Grip of the Strangler (The Haunted Strangler) (1958)

47% of users liked it
(251 ratings)

There's a bit of Oedipus Rex in The Haunted Strangler, though it's not readily apparent at first. Boris Karloff plays 19th-century novelist James Rankin, who becomes obsessed with the long-closed case of the Haymarket Strangler. Twenty years earlier, a man named Styles (Michael Atkinson) was… More There's a bit of Oedipus Rex in The Haunted Strangler, though it's not readily apparent at first. Boris Karloff plays 19th-century novelist James Rankin, who becomes obsessed with the long-closed case of the Haymarket Strangler. Twenty years earlier, a man named Styles (Michael Atkinson) was executed for the Strangler's crimes, but was he guilty? It turns out that the actual culprit was the surgeon who performed Styles' autopsy. Coming into possession of the surgeon's scalpel, Rankin is overwhelmed by mixed feelings of bloodlust and guilt. It is at this point that Rankin realizes that he is truly his own, and London's, worst enemy. Originally released in England as Grip of the Strangler, The Haunted Strangler was distributed by MGM in 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Robert Day
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Jul 3, 1958 Wide
On DVD: Jun 17, 1998
Studio: Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
[Boris Karloff is] again near the top of his game as the best thing about this slow but effective Victorian who-actually-done-it.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ed Fucking H

Boris Karloff delivers a damn fine performance in this gripping gem of British Horror. First off it should be stated that Karloff was a genius. He could provoke more fear from the audience with as little as a weird facial expression, than all of modern cinemas most expensive CGI… More
Boris Karloff delivers a damn fine performance in this gripping gem of British Horror. First off it should be stated that Karloff was a genius. He could provoke more fear from the audience with as little as a weird facial expression, than all of modern cinemas most expensive CGI technology. Secondly it should be stated that the less you know about this movie before watching it the better. The description here pretty much gives the whole thing away, so I'm glad I didn't read it before before watching this. Lastly it should be stated that this is simply a great mystery story, that will keep its audience guessing throughout. It did remind me of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at times, but this had enough of its own thing going on, that it easily stands on its own, despite some minor similarities to other, better known horror stories. I'm surprised that so few people have seen this one, especially since it has been given the Criterion treatment. Either way I couldn't recommend this one enough to fans of the old school of horror.