Let's be realistic.

Absolutely amazing

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Last night I checked out the terrific The Haunted Strangler, in which Boris Karloff plays a novelist (!) and social reformer who believes a man was wrongly executed for a series of strangulations twenty years prior. James Rankin connects the murders instead to a doctor who performed the autopsy on the condemned man and who was present at the burial. Naturally, his investigation takes him down a twisted path in which he more or less becomes the strangler himself.At first, this seems like a typical low-budget Karloff horror movie, but in addition to his talents it has a couple of things going for it – one is the transformation from normal Mr. Rankin into the Strangler, and another is the major plot twist about three-fourths of the way into the movie. Seriously, did not see that coming. I clearly underestimated the depth of this plot.Karloff doesn't ham it up, slowly evolving from a calm, thoughtful chap into an unhinged obsessive, and he's surrounded by capable actors (Elizabeth Allen, Anthony Dawson, Tim Turner). And there's truly an old-school horror feel to the movie. It both looks and feels fearful.

This is a unique film from Boris Karloff. I certainly can't say I've seen another film quite like it.Karloff plays a writer who is investigating the execution of "The Haymarket Strangler" twenty years earlier. Despite people insisting that the man executed was the killer, something within Karloff makes him investigate further. Eventually, when he obtains the knife used in the murders, it unlocks a dark secret within himself and the movie takes a very unusual turn.The film is pretty exciting and unusual but there is a negative as well. Despite a generally good performance by Karloff (he was amazingly physical considering his age and arthritis), when he became "mad", his face contorted in the most comical manner. Instead of making him look menacing, he just looked like he was mentally challenged. It just didn't work.Overall, compared to many of the later Karloff films, this one is pretty good--with decent production values and script. While not a great film, it's a very good time passer and one that his fans should certainly see.

When you see a film title like GRIP OF THE STRANGLER that stars Boris Karloff you're not expecting a romantic musical . Bizarrely there's long segments in this film where the film does indeed resemble a romantic musical . We're introduced to Karloff's character James Rankin whose daughter has fallen in love with a young gentleman and he wants to marry her . Cut to the inside of a theater where can can girls kicking their legs out over their heads . If someone wanted to make a film that would appeal to dirty old men then fine but GRIP OF THE STRANGLER isn't a title that's easy to market to depraved reprobates . Goodness me I thought we'd be watching a film involving people getting strangled every ten minutes and within ten minutes you'll be wanting to strangle the producer Some people have commentated that this is a film that doesn't know what it's trying to be and while this is patently obvious there's a feeling at the back of my mind that it's trying to copy the style of a couple of films directed by Mark Robson that also starred Karloff namely ISLE OF THE DEAD and BEDLAM . Unfortunately the production team have neither the style or skill to pull it off and instead we have a very unfocused B movie at the very best

Grip of the Strangler starts in Victorian London at 'Newgate Prison 1860' where a notorious murderer named Edward Styles (Michael Atkinson) dubbed the 'Haymarket Strangler' is sent to the gallows & hanged in front of a cheering cockney public... Jump forward 20 years & novelist James Rankin (Boris Karloff) also happens to be a social reformer & is taking a great deal of interest in the conviction & hanging of Styles, he believes that had Styles had the money to pay for a decent legal defence in court he would never had been convicted & in an attempt to get good legal aid for everyone Rankin decides to prove that Styles was innocent. Along with his assistant Dr. Kenneth McColl (Tim Turner) Rankin collects overwhelming evidence that a doctor named Tennant was responsible for the brutal killings, unfortunately his investigation's take a sinister & unexpected turn as the murders start up once more...This English production was directed by Robert Day & was better than I had expected. The script by John Croydon & Jan Read, who also wrote the story 'Stranglehold' upon which Grip of the Strangler is based, main asset is a couple of neat twists & turns that caught me by surprise & it seems a fair amount of thought went into it. The mystery elements are minimal as it's made clear from the start Styles is innocent & Tennant was responsible but even with this basic framework of a murder mystery about half way through Grip of the Strangler suddenly turns into a 50's slasher film with a neat plot twist. At less than 80 minutes long it never becomes boring, the story engages, the character's are alright & is more than watchable.Director Day does an OK job but you have to take into consideration that Grip of the Strangler is the best part of half a century old, I would have thought it was quite risqué at the time with a knife wielding maniac running around strangling & slashing young women to death & it bar in which scantily clad (for the 50's) women perform on stage for men. There's a nice period atmosphere to the film & there's some effective scenes.Technically the film is fine with nice black and white cinematography & good solid production design. The acting was better than expected, Karloff pulls a strange face at the end as he is meant to be paralysed down one side & looks pretty ugly if nothing else.Grip of the Strangler is a good solid British horror film that is well worth watching for fans of the genre or fans of Karloff. Worth tracking down.