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
Curtis Should Have Been Nominated
It takes a lot of courage to take on a role as challenging as one of the most brutal serial murderers in United States history. Tony Curtis made you believe that he was Albert DeSalvo and he did it after years of playing the handsome leading man. He took a big chance and it paid off in some of the greatest reviews of his career, but when it came to an Oscar nomination, nothing. Tony Curtis is one of the greats in Hollywood. Too bad when he played the role of a lifetime the Academy forgot him. Also, Henry Fonda deserved a nomination for his role. This was probably one of the most intense roles of his career.
The other thing that made the film great was its innovative use of split screen. You pretty much got the creeps as you saw people living their ordinary lives on one side of the screen, while on the other side you saw the strangler stalking his victim. Also, I think that the director really did a good job by not really showing any of the attacks in progress, at least until the last one. This film truly was a great psychological thriller.
The other thing that made the film great was its innovative use of split screen. You pretty much got the creeps as you saw people living their ordinary lives on one side of the screen, while on the other side you saw the strangler stalking his victim. Also, I think that the director really did a good job by not really showing any of the attacks in progress, at least until the last one. This film truly was a great psychological thriller.
helpful•407
- Sargebri
- Mar 10, 2003
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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