leo is impressive, delivering a warped, menacing character who is scarily within arm's reach. The film also boasts authentic police procedural scenes, with David McLean as the dedicated cop on the case, adding a sense of realism to the otherwise sensationalist story.

The Strangler is an entertaining, if not exactly groundbreaking, entry into the world of 1960s exploitation cinema. It has developed a cult following for good reason-it's a disturbing, unpredictable journey into the mind of a serial killer, with a healthy dose of retro charm.

This low budget effort with Victor Buono ought to be some sort of cult classic but somehow has fallen off the radar. While not quite a proto-slasher, the film's protagonist has several of the tropes that distinguish the genre: psycho-sexual disfunction with an Oedipal basis; social awkwardness/sexual frustration with the opposite sex, and a kinky fetish, this time out for carnival-prize dolls. No blood or gore (that's why the film is called "The Strangler" instead of "The Slasher"), but there is an approach to the sexual element of what Buono's character does that must have been daring at the time: Buono's climaxing as he undresses one of the dolls he won at the arcade is no less shocking for the fact that we only see his reaction in close up from the neck up. There's also a police procedural element that gives the hint of a giallo, although the film hardly suggests that genre in style or design. An intriguing character study of a disturbed individual operating in broad daylight that deserves a bigger audience than it has.

This could almost be the bio of serial killer Ed Kemper.

Big fat serial killer ✅ Sadistic mother ✅ Strangled women ✅ That mustache ✅

OK, I have to finish this movie. It's creepy!

1963's "The Strangler" offers screen newcomer Victor Buono rare star billing in a low budget Allied Artists quickie designed to capitalize on the ongoing crimes of the Boston Strangler, who remained at large until after its release. Buono's only other leading roles were also genre efforts ("The Mad Butcher," "Moonchild"), but here he must carry everything on his mountainous shoulders as lab technician Leo Kroll, claiming his 8th victim to open the picture, obviously achieving an orgasmic thrill out of killing young women with their own stockings after first watching them disrobe, leaving each corpse at rest with eyes closed. What drives him is his inescapable fixation on his ailing mother (Ellen Corby), as clinging and demanding as Norman Bates' schizoid mother, alternately assuring her son that she's the only one who ever really loved him, then scolding him for thinking that any woman would go out with a young man who's both ugly and fat (ouch!). Kroll is supremely confident and virtually blase when dealing with the police, and like 1960's "The Hypnotic Eye" the scenes depicting our hard working law enforcement come off as entirely passionless and predictable, while Buono's forcefulness proves to make for a despicable yet fascinating villain. The strangler makes his first mistake when dispatching the nurse who saved his mother's life, using his bare hands in outright anger before throwing a doll against her bedroom wall, repeatedly and silently mouthing its one word message ('Mama') in committing the deed. We know early on about the killer's fixation on dolls as his unerring accuracy tossing rings at a funhouse booth earns him another doll as a prize on each visit (claiming that they go to his many nieces and nephews). He keeps these in a locked desk drawer in his apartment, carefully stripping them nude after each murder, even removing the stockings as he saw his victims do. Reluctantly paying another nightly call on his mother, he cannot resist spilling the beans about the sudden death of her 'vacationing' nurse, delightfully watching her expire from the shock before quietly walking out without a care in the world, convincingly feigning sorrow at the fateful phone call about her passing. Kroll next targets one of the female employees at the booth after she spoke to an inquiring police detective (strangled in the shower), making her coworker next on his short list unless she accepts his sudden proposal of marriage. Ellen Corby became so beloved as Granny Walton during the 70s that few people remembered her lengthy movie career as a nosy busybody, and in just two scenes shows us the depth of the strangler's frustration with her twisting him around her little finger, taking an almost equally perverse satisfaction in watching her die. A cultured gentleman of gargantuan talent, Victor Buono brings more to the table in overcoming the natural pitfalls inherent to a cheap cash-in inspired by real life tragedy, somewhat uncomfortable with the subject matter yet able to deliver a towering performance of genuine depth that even Anthony Perkins might just appreciate.

This film was a pleasant surprise. I bought this on DVD with another film on same DVD because I liked the description, at a very fine price. I was not disappointed. Victor Buono of Batmans King Tut fame and Ellen Corby of Waltons fame were excellent as son and overbearing crippled mother. The scenes where Ellen Corby verbally abuses her son were as important to the film as the actual murders taking place. It truly does give the viewer somewhat of a sense as to why the killer turned out the way he did. I thought the police investigation and interrogation scenes were wonderful as well and truly stood the test of time to modern day film experiments such as Law and Order or CSI . The writers of this movie really did their homework to bring out an exceptional film in all facets, covering all bases. The film is timeless for the most part, except for smoking in the hospital. I thought that was strange lol. I surely recommend this film with an eerie soundtrack though very simple stage set. Victor Buono very underrated actor, probably because of his girth. Enjoy this film ASAP.

