The story of Frank Wisbar, the German director who fled his country when the Nazis came into power and took up in Hollywood making B-pictures before returning to the motherland after the war, is more interesting than the film itself. STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP is a routine little programmer almost entirely lacking in budget and a decent script, although in actuality it's a remake of Wisbar's own German film FERRYMAN MARIA.The only good thing you can say about this movie is that the setting is appropriately atmospheric. The fog-enshrouded sets and the decaying vegetation make this a film with plenty of visual appeal. At times you can almost smell the mould and the rot-heavy air. A shame, then, that the story itself is so slight, barely registering in the scheme of things. A ghost is stalking the swamp and locals imagine it's the spirit of a man wrongfully executed for murder.The film boasts a forthright young heroine who gets to the heart of the matter and lots of acting from tired and ageing character actors. Blake Edwards appears in an acting role and would later become a well-known director. The scenes of the ghost may have provoked a scare or two back in the day but they're quite tame now. STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP shares a few problems with Universal's Dracula in terms of the stilted nature of the production and the lack of momentum and drive, although it lacks the iconic elements that made the Lugosi film an enduring classic.

Strangler From The Swamp is an effective little picture, produced by the notorious PRC studios. What we have is one of the best horror entries "Poverty Row" ever came up with. That isn't saying a great deal, of course, but Strangler has atmosphere to spare, and achieves some genuinely eerie moments amidst the amateurish acting and interesting if over-used sets. The story concerns a village near the edge of the titular swamp, haunted by the ghost of a man innocent of the crime for which he was hanged - the murder was committed by the ferryman, who seems to run a thriving business for such a little community. Throughout the 59 minute running time we are treated to countless toings and froings across the ferry, yet Director Frank Wisbar conjures up a haunting and often creepy menace. Rosemary LaPlanche makes a refreshing change from the usual scream-at-everything 40s horror heroines, taking over her late grandfather's ferry with aplomb, and proving the prime mover of the plot. Blake Edwards, later to direct The Pink Panther series of films(!) is her paramour, and it turns out he is the one who needs saving from the ghost.Charles Middleton - Ming The Merciless from the Flash Gordon serials - turns up here as the spectral strangler, in a simple yet effective make-up - his eye sockets are blackened and camera lens gauze gives him an unworldly quality.There are flaws, of course, yet much of them are charming in their naivety, and this is certainly a superior production than many better known horrors of the period. Strangler From The Swamp will never be favourably compared to Val Lewton's films, yet it's well worth a watch.

Strangler of the Swamp (1946) ** 1/2 (out of 4) PRC film, which is actually very well made and also received quite a bit of critical praise. The film tells the story of a small village out in the middle of a swamp that seems to be haunted by the ghost of an innocent man they hung years earlier. There's a lot of great things about this extremely low budget film but there's one big flaw and that's that the film runs 59-minutes and even that seems a tad bit long. There are several segments of the film where it becomes too talky while the most interesting aspects are forgotten about. What really makes this film stand out and makes it worth watching are the wonderful sets and the terrific atmosphere brought by the director. This thing is very thick in atmosphere so much so that at times you can feel the heat of the swamp all over your body. The mystery of the film is pretty well written and the ending is a major winner considering how most of these type films end.

PRC which was the lowest of the low actually struck gold with this moody little thriller. They did the same thing a year earlier with "Detour" which is probably one of the finest low-budget films ever made."Strangler" is basically a one set film, filled with mist and shadows, a technique used by most poverty row studios to hide the sets, or lack thereof. But here, it works well. The ghost of Charles Middleton (better known as Ming the Merciless) lurches around the swamp killing those involved in his wrongful execution for murder and generates some sympathy from the viewer. His final victim is to be the daughter of the ferryman.....he concentrates his wrath not only on those directly involved in his fate but their relatives as well.Rosemary LaPlanche does her usual imitation of someone in a coma that passes for her acting style. She offers herself up to the strangler in order to put a stop to the killing but as a sop to the audience, the strangler sees the goodness of her gesture as a sign that his mission is complete and he returns to the hereafter, somewhat chastened. If Ulmer(who directed "Detour") has directed "Strangler" she would be hanging from the nearest tree and the strangler's job would be done. But who's complaining? It's not the story that is the major attraction but the shrouded sets, lighting and the general moodiness of the piece. It stands, right behind "Detour", as PRC's finest hour