The Strangler (1964) Serial Killer Transitional Noir

Victor Buono was a real piece of work. 

I first remember him from his many turns as a TV heavy, and I mean that literally, from Perry Mason, Batman, 77 Sunset Strip, to his recurring turn as Count Carlos Manzeppi in The Wild Wild West. He always struck me as genuinely creepy, a bit off, a bit eccentric, not quite normal. Maybe it was his eyes, his insincere smile, and cherubic paedomorphic face sticking out almost pustule like from an obese rotundity of a body. Think of all the abhorrence you'd experience upon finding a blood engorged tick in some nether region of your body and you'll get an idea of his effect in a performance.

His notable film roles were What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Silencers (1966), and Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), but it really was TV where he really made his lasting mark.

Directed by Burt Topper with a screenplay by Bill S. Ballinger  (Wicked as They Come (1956), Pushover (1954)). The film was inspired by the notorious Boston Strangler, a serial killer of the 1960s and of course Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). The cinematography was by Jacques R. Marquette (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)), and the music was by Marlin Skiles (Music Department for Gilda (1946), Framed (1947) and Sudden Danger (1955)).

Title sequence art

Leo Kroll (Buono)

Mother Kroll (Ellen Corby)

David McLean (Lt. Frank Benson)

Tally Raymond (Davey Davison) as Leo's heartthrob 

Besides Buono the film stars David McLean (X-15 (1961), Nevada Smith (1966)) as Lt. Frank Benson, the detective in charge of investigations. Veteran character actress Ellen Corby (Vertigo (1958) and best known as Grandma Walton in The Waltons) played Mrs. Kroll, Jeanne Bates (Vice Raid (1960), Mulholland Drive (2001)) was Clara Thomas, an attending nurse.  Davey Davison (Route 66 TV Series (1960–1964)) as Tally Raymond, the female lead, and Diane Sayer (Kitten with a Whip (1964)) as Barbara Wells, Tally's colleague at the arcade ring toss. Baynes Barron (The Big Combo (1955)) played Sgt. Mack Clyde, Russ Bender (I Bury the Living (1958)) was Dr. Clarence Sanford, and Wally Campo (The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Shock Corridor (1963)) played Eggerton.

Opening Sequence

The film opens with The Stranglers eye view of one of his murders.  His usual M.O. is to follow his targets home, break into their apartments and strangle them from behind with either his glove covered  hands or with their own nylon stockings. 

He obviously gets his rocks off in his pants while choking them. He then composes their bodies into a restful pose. closes their eyes and then goes back to his apartment where he sort of reenacts the crime. Only this time he uses a doll wearing lingerie and stockings to act out the sexual fantasies that he can't seem to fulfill in person with his victim. He methodically strips the doll naked removing her stockings, her bra, and panties, discarding them with her dress on the rug.

Leo stripping a doll

note the stockings

We pull back to see Leo holding the naked doll and apparently by his facial expression having a second climax. When he finally gets done, he unlocks a desk draw and adds the doll to his collection.

Leo Kroll, is a mama's boy who absolutely hates his nagging domineering mother (Corby). Leo, we find out, has got a serious schoolboy crush on the Odeon Fun Palace arcade ring toss gal Tally (Raymond).

He spends his days working as a mild mannered lab tech and most of his nights (when he can't get away to the arcade) at his mother's Park View Hospital bedside. 

Leo murders nurses (because they keep his mother alive) and collects those dolls with corresponding hair colors which he uses as sort of trophy tchotchkes for each of his kills. 

At the start of the film we are well into Leo's serial murder spree. He's been pulled in and questioned by police in the course of their routine dragnet investigations because of his lab work connections to the various hospitals.

Leo's mother suffers yet another heart attack and is saved by the quick actions of Nurse Clara (Bates). When Leo hears from his mother all the praise she bestows upon Carla he positively seethes with resentment. Carla becomes his next victim. 

Nurse Clara (Bates)

However the circumstances of this kill are different. He follows Carla home he knocks on her door and after he is let in (since she knows him as her patient's son) strangles her to death in a struggle with his gloved hands. Again Leo's panting and in total bliss facial expression looks like he's ecstatically climaxing in his pants. During the struggle a baby doll was knocked from a shelf falling to the floor.  Leo picks up the doll and flings it angrily against the wall and then runs from the apartment.

Nurse Carla Sequence

The climax

Ba k at the rest home Leo's mother's doctor tells him not to mention the recent murder of Carla to his mother. The shock might kill her. Of course Leo gleefully does so, inducing another heart attack which kills her.

"Guess what I did?"

Because of Carla's connection to his mother Leo is again pulled in for questioning. He passes the lie detector test though, and is again released. 

Leo goes back to the "ring toss" at the arcade where he sees Barbara (Sayer), Tally's co-worker, talking to Eggerton the fuzz. 

When Eggerton leaves Leo casually begins to pump Barbara for information. He wants to know what the cop was asking about. He plunks down some change and begins to toss rings.

Barbara (Sayer) talking to a cop Eggerton (Campo)

Leo watches

Leo pumps Barbara about what the cop wanted

  Barbara Wells (Diane Sayer) 

The more Leo finds out the more upset he gets and the more he misses with the ring toss. He finally breaks a ring in his hands, but Barbara slips him a doll anyway as a sort of consolation prize for a good regular customer. Unfortunately for Barbara the doll has her hair color.

Leo gets upset and breaks a ring

Leo waits until the Fun Palace loses down and then tails Barbara back to her flat. 

He waits outside her window peeping on her and then uses a screwdriver to un-lock her window latch. Leo pushes the window up, and steps into her apartment. He strangles her as she is coming out of the shower with her own stocking.

The Strangling Barbara Sequence

Another climax

Of course this new aberration in the M.O. (the victim is not a nurse), at first throws the police off. 

Since his mother death, Leo finds his aversion to women abating. He approaches Tally and proposes to her cold turkey. She rejects him. Leo now believes everything his mother told him about the evils of women. This sends Leo into a death spiral towards Noirsville.

Noirsville

Tailfins

Russ Bender was Dr. Clarence Sanford on rt.

Buono is excellent as the strangler, he's always halfway there in his looks alone, his performance completes the effect. Ellen Corby is nicely irritating as mother. The rest of the cast is adequate in their various functions putting in good showings, but it's Buono's film.

Burt Topper and cinematographer Jacques R. Marquette display a bit of style, one shot at the beginning of the film is from the POV of the peeping Leo, we see a woman victim undressing through the pupil of his eye, and then not a whole lot else at that level that quite approaches the first six minutes. Too bad, it was a promising start, this film could have used a lot more of the same. Strange Compulsion (1964) did the noir stylistics infinitely better. Had The Strangler gone a bit more into the sexploitation route as Strange Compulsion with the strength of Buono's performance it would be much better regarded. As is it's about a 7/10.

One more concluding observation, the film prominently displays almost everyone either sucking on tar bars (one shot lingers on an office smoke stand another shows a cigarette machine in the squad room), or curiously drinking milk from rectangular containers. It must have been some product placement deal, lol.

These screencaps are from an on line streaming version, they are an improvement from the old Sinister Cinema DvD. There is also a Warner's release available.  It's would be worth checking out. 7.510.