The Night of the Strangler

Probably the most well-rounded film I've seen from thriftbudget auteur Joy N. Houk, NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER touches on Southern U.S. racial tensions in an otherwise boilerplate whodunit which some may regard as a slasher genre prototype(take note that the "strangler" of the title kills in a variety of ways...none of which are by strangling!). The story in play recounts two at-odds brothers imputing one another in the suspicious deaths of their interracially intimate(and pregnant) sister and her lover. Roused suspicions result in more killings and a muster of potential offenders as the mystery snowballs to a sufficing, though slightly deflating, "surprise" denouement.

While the film never really manages to camouflage its third-string foundations, it works well enough as basal entertainment despite a few flat stretches and uneven scripting(and it features a fun go-go groovy psychedelic opening theme played on some old Farfisa-type organ). MONKEES bandmember Micky Dolenz provides a satisfactory performance, and the rest of the cast follows suit(although, to no derogation of the performers, their roles aren't exactly what one might call "demanding").

A tenantable B film for the general votary of secondary 70s cinema, though far from a crucial one. 5/10

For an older movie with less usage of money, the movie was really weird but in a way scared me. I personally thought it was great, but with a sad ending..well just sad together. If you are a Micky Dolenz/Monkees fan, this movie is a must to get.

Micky Dolenz, late of "The Monkees", stars in this tepid thriller involving an assassin who targets a prominent white New Orleans family after the daughter of the household reveals she's pregnant by a black man. Amateur-night filmmaking from executive producer and director Joy N. Houck Jr. Tastelessly exploits the brewing racial tensions of the day. The three credited screenwriters--J. J. Milane, Robert A. Weaver and Jeffrey Newton--haven't got one good line of dialogue between them, and the third-act twist is laughable. NO STARS from ****

The Night of the Strangler (1972)

** (out of 4)

A woman starts off a wave of murders when she returns home to announce that she's getting married. Her older brother Dan (James Ralston) isn't too happy but he goes balistic when he learns that she's also pregnant with a black man's baby. Soon her baby daddy is dead and the sister is too shortly after. Soon the entire family gets wrapped up in a murder plot.

THE NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER was sold as a horror movie but it's really not one. I guess you could say it was an attempt to tell a detective story based around some racial events but THE BIG SLEEP or GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER it's not. For the most part this will appeal to fans of low-budget films that were made without too much thought, money or talent.

I guess the most notable thing about the picture is that Micky Dolenz plays the younger brother. His performance is certainly lacking and especially during a crying scene he has. Ralston is at least entertaining enough and especially early on with some of his racist rants. The rest of the cast ranges from decent to poor. There's some mild nudity and violence thrown in but nothing overly memorable.

THE NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER somewhat works as the mystery of who is doing the killings is handle well. There are a couple nice scenes but most just fall rather flat.

The biggest reason I had for wanting to see this film is the fact that it stars Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. As anyone could tell by watching it, Night of the Strangler is pretty low-budget but has a good (and, for 1972, very controversial) plot. It centers around a white girl who falls in love with and gets pregnant by a black man. When the two are mysteriously killed, the investigation focuses on the girl's two brothers, Vance, who is kind and was supportive of his sister, and Dan, an arrogant racist who would rather have seen his sister have an abortion than have a black man's baby. A black priest who tries to console the two brothers throughout the film also adds to the increasingly obvious tension. Sort of a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" meets "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane." A really good film if you're lucky enough to find at your local video store.