Strangled

In 1960s socialist Hungary, a serial killer targeting young women torments a small town and the determined detective on his trail. Based on true events.

Strangled (2020) is a Hungarian crime miniseries created for national television, adapted from the Hungarian serial killer case known as A martfüi rém. Set in 1960s socialist Hungary, the four-episode limited series follows a determined detective who pursues a killer targeting young women in a small town. The engine of the story is the slow, grinding hunt itself: the detective must work through suspicion, thin evidence and the constraints of a one-party state where investigations are shaped by bureaucracy and political caution. Each episode tightens the pressure on a community living in fear, with the investigation pulling the viewer deeper into local secrets and the moral cost of the search. The tone is bleak, grounded and tense, with a procedural restraint that lets atmosphere and dread carry the weight. Its period texture of provincial streets, state institutions and quiet unease gives the series a Cold War era feel. Fans of The Killing, Mindhunter and Chernobyl will find resonance in its true-crime grounding and austere sense of place. The series is a sober, unsettling look at a real-life hunt in an unforgiving time and place.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers responding well to the period crime story based on true events.

• The Killingslow burn serial killer hunt, grounded procedural tone, dark mystery in a small community
• Chernobylperiod crime drama, true events basis, serial murder investigation under an oppressive regime
• Mindhunterserial killer investigation, bleak small town dread, detective pursuit

Release Date

2020-08-01

Rating

7.3 / 10 (63)

What is Strangled about?

In 1960s socialist Hungary, a determined detective hunts a serial killer preying on young women in a small town.

What is Strangled like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Strangled as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Strangled violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Strangled as moderate.

What did critics think of Strangled?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers responding well to the period crime story based on true events.

Which shows are like Strangled?

Shows with a similar feel include The Killing, Chernobyl, and Mindhunter.

How long is Strangled?

Strangled: 1 season, 4 episodes.

Is Strangled still running?

No, Strangled has ended.