Rent The Boston Strangler (1968)

3.6 of 5 from 85 ratings
1h 51min
Rent The Boston Strangler Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
One by one, the victims fell, each death more gruesome than the last. The actual murders that rocked Boston in the 60's are the gripping subject matter of this unforgettable police thriller. Henry Fonda stars as the investigating police detective. Tony Curtis delivers a stunning performance as the psychopath Fonda must conquer. Filmed in a documentary style that makes the horrifying events all the more real, 'The Boston Strangler' is one of the most powerful films in its genre.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Eve Collyer, Gwyda Donhowe
Directors:
Producers:
Robert Fryer
Writers:
Edward Anhalt, Gerold Frank
Studio:
20th Century Fox
Genres:
Classics, Drama, Thrillers
Collections:
Top 10 Films By Year, Top Films of 1968
BBFC:
Release Date:
18/10/2004
Run Time:
111 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
05/11/2018
Run Time:
116 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger
  • Split-Screen Personality - William Friedkin on Richard Fleischer's 'The Boston Strangler'
  • Real Killer, Fake Nose - Richard Fleischer's Boston Strangler remembered
  • Out of His Mind: Richard Fleischer On "The Boston Strangler"
  • A Killers Emotions: Tony Curtis On "The Boston Strangler"
  • Still Gallery
  • UK Blu Ray Premiere

More like The Boston Strangler

Found in these customers lists

Reviews (2) of The Boston Strangler

Great film ... - The Boston Strangler review by AB

Spoiler Alert
23/03/2019

A film before it's time .. I have seen this before but forgotten how brutal it was .. In the days before Dna or mobile phones... This killer murdered in Boston but in different areas so the Police had no way to forward information as no Computers .. Amazing how the Boston Strangler was caught .. Good watch Curtis as you never seen him before .

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

True Crime. - The Boston Strangler review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
03/10/2022

Critics knock this for its deviation from historical events, but it triumphs as an example of late sixties social realism. This is a fascinating and clever film. For the first hour, the Boston police search for the psychopathic killer of women who live alone . Detectives instigate and respond to a backlash of prejudice and ignorance. They also expose a pandemic of neglected mental illness.

Tony Curtis doesn't make his appearance as Albert DeSalvo until the second hour and while it's obvious that liberties have been taken with real psychiatry, the scenes between Curtis and Henry Fonda, as the cop leading the investigation, are compelling. Curtis is convincingly banal as the blue collar family man who lives in unconscious fear of his other, suppressed personality.

Richard Fleischer uses split screen, which offers alternate ways of observing the killer's psyche. It feels a bit gimmicky now, but it doesn't detract from the impact. Otherwise, the hand held cameras produce that jerky documentary look which eventually became standard in docu-drama. And it works. There's intimacy, as well as a sleazy portrayal of the naked city.

The film pleads for more proactive treatment of the mentally sick. The pinched public purse of the Boston police department shown here implies there isn't much hope for progressive public health initiatives. But still, the film makes wider political points with some subtlety, even if inevitably the frank depiction of some of the city's subcultures looks a little dated.

0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Unlimited films sent to your door, starting at £15.99 a month.