"Der Würger von Schloß Blackmoor" or "The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle" is a West German German-language movie from 1963, so this one is already over 50 years old and as many of these early (Bryan) Edgar Wallace adaptations, it is a black-and-white film. And also like many of these, it runs for approximately 90 minutes, slightly shorter in fact. Also the names of the writers and cast are known to people who know a bit about these Wallace films. I am referring to the likes of Giller, Nielsen and Dor and others as well. The director is Harald Reinl, an Austrian Oscar nominee, who is most known for his Winnetou movies these days I guess. But he also made some of these Wallace films, even if most people don't know. The story here is also like in these other Wallace films. Nothing really stands out. Men of authority, stunning young women, a cop investigating, (not so) dangerous dogs, murder, some comedy etc. You really know what you can expect here if this is not the first Wallace adaptation. Kinski is not in here, which could have elevated the material at least a bit. I think with these Wallace films that if you have seen one you have seen almost all of them as they are just so very similar to each other. But the good thing is also that if you like one, then you will maybe like almost all of these. But it's really difficult to like them in my opinion. The cases are rarely as interesting as they want them to be. The acting is mediocre at best and the humor is a failure most of the time. And the title is a true give-away what this film is about, not just to which series it belongs. A strangler is killing people and the film is set in Great Britain as always. So yeah, now you see that it's all the same as in these other films as I already wrote in the title. Not worth checking out in my opinion. Thumbs down.

An expensively produced "A" movie in Germany's Edgar Wallace and/or Bryan Edgar Wallace series, this one falls into the Bryan group. Director Harald Reinl makes excellent use of his atmospheric sets and locations. He is only let down by an overly complicated and totally unconvincing script. Fortunately, most of these inadequate plot turns, as well as the over-the-top characterizations by people like Rudolf Fernau and Dieter Eppler, Reinl manages to disguise by brisk pacing and clever use of the lavish production values provided – as noted above – by location lensing and stunningly sinister sets. However, the beautiful Karin Dor makes surprisingly little impact as the heroine and it's left to ninth-billed Ingmar Zeisberg to clinch the film's top acting honors.

The problems are. 1) the comedy relief, is the wacky mustache-bird- recording character and if that isn't enough the spunky little kid that sometimes acts as his sidekick. 2nd problem is the music score, all electronic though not much of it, but it is also used mostly for comic relief which is not early electronic music's strong point. Some other sounds are comically dated now--though music for these German films is frankly usually pretty bad--awful non stop squealing rock/jazz so this film's lack of music is mostly a good thing but the comic electronic burbs and beeps are hard to get over and distracting, but, like I say at least there isn't a lot of music. And the comic relief also doesn't overwhelm the plot but does pop up just when you least need it.The last deficit is that just past the half way point in the movie briefly stops making sense, this is another problem with these films there are so many characters that you lose track at some point. This film has a series of car ride sequences with the cops talking about various suspects and it just becomes a blur, this one holds up longer than most though plot wise and it does get back on track before the ending.The Alpha DVD is full frame and things are obviously cropped but the print is in decent shape, just turn down the brightness a little.For a Strangler film the strangler does almost as much beheading as strangling, this is a good thing and it adds variety and strangling can be pretty dull on film, the spfx are pretty good especially one on screen decapitation. There is one awful mechanical bird but is part of the equally bad comic relief and only appears twice and very briefly.The film moves well and "attacks" come pretty regularly and the ending is very well photographed in a foggy swamp and forest. The dubbing is actually not too bad which helps the movie too. There is a very clever hiding place for the diamonds too.So prepare yourself for the bads and enjoy the goods and this film is well worth the time to watch it.

I'll say one thing for the strangler of the film's title, he's one allusive, crafty bastard. Director Harald Reinl yet again brings us one very entertaining Krimi mystery thriller concerning a murderer, donning a black ski mask, leather jacket and gloves(..he's also missing a digit from his hand, a little detail that provides him with an identifiable trait the detectives can work with)strangling folks around an ancient castle owned by the broke Lord Blackmoor(Hans Reiser), whose renting his place to Claridge Dorsett(Karin Dor)and her uncle Lucius Clark(Rudolf Fernau), seen at the beginning of the film in a ceremony, having been knighted by her majesty the Queen. Scotland Yard Inspector Jeff Mitchell(Harry Riebauer)and his partner Watson(Gerhard Hartig)are called on the case after a body is found on the premises of the Blackmoor castle, a guard who was strangled by the killer..the killer confronts Lucius, charging him with seizing diamonds, threatening to get them out of memory for his slain father. What's soon discovered, however, is that Lucius was in fact having an affair with his assistant's wife and that the killer is his son, both men have a missing finger! The overly complex plot also has a very unstable ex-con, Anthony(Dieter Eppler), working as the butler, who cuts the diamonds for Lucius, harboring an unhinged obsession with keeping his work to himself, proposing that if his boss killed Claridge, they'd inherit a fortune owed to her on her 21st birthday..also featured is an owner of a popular, trashy strip club-pub, Tavish(Hans Nielsen)who is the one to rest the diamonds from Lucius, his only benefactor willing to take such a risk(..although, Anthony continues to interfere with these transactions, causing major problems between the two business associates)and a sneaky dame, Judy(Ingmar Zeisberg), who has a series of aliases, actually having close ties with the strangler, while working as a barmaid in the club. And, if that wasn't enough, a newspaper reporter, Mike Pierce(Hans Reiser), worms his way into the case, coercing Claridge(..who is a reporter as well)into their becoming a team covering the series of attacks that accumulate over time. Include a suspicious lawyer, Dr. Tromby(Richard Häussler), who works for Tavish, attempting to pry away the diamonds worth a fortune(..the diamonds are concealed in a cigar case)and some silly shenanigans involving Lord Blackmoor and his nephew, Tom(Peter Nestler), & you have quite a full pallet.Despite the massive plot, I think many viewers will identify the killer right away just by his suspicious behavior alone. It's blatantly obvious that Anthony, despite his hostile intent towards Claridge, is the glaring red herring in regards to the ski-masked psycho with amazing power and remarkable agility who escapes the clutches of detective Mitchell a few times. How the killer overpowers a few rather husky men, actually positioning them to the ground as he strangles the life out of them, may be a bit far-fetched. One neat decapitation regarding a motorcycle riding henchman for Tavish may remind folks of the grotesque finale of 2001 MANIACS. The busy plot should keep you interested as a list of ulterior motives grow as greedy hands desire to have the diamonds in Lucius' possession(..he's the only one who knows where the uncut diamonds are stored, behind a fiery furnace). Very few characters aren't corrupt or criminal, with the lovely Claridge, loyal to Lucius not knowing his unscrupulous past concerning his betrayal of her father, caught in the middle of the whole ugly ordeal. There's a cool dungeon underneath the castle which features a former torture chamber now in absolute ruin, and the killer attacks with ferocity, his fate, running from the police into the darkened marshy moors, is a fine, atmospheric climax. Good cast, with colorful characters, and lots of the usual twists and turns which make these Krimis such a blast to watch. Lots of thrilling set-pieces as well as the killer sets up traps for his nemesis who stand in his way of retrieving the diamonds and getting revenge for who he believed was his father.