The Strangler (1970) 2023

Leo Kroll, a lab technician with an unsettling fixation on maternal figures, harbors a dark secret: he’s a serial killer responsible for the gruesome murders of several nurses. His latest obsession, Clara, is the nurse who tended to his possessive mother, hospitalized after a heart attack. Kroll’s twisted fascination with dolls is mirrored in his brutal crimes, as evidenced by the eerie presence of a doll at each murder scene. However, it’s his fixation on Tally, an amusement park employee who won him a doll, that hints at a glimmer of humanity beneath his depraved exterior.

As the police investigation unfolds, Kroll becomes increasingly agitated, his possessiveness and paranoia escalating with each passing moment. His visits to his hospitalized mother serve only to intensify his malevolent tendencies, culminating in her fatal heart attack after he confesses to Clara’s murder. The amusement park, once a source of innocent joy, now holds the dark significance of Kroll’s twisted desires.

Upon returning to the park, Kroll’s encounter with Barbara, Tally’s co-worker, sets off a chain reaction of events that ultimately seals his fate. His growing desperation and agitation are palpable as he struggles to maintain control, his fixation on dolls replaced by an all-consuming desire for destruction. The gruesome murder of Barbara, a seemingly innocent victim, serves only to further muddy the police’s investigation.

As Kroll’s mother passes away, he is left to grapple with the true nature of his hatred towards women. His proposal to Tally, though rejected, marks a turning point in his twisted psyche. The seeds of doubt planted by her rejection allow his mother’s venomous words to take root, fueling his malevolent instincts once more.

The police, now hot on Kroll’s trail, bug Tally’s apartment, hoping to catch him in the act. But when Kroll emerges from the shadows, intent on claiming another victim, the police are caught off guard. In a heart-pumping climax, they burst into the room, firing shots as Kroll plunges through the window and meets his demise. The fate of Tally, now trapped beneath the rubble, hangs precariously in the balance, leaving the audience with a haunting sense of uncertainty.