THE HAUNTED STRANGLER has long been a rerun fave on tv. It's just fun to watch.
No. 1 It's campy.
No. 2. It's Karloff, albeit a little older. The behind the scenes story concerned the actor's dentures??? After consulting with the makeup crew, Karloff suggested he remove his dentures in order to get a twisted look on his face as the insane Jekyll/Hyde strangler. It was extremely convincing. The film is also quite atmospheric with a dark , gothic look to add to the general creepy real feel, and it's generally shown with a crisp b & w print; no grains or marks, so common with older films.
Here, Karloff portrays the good/bad doc hung for being a serial killer who returns for the grave. It actually begins more of a mystery as the good doc investigates a wrongful execution... and all the evidence eventually points to him. Interestingly, Karloff after years of grueling makeup as FRANKENSTEIN and the MUMMY, thankfully wore very light makeup; the scares were made by simply wrinkling his face. And what a face! This was very similar in concept to Spencer Tracy's portrayal in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941).
According to film notes, Karloff was paid 27,000 dollars for his role, equal to 250,000 dollars today for a few weeks work. He followed this up with FRANKENSTEIN 1970 for Howard W. Koch. Who said horror film actors didn't make good money?
This was presented on a double bill with the cult film FIEND WITHOUT A FACE, earning a handsome profit. THE HAUNTED STRANGLER is out on dvd, but some releases are quite expensive because it is a European import. Shop around.
No. 1 It's campy.
No. 2. It's Karloff, albeit a little older. The behind the scenes story concerned the actor's dentures??? After consulting with the makeup crew, Karloff suggested he remove his dentures in order to get a twisted look on his face as the insane Jekyll/Hyde strangler. It was extremely convincing. The film is also quite atmospheric with a dark , gothic look to add to the general creepy real feel, and it's generally shown with a crisp b & w print; no grains or marks, so common with older films.
Here, Karloff portrays the good/bad doc hung for being a serial killer who returns for the grave. It actually begins more of a mystery as the good doc investigates a wrongful execution... and all the evidence eventually points to him. Interestingly, Karloff after years of grueling makeup as FRANKENSTEIN and the MUMMY, thankfully wore very light makeup; the scares were made by simply wrinkling his face. And what a face! This was very similar in concept to Spencer Tracy's portrayal in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941).
According to film notes, Karloff was paid 27,000 dollars for his role, equal to 250,000 dollars today for a few weeks work. He followed this up with FRANKENSTEIN 1970 for Howard W. Koch. Who said horror film actors didn't make good money?
This was presented on a double bill with the cult film FIEND WITHOUT A FACE, earning a handsome profit. THE HAUNTED STRANGLER is out on dvd, but some releases are quite expensive because it is a European import. Shop around.