Just discovered this rarely shown gem from the past. It belongs to the period when psychology was at the forefront of detective murder stories, and it clearly owes a debt to Hitchcock's Psycho. The mother/son relationship is really rather chilling and very convincing. The detective parts of the story are straight from film noir - black and white, moody, much dashing about in cars, running up and down stairs in apartment blocks, the fetishism of semi-naked women in underwear and the mandatory stockings - so useful as a ploy to include scenes where women take them off and as murder weapons, and lastly but not least, the voyeurism of close-up strangulation. Not a perfect film by any means, but still a neglected classic.

This film opens with a written message, announcing that the creators wish to express their gratitude to several police departments and psychiatrists for giving them access to their files and offering assistance with their research. If it weren't for them, the profile of the titular serial killer would never have been this disturbingly realistic and convincing. Now, attention-grabbing gimmicks at the beginning of a horror movie like this can either mean two things. Either it's sincere and the producers had something genuinely ambitious in mind, or it's just a cheap and sleazy trick to mislead unwarily viewers. You know, like falsely claiming a movie is based on true events. Initially I assumed it would be option number two in the case of "The Strangler". Lead star Victor Buono previously already played an obese guy with a strangely eerie mother-fixation, so it would be the ideal occasion to further exploit the success of that classic by revolving an entirely separate film on this concept. Moreover, "The Strangler" came out almost immediately after the apprehension of Alberto DeSalvo – the real life Boston Strangler – and it is prototypical for a low-budgeted exploitation movie to quickly cash in on media hypes. Four years later, director Richard Fleischer presented his version of the factual murder case, starring Henry Fonda and Tony Curtis as the infamous Alberto DeSalvo, and that particular film, and the success of that much more commonly known and widely acclaimed film is presumably the reason why "The Strangler" is a relatively obscure and hidden gem. But let me assure you there honestly isn't the slightest reason to feel skeptical or wary towards this movie. "The Strangler" is a chilling and atmospheric effort, with obvious echoes to Hitchcock's "Psycho" naturally, but also more than enough qualitative aspects of its own. It's rather brutal in tone and execution, with some extremely grim and unsettling moments (especially considering the time of release) and the vivid performance of Victor Buono is undeniably the movie's main trump. Buono depicts the naturally perverted and heavily overweight hospital lab researcher Leo Kroll. Despite of his arrogant wittiness and obvious intellect, Kroll's bed-ridden mother still dominates his life and she uses every opportunity to reassure her son that he's fat and ugly and that no woman will ever love him. Maybe that's the reason why Leo Kroll is a misogynist serial killer who already strangled eight women; all of them nurses. His trademarks are to use stockings and leave broken play dolls at the scene of the crime. The stalk-and-strangle sequences are extremely suspenseful and many of the undertones and sexual insinuations are quite controversial and ahead of their time. Buono's performance is courageous, powerful, stellar and pretty freaking convincing! Buono is authentically sinister, especially when he behaves calm and sophisticated. Great suspense flick, highly recommended!

Unlike Fleischer's version where Tony curtis was a married man and where the multiple screen was used with skill, "the strangler' ,with a much more modest budget ,also succeeds because of Victor Buono's extraordinary performance ; his part will remind you of the musician in "whatever happened to Baby jane" ,a movie where he made all his scenes count , in spite of the monstres sacrés (Davis and Crawford) he was working with .Under a bedridden over possessive mother 's thumb, he was never able to have sex with women and he is all the more disturbing since he's got a cherubic placid face .Good support by Ellen Corby who,in her own way ,is as scary as her overweight offspring.

The Strangler is an excellent film of its genre.Victor Buono gives an excellent performance as the disturbed lab technician who hates women because of his over possesive,critical and domineering mother.Jeannie Bates who played his mothers nurse would have been better off letting the miserable old bat die than trying to keep her alive.IF ONLY SHE KNEW.Buonos acting was superb,he could act calm and mild mannered at one point and seem like a total nutburger at another.You have to say one thing about Buono,he really put his whole heart and soul into his little hobby of killing.This man would have done "The Boston Strangler" proud. This movie makes "Frenzy" look like "Little Women" The word strangle deserves a definite place in history thanks to buono who gives new meaning to the word.