When the weapon a killer uses looks exactly like a butter knife, you know reality is missing from the story you are about to see. That is the case with "The Haunted Strangler", an obscure Gothic thriller starring the legendary Boris Karloff two years after the death of his so-called rival, Bela Lugosi. This spooky looking melodrama is about a doctor's determination to find out the truth about a series of 20 year old murders that sent one man to the gallows and caused the disappearance of the man he believes to be the killer. Karloff, looking exactly as he did 20 years ago, is still the grand old man of horror, and comes off unscathed in a predictable story that sadly becomes obvious from the start. This is, however, still quite enjoyable as a study of grand guignol, the type of Gothic horror movie rarely made today without an overabundance of special effects. It's a step above the Monogram "Z" grade thrillers of the 40's. There are some unintentional chuckles, especially the "gruesome" face of the actual strangler which certainly gives the visual for the term "pickle puss". The scene where Karloff goes exploring a long-closed graveyard in the middle of the night is actually quite chilling, adding to the already spooky photography that is the film's highlight.
Review of The Haunted Strangler
