Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- paranoid
- disturbing
- classic crime night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s compelling procedural construction, striking visual style, and Tony Curtis’s unsettling performance, while acknowledging its disturbing subject matter.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows investigators through numerous leads before introducing Albert DeSalvo as the Strangler.
The film is known for stylized split-screen and multi-panel compositions during the police inquiry.
Based on the Boston Strangler case, the film centers detectives, interrogations, leads, and public terror.
Tony Curtis portrays Albert DeSalvo through a disturbing double life and dual-personality confusion.
Films like The Boston Strangler, and why
Zodiac
investigative serial-killer procedural with a restrained, methodical approach and institutional frustration
Memories of Murder
true-crime police investigation built around sparse clues, interrogation, and mounting psychological dread
Manhunter
stylized serial-killer crime drama emphasizing investigators, fractured identity, and disturbing atmosphere
The Silence of the Lambs
procedural examination of a killer through police work, moral unease, and documentary-like realism
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Fleischer
- Release Date
- 1968-10-08
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (258)
Cast
- Tony Curtis
- Henry Fonda
- George Kennedy
- Mike Kellin
- Hurd Hatfield
- Murray Hamilton
- Jeff Corey
- Sally Kellerman
- William Marshall
- George Voskovec
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Boston Strangler about?
- A formally daring true-crime procedural follows Boston investigators through a maze of scant clues as a serial killer’s hidden identity gradually comes into view.
- What is The Boston Strangler like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Boston Strangler as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Boston Strangler violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Boston Strangler as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Boston Strangler?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s compelling procedural construction, striking visual style, and Tony Curtis’s unsettling performance, while acknowledging its disturbing subject matter.
- Which films are like The Boston Strangler?
- Films with a similar feel include Zodiac, Memories of Murder, Manhunter, and The Silence of the Lambs.
- How long is The Boston Strangler?
- The Boston Strangler runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Boston Strangler?
- In United States, The Boston Strangler is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
