A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt.A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt.A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTony Curtis was generally considered too old to play Albert DeSalvo, despite being only six years older than DeSalvo. At the times of the murders DeSalvo was only in his early thirties.
- GoofsIn the film, it is assumed DeSalvo was guilty, and it portrays him as suffering from multiple personality disorder and committing the murders whilst in a psychotic state. DeSalvo was never diagnosed with, or even suspected of, having that disorder.
- Quotes
Capt. Ed Willis: Everybody's banging everybody. It's a horny world.
- Crazy creditsClosing credits epilogue; ALBERT DESALVO, PRESENTLY IMPRISONED IN WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, HAS NEVER BEEN INDICTED OR TRIED FOR THE BOSTON STRANGLINGS.
THIS FILM HAS ENDED, BUT THE RESPONSIBILTY OF SOCIETY FOR THE EARLY RECOGNITION AND TREATMENT OF THE VIOLENT AMONG US HAS YET TO BEGIN.
- Alternate versionsThe original UK cinema version suffered heavy BBFC cuts with edits to shots of a woman's dead body, the murder scenes, and the removal of graphic descriptions of the murder victims. Video versions were cut by 1 min 5 secs and reduced the torture of Dianne Cluny to a series of flash shots by removing facial closeups, a shot of her kicking, and detailed footage of her arms and legs being tied to the bed. The cuts were fully restored in the 2004 TCF widescreen DVD.
- ConnectionsEdited into Voskovec & Werich - paralelní osudy (2012)
- SoundtracksSemper Fidelis
(uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Heard from the television during the opening scene
Also played during the flashback montage
Featured review
Good, well-done thriller
Fictional account of the Boston Strangler--a maniac who killed about 12 women in the Boston area from 1962-1964. Most of the main actors just walk through their roles--Henry Fonda and George Kennedy especially. But Tony Curtis (who doesn't appear until an hour into the film) is surprisingly good as the strangler. Most people don't think of him as a good actor but as this and "Sweet Smell of Success" proved, he COULD give out a good performance. This was a very tricky role but he pulled it off. The last half hour especially--it's basically one long confession but he's excellent.
The film is exceptionally well-directed--the split screen is a bit disorienting at times but, ultimately, it helps the film. It keeps you on edge. It's also very interesting to see what Boston looked like in 1968. The only sour spot is there is some homophobia in the movie...but this does take place in '62-'64 and they did think the strangler was a gay man.
From what I've heard this film was not a big hit when released which probably explains why it took so long to get out on DVD. It's probably one of the best serial killer movies ever made and the multiple screens look great on DVD.
Well worth seeing if just for Curtis' performance.
The film is exceptionally well-directed--the split screen is a bit disorienting at times but, ultimately, it helps the film. It keeps you on edge. It's also very interesting to see what Boston looked like in 1968. The only sour spot is there is some homophobia in the movie...but this does take place in '62-'64 and they did think the strangler was a gay man.
From what I've heard this film was not a big hit when released which probably explains why it took so long to get out on DVD. It's probably one of the best serial killer movies ever made and the multiple screens look great on DVD.
Well worth seeing if just for Curtis' performance.
helpful•338
- preppy-3
- Oct 10, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Bostonski davitelj
- Filming locations
- Longfellow Bridge, Boston, Massachusetts, USA(fighting hippie couple scene)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $4,100,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $9,439
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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