THE STRANGLER – 1964 This low budget film is based on the Boston Strangler files. There have been eight murders in an unnamed major city. All eight have been nurses. The Police are at a loss to identify the killer. All they really know is that all eight were strangled with pantyhose.

The killer is seemingly mild mannered hospital lab technician, Victor Buono. Buono is a man with a problem. His mother, invalid, Ellen Corby, rides Buono all the time. "You are a loser, everyone laughs at you, no woman would want you." This of course causes a less than ideal response by Buono when dealing with the opposite sex.

In charge of the Police investigation are Detectives, David McLean and Baynes Barron. Helping the Police is psychiatrist Russ Bender.

Since all the victims have been nurses, the Police interview all male hospital staff at the various hospitals. Buono is interviewed by the detectives but seems harmless. The Police investigation is going nowhere fast.

The only time Buono remotely feels happy, is when he visits the "Fun Palace" games arcade. He has taken a fancy to several of the girls, Davey Davison and Diane Sayer, who work the ring toss game. They always talk nice to him. Whenever he wins, he always takes a small doll as his prize. And every time he wins a doll, someone dies.

His mother, who suffers from a bad ticker, has an attack but is saved by nurse Jeanne Bates. Buono is less than pleased with this, as he can't wait till the old bat keels over. Bates is next on the man's hit list.

Now the Police are really interested, as Buono knew this victim. They pull the man in for a polygraph test. The Police are somewhat surprised when Buono passes the polygraph without a hic-up. The Department shrink, Bender, tells the Detectives that a true sociopath would have no problem passing the test. The Police have no option though but to release Buono.

Buono, who is slowly unravelling, pays his mother a visit. He gives Corby a bit of her own medicine and verbally attacks her. Corby, who believes that she was always the "perfect' mother, is shocked by this. She of course has a massive heart attack and dies. Buono could not be happier with this turn of events.

The Police again pull Buono in for a chat. A few questions about his mother are asked which Buono just shrugs them off. His mother was a sick woman.

Detective McLean finds Buono a bit too unemotional and is sure he needs to be watched. The Police interview everyone from all his haunts to see if they can dig up anything. Buono sees Detective Barron taking to Diane Sayer at the arcade. Needless to say that Miss Sayer ends up with a set of pantyhose wrapped around her throat.

Buono now returns to the arcade and expresses his love for Miss Davison. "I'm free now, and would like to marry you." Davison tries to explain to Buono that simply being nice to him was not an expression of love. Buono adds Davison to the list of people that need to die.

The rattled Davison contacts the Police and is grabbed up for safekeeping. She identifies Buono as the man they want and the Police put out an all points. Davison insists that the police take her to her apartment. She wants to pack up and catch the first bus out of town. She is scared to death.

The Police oblige and drive her home. Needless to say our man Buono is hiding inside with a handy pair of pantyhose ready. When he makes his move, the Police are close by and interrupt his murder attempt. He ends up going for a nosedive from the fifth-floor apartment.

Not a cinematic gem by any means, but not a waste of time either. Buono, in one of his few leads, is quite good. So is Ellen Corby as the "harpie" mother who drives Buono around the twist.

Others in the cast include, Wally Campo, Byron Morrow, Mimi Dillard and James B. Sikking. David Mclean was known to a generation of television viewers, as, "The Marlboro Cigarette Man." The director was bottom-rung helmsman, Burt Topper. Topper churned out such masterpieces as, TANK COMMANDOS, SOUL HUSTLER and DIARY OF A HIGH SCHOOL BRIDE.

The writer was, Bill S. Ballinger. Ballinger wrote dozens of television episodes. He also wrote the novels that the films, PUSHOVER and WICKED AS THEY COME are based on.

The d of p was Jacques(ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN)Marquette.

Victor Buono is an overaged momma's boy whose hypochondriac "mom" later became Grandma Walton. Buono is quite interested in women but momma never hesitates to remind him that he's too fat, boring and poor to gain any woman's interest. He therefore, rather predictably, reacts by strangling women who conveniently strip down to their skivvies before the event. Eventually he meets a girl he truly cares for, which turns out to be the downfall of both he and his mother.

It's hard to rate this movie. The strangulation scenes are not overly graphic but the sexual aspect and the killer's apparent gratification in that regard were pretty risqué for the time. While the direction and production are cheap and at times poorly done, this seems to give the film an oddly realistic, almost documentary style that contributes to its disturbing qualities. Too undeveloped to be a first class thriller yet not quite dumb enough to be funny, it's still an interesting film that's sick enough to upset the sensitive.