He was hanged for a crime he didn't commit, and now he's The Strangler Of The Swamp!
A ferryman who was wrongly hanged for murder is now a ghost, and he's more than a little perturbed. He wants revenge, and he's inflicting strange, violent deaths on the townsfolk responsible for this execution.
The ghost (Charles Middleton, best-known for playing Ming the Merciless in the "Flash Gordon" series) is all the scarier for his simplicity: A grim shape that gradually manifests itself, blending into the shadows and the night. Blake Edwards, in a rare acting appearance before he became a famous director, is Christian Sanders Jr., next on the ghost's list of victims, and Rosemary La Planche is his lover who's willing to sacrifice herself to save his life. Robert Barrat is the community leader who fights the villagers' superstitions.
Steeped in gothic atmosphere, Strangler Of The Swamp recreated director Frank Wisbar's extremely stylish classic fantasy film, Fahrmann Maria, made in Germany before Wisbar came to Hollywood and directed such movies as The Devil Bat's Daughter. Wisbar's inventive use of lighting, camera and sets makes Strangler a stand-out.
Product Description:
This eerie, dreamlike horror film has become a cult classic, thanks to the imaginative direction of German director Frank Wisbar. In a remote swamp, the ghost of a ferryman hung for a crime he didn't commit stalks those who sentenced him, and their kin. Lovely Rosemary La Planche (Miss America 1941) stars as Maria, one of the kin, and the new ferry operator. Blake Edwards is Chris, another. They fall in love while hanging out at the ferry, little realizing the strangler has them in his ever-tightening noose of trouble.
Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless in the original FLASH GORDON serials) plays the strangling ghost. He's pretty creepy with his blackened eyes and ethereal presence, and so is the film. The swamp setting is so thick with mist and vegetation that it seems to creep right off the screen. The leads all acquit themselves nicely, and La Planche and Edwards exhibit a breathless chemistry in their scenes together. This short little film has no dry patches, it swims with murky, delirious atmosphere all its own.
Description by Image Entertainment:
Don't go near the swamp! A ferryman who was wrongly hanged for a murder is now a ghost, and he's more than a little perturbed. He wants revenge, and he's inflicting strange, violent deaths on the townsfolk responsible for his execution. Steeped in gothic atmosphere, "Strangler of the Swamp" recreates director Frank Wisbar's extremely stylish classic fantasy film, "Fahrman Maria," made in Germany before Wisbar came to Hollywood. His inventive use of lighting, camera and sets makes "Strangler" a stand-out.
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