Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Perfect cast and a good story

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Since having heard his name mentioned in Tim Burton's wonderful film Ed Wood,I have always been wondering when I should take a look at the work of actor Boris Karloff.As I was recently checking up titles that were featured in a sale on Amazon Uk,I was surprised to find this very interesting sounding Karloff mystery Horror film being sold at a fantastic low price,which led to me deciding that I would at last come face to face with a horror icon:The Plot:Heading on his way to be hanged for murdering a number of prostitutes and showgirls,Edward Styles yells out that he did not kill the women,and that his conviction is a miscarriage of justice.With Styles pleads being ignored as the last desperate words of a madman,he is hanged and then taken straight to the prisoners burial ground.Shortly before the coffin is nailed shut,a stranger suddenly appears and quickly chucks a knife (Styles alleged murder weapon) into the coffin.20 years later:A distinguish Victorian novelist and social reformer called James Rankin starts to take a look at the huge collection of cold/closed cases that the police have in their archive.Taking a peek at the files,Rankin suddenly experience's his interest being oddly drawn to the Edward "The Haymarket Strangler" Styles murder case,which he begins to suspect was carried out without every avenue having been looked at.Interviewing some of the showgirls/prostitutes that still work in Haymarket's most popular night time destination,Rankin's starts to get a strong suspicion that the long lost murder weapon could hold the key to the case.Searching high and low to find any trace of the knife,Rankin soon begins to suspect that the murder weapon may have been secretly buried with its most infamous owner.View on the film:Although the screenplay for the film by John Croydon was written super quick so that he could also write the script for 1959's First Man Into Space,I found the first half of the film to be a very enjoyable Victorian era Gothic Mystery.With Croydon having Rankin go on a "tour" which allows him to meet all of the dames and dirt bags who occupy the seedier side of the city.Along with including a small amount of fun smut from the showgirls,Croydon also does well at having Rankin's obsessive side slowly become more dominating as the film goes on.Disapointingly after the terrific build up of the first half,the second half of the movie turns all of that promise in to a real mess,which despite featuring a great performance from Karloff as the "gentle" Rankin,is let down by Croydon and director Robert Day (who would later direct the 1965 Hammer Horror She) pushing all of the wonderful foggy atmosphere right to the side,and replace it with a Hunchback like monster who,instead of looking like a terrifying monster,just looks (and acts) like a man with poor make up who has a deep desire to get closer to some beautiful dames.

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.

The infamous serial killer "The Haymarket Strangler" may be long dead but writer James Rankin is convinced that the wrong man was hanged and sets out to investigate the crimes and the killer for himself. He makes progress into the case and it begins to appear that he is correct. However when he recovers the scalper supposedly used by the murderer he finds himself compelled to kill as his personality splits – with his normal, composed self becoming more and more desperate to prevent further deaths.This film has got so-so reviews and, always one to stick my nose in where not required, I'd like to agree with everyone who simply said "is OK" about it, because it is. Some have ripped into it and I think that is unfair because really the film delivers a basic B movie horror that didn't bore me even if it wasn't what I hoped it would be. For me the film falls down in its aspirations because it seems happy to be basic when it could have been more complex and engaging. The film takes too long to get to the point of finding the knife (and making the transformation happen) and up to this point, yes, it is a little dull. The bigger downside of this delay, though was that it mean the second half of the film (the potentially strongest half) is too short and rushed. So instead of a complex story where Rankin struggles with a demon from inside himself mostly it is just a straight "pull a face, get to killing" story.To make this work it does need to be urgent and scary but sadly it doesn't really deliver on that either, allowing the viewer to wander in their thoughts and think of what might have been. It is perfectly fine as a bit of Karloff b-movie and it does have some nice atmosphere and twists to the delivery but what with what "could" have been and all the weak material that does take up time in the first half, it only comes out as "OK". Karloff has his moments and I did think he was very good when Rankin was near-frantic as he understood what he was doing but mostly he just contorts his face and lurches forward in the time-honoured fashion. His supporting cast are OK but nobody really stuck in the mind – which I think speaks volumes.So an OK film but nothing special whatsoever. Meeting it on its own terms will help but it still isn't that good and one cannot help look at it and see several major ways that it could have been a lot better.

Boris Karloff is a crusading novelist trying to change the British legal system by looking into the Haymarket Strangler case. Boris is convinced the man hung for the crime didn't do it. Of course his investigation turns up proof that he was right, and that he himself was the killer. Well made and well acted little thriller is on okay film to have on in the background. Recently released by Criterion as part of a 4 film set its an okay time killer best watched late at night. To be certain Karloff is wonderful to watch, especially in the scene where he finds the important piece of evidence which proves him right and also slides him into madness. However the mover isn't anything special and can be a bit dull (too much music). (The criterion commentary is excellent and the real reason to pick this up)