Strangler of the Swamp
{{Short description|1946 film by Frank Wisbar}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Strangler of the Swamp
| image = Strangler of the Swamp poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| native_name =
| director = Frank Wisbar
| producer = Raoul Pagel
| writer =
| screenplay = Frank Wisbar
Harold Erickson (additional dialogue)
| story = Frank Wisbar
Leo J. McCarthy
| based_on =
| starring = Rosemary La Planche
Robert Barrat
Blake Edwards
Charles Middleton
Nolan Leary
Virginia Farmer
| narrator =
| music = Alexander Steinert
| cinematography = James S. Brown Jr.
| editing = Hugh Winn
| studio = Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
| distributor = Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
Madison Pictures
Pathé Pictures Ltd.(UK)
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1946|01|05}}
| runtime = 59 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Strangler of the Swamp is a 1946 American horror film, produced and distributed by Producers Releasing Corporation.{{cite book|last1=Everson|first1=William K.|title=Classics of the Horror Film|publisher=The Citadel Press|location=Secaucus, N. J.|isbn=0806505958|pages=173–177|chapter=30 Strangler of the Swamp|date=1974 }} It was written and directed by Frank Wisbar, and stars Rosemary LaPlanche, Robert Barrat and Blake Edwards. It is a remake of Wisbar's earlier German film Fährmann Maria (1936).{{cite book|last1=Von Moltke|first1=Johannes|title=No Place Like Home: Locations of Heimat in German Cinema|date=2005|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520938595|page=96|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jQ3jlEjGpPkC&q=%22strangler+of+the+swamp%22&pg=PA96|accessdate=14 October 2014}}
Plot
A ferry operator named Douglas (Charles Middleton) was accused of a murder he did not commit and executed for the crime. Now Douglas' ghost walks the marshlands he once called home, seeking vengeance against those who wronged him. The village's new ferry operator, the beautiful Maria (Rosemary LaPlanche) must find a way to save her boyfriend Christian (Blake Edwards) from becoming the ghost's next victim.
Cast
- Rosemary La Planche as Maria Hart
- Robert Barrat as Christian Sanders
- Blake Edwards as Christian 'Chris' Sanders Jr.
- Charles Middleton as Ferryman Douglas
- Effie Laird as Martina Sanders
- Nolan Leary as Pete Jeffers
- Frank Conlan as Joseph Hart
- Therese Lyon as Bertha
- Virginia Farmer as Anna Jeffers
Release
The film was released on January 5, 1946.{{cite news|title=2 First Run Smash Hits|work=The Troy Record|date=January 4, 1946|page=19}}
=Home media=
The film was released on DVD by Image Entertainment on September 21, 1999. It was later re-released by Films Around The World Inc. on January 1, 2013.{{cite web|title=Strangler of the Swamp (1945) - Frank Wisbar|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/strangler-of-the-swamp-v47235/releases|website=Allmovie.com|publisher=AllMovie|accessdate=16 October 2017}}
Reception
{{expand section|date=October 2017}}
Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film two and a half out of a possible four stars, his most frequently given rating, writing "Moody, atmospheric, full of fog, it's far more cinematic that other horror films from bargain-basement PRC studio, but still suffers from a low budget as well as a lethargic pace."{{cite book|author1=Leonard Maltin|author2=Spencer Green|author3=Rob Edelman|title=Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLtaAAAAYAAJ|date=January 2010|publisher=Plume|isbn=978-0-452-29577-3|page=638}}
Hans J. Wollstein, in his review of the film for Allmovie, gave the film a positive review, complimenting LaPlanche and Middleton's performances.{{cite web|last1=Wollstein|first1=Hans|title=Strangler of the Swamp (1945) - Frank Wisbar|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/strangler-of-the-swamp-v47235/review|website=Allmovie.com|publisher=Hans J. Wollstein|accessdate=16 October 2017}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
- [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91667/strangler-of-the-swamp Strangler of the Swamp] at TCMDB
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180612192252/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b6ca8a6 Stranger of the Swamp] at BFI
- {{IMDb title|0038129|Strangler of the Swamp}}
- {{Rotten tomatoes|strangler_of_the_swamp|Strangler of the Swamp}}
- {{TCMDb title|91667|Strangler of the Swamp}}
- {{Letterboxd title|id=strangler-of-the-swamp|title=Strangler of the Swamp}}
{{Frank Wisbar}}
Category:American supernatural horror films
Category:American remakes of German films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:Films directed by Frank Wisbar
Category:Producers Releasing Corporation films
Category:1940s English-language films
Category:English-language horror films
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{{1940s-US-film-stub}}