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The Boston Strangler

The Boston Strangler

Drama · Crime · Thriller · 1968

Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.

Movie details

The Boston Strangler

“Why did 13 women willingly open their doors to the Boston Strangler?”

1968 Drama · Crime · Thriller 1h 56m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story, the film follows the investigators path through several leads before introducing the Strangler as a character. It is seen almost exclusively from the point of view of the investigators who have very few clues to build a case upon.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Boston Strangler?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Richard Fleischer

Written by

Edward Anhalt

Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis

Albert DeSalvo

Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda

John S. Bottomly

George Kennedy

George Kennedy

Det. Phil DiNatale

Mike Kellin

Mike Kellin

Julian Soshnick

Hurd Hatfield

Hurd Hatfield

Terence Huntley

Murray Hamilton

Murray Hamilton

Det. Frank McAfee

Jeff Corey

Jeff Corey

John Asgeirsson

Court is in session

Put The Boston Strangler on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.