Grip of the Strangler

"KING OF THE MONSTERS! KARLOFF IN HIS NEW HORROR HIT!"

1958 1h 18m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 41

HorrorCrimeMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A researcher investigating a notorious serial killer who was hanged 20 years earlier seemingly becomes possessed by the long dead strangler.

“KING OF THE MONSTERS! KARLOFF IN HIS NEW HORROR HIT!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

ArtiflixSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Boris Karloff
James Rankin
Jean Kent
Cora Seth
Elizabeth Allan
Barbara Rankin
Anthony Dawson
Supt. Burk
Vera Day
Pearl
Tim Turner
Dr. Kenneth McColl
Diane Aubrey
Lily Rankin
Max Brimmell
Newgate Prison Turnkey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Day
Writers: Jan Read, John Croydon, Jan Read
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Day, shot by Lionel Banes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Buxton Orr. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Mayhew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Boris Karloff and Jean Kent and Elizabeth Allan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "KING OF THE MONSTERS! KARLOFF IN HIS NEW HORROR HIT!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0051706 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Day directs. Lionel Banes behind the camera. Buxton Orr scores. Peter Mayhew cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 78-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
268 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robert Day, shot by Lionel Banes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Buxton Orr. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter Mayhew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Boris Karloff and Jean Kent and Elizabeth Allan carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "KING OF THE MONSTERS! KARLOFF IN HIS NEW HORROR HIT!".
8IMDB entry: tt0051706 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 41 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "obsession", "cemetery", "murder", "serial killer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Lionel Banes
Original score: Buxton Orr
Editing: Peter Mayhew
Makeup / hair: Jim Hydes
Runtime: 78 min · 1h 18m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Grip of the Strangler (1958)

Also by

Robert Day

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-10-30
★ 7/10
The Haymarket Strangler Returns! Boris Karloff plays a man who comes to believe that a serial killer from 20 years previously was innocent of the murders for which he was hanged. The case starts to consume him, literally... Based on the story "Stranglehold" written by Jan Read, pic unfolds as a creepy take of the Jekyll and Hyde kind. It's never overtly scary, but the atmospherics are palpable and the period flavours superb. This never resorts to cheap thrills, and unusually for the era of film making it doesn't rely on effects work for the transformation sequences - it is just Karloff acting! Plenty of horror movie staples are adhered to, such as a hanging, a coffin opening, an awful prison and an asylum, whilst that even though there's a little filler that could have been cut from the running time, Karloff and the intriguing mystery part of the narrative marry up to the atmosphere to round out a good old classic horror yarn. 7/10

Production companies