NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

LeonLouisRicci This came on the Heels of the Hammer Explosion that Ignited a New Interest in Horror Movies. What Surprises in this Low-Budget Find is just how Violent and Sexy it is.The Killings are a Two-Step Ritual by the Demented Strangler...a Squeeze to the Throat and Multiple Stabbings with a Scalpel that can be Disturbing (especially in 1958). Gruesome Stuff.The Serial Murders also are Sexually Charged Female Teasing with Various Stages of Undress Unleashing the "Monster" Inside the Insane Schizo/Psycho.A Buxom Can-Can Gal in a Low-Cut Dress gets a Frontal Dousing of Champagne, for Example. The Knife is Seen On Screen as the Phallic Symbol it is.Karloff is Still on His Game and gives an Energetic Soft/Hard Performance that Showcases His Talent. The Supporters don't come off as well with Anthony Dawson Rising Above the Rest.Overall, it's a High-Caliber Retro Revival of the Universal/Lewton Years with a Distinctive Direction towards the Modern. An Underrated Movie that is Essential Viewing for Horror and Karloff Fans. Others Might Find it Better than They Expect.

gavin6942 A researcher (Boris Karloff) investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.I love that this film was given the star treatment by Criterion. It's definitely not one of the better-known Karloff films, which is a bit of a shame, because it's at least as good as anything he did for AIP. Maybe horror fans need to pay more attention to Criterion.The simplicity of the transformation is great. Apparently the originally script called for more of a "possession" angle, and then it developed into more of a physical thing -- sort of Jack the Ripper meets Jekyll and Hyde. And Karloff nails it. By simply taking out his dentures, he successfully plays two very different people.

ferbs54 I am still kicking myself in the buttocks repeatedly for having missed the double feature of Boris Karloff's "The Haunted Strangler" (1958) and "Targets" (1968) at NYC's Film Forum a little while back. Thus, seeing a nice, crisp-looking DVD version of "Strangler" the other day came as a very nice consolation prize for me. In this one, Karloff plays a writer and social reformer living in London in 1880. He is investigating what he believes to be the wrongful execution of a man 20 years earlier; a man who had been accused of being the notorious Haymarket Strangler. Unfortunately, as Boris proceeds with this Victorian "cold case," all leads come back to...himself, and before long, he begins to act just a wee bit homicidal. As his Hyde-like nature emerges, Boris bites his underlip, sticks his teeth out, closes one eye and sweats a lot; still, it's a fairly impressive-looking transformation. Karloff was 71 when he essayed this role, but he still manages to exude a great deal of energy and enthusiasm (just watch him try to rip himself out of that straitjacket!). Perhaps being back in England again to make a film was somewhat responsible for this boost. And speaking of energy boosts, I must say that a neat surprise concerning Boris' character comes halfway through that really does shake things up. "The Haunted Strangler" also offers some interesting supporting characters, including cancan dancer Vera Day (who, with her bullet bra, made such a double impression on me in the following year's "Womaneater") and Scotland Yard agent Anthony Dawson (who, come to think of it, attempted a bit of strangulation himself in 1954's "Dial M For Murder"). Bottom line: This Karloff pic really ain't half bad!

raymundohpl GRIP OF THE STRANGLER aka THE HAUNTED STRANGLER is one of the films the great Boris Karloff made in the late fifties in his birthplace, Merrie Old England! Unfortunately, there's nothing merry about the sombre mood set by this film with the exception of the dance hall scene in "The Judas Hole", a questionable place frequented by sleazy-looking aristocrats and skivvies. Jean Kent struts her stuff as Cora Seth, the floozie whom "all the boys adore" as her song goes, and she lets rip a full-blooded and catchy chorus of "Cora, Cora" as Dear Boris skulks backstage with a fearful grimace on his contorted face, planning some diabolical skullduggery to unleash upon the unwary damsel. Elizabeth Allan, who survived her encounter with Bela Lugosi's Count Mora in THE MARK OF THE VAMPIRE at MGM almost three decades earlier, plays Boris' wife, and doesn't fare as well in her encounter with King Boris. Anthony Dawson, who played villains in films like DIAL M FOR MURDER, DR. NO and THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, plays police inspector Burke in a rare sympathetic role. Vera Day, who was menaced by George Coulouris and his huge human-eating plant in THE WOMAN EATER, gets "Gripped" by Boris in his strangling hand. The crowd of extras in the opening execution by hanging scene are the most loathsome, grotesque and ugly(both physically and morally) excuses for people who literally uproariously laugh and enjoy the spectacle, foretelling the carnage and fun to follow. By the way, one of the Haymarket Strangler's victims' is named MARTHA STEWART--keep an ear peeled so you don't miss that name! Highly Recommended and great fun without overt blood and gore, very atmospheric and well photographed and ACTED, of course!