A play within a movie! No, not an Irving Berlin spectacular, but a gritty horror film conjuring images of the Jack the Ripper legends. The setting is a very foggy London and the quiet coastal town of Brighton. This gem, which came out in the final year of World War 2 mixes the classic killer in the fog theme with the horror of air raids and fire bombings which the Germans inflicted on London. The two will be directly blended and what follows is our film, 1945's "The Brighton Strangler," directed by Max Nosseck.
The play, The Brighton Strangler, has wrapped up. The stars are giddy, yet exhausted from this drama that has enthralled a besieged city. Besieged by air raids. The horror of a mysterious strangler seems pale in comparison. Now that the curtains have lowered for the final time, hunk star, Reginald Parker (John Loder), who portrayed the strangler, is set to marry the writer/producer Dorothy (Rose Hobart). Just before Reginald departs the theater, the Germans bomb London and the theater. Knocked out, Reginald wakes up with some form of Amnesