THE HAUNTED STRANGLER (1958)
(a.k.a. GRIP OF THE STRANGLER)
Article #58 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 5-13-2001
Posting date: 9-26-2001

A writer (Boris Karloff) who is researching an old case of murders committed by a fiend known as “The Haymarket Strangler” has a theory that the wrong man was executed for the crime. To prove his point, he has his grave exhumed and comes upon the knife used in the killings. When he picks up the knife, he transforms into the strangler and begins a new series of killings.

Karloff himself picked the story from which this was filmed, “Stranglehold” by Jan Read. It’s bloodier and has a nastier edge than you would expect from a Karloff vehicle, but it has some unexpected and quite interesting story twists. Unfortunately, this is one of the very few Karloff performances I don’t like; he seems to me to be somewhat over the top, almost hysterical, and I don’t get the feeling he was comfortable with the role, which is odd, considering the role he played in picking it out. His other movie for Amalgamated Productions, CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, (I always associate these two movies in my mind) is the one I much prefer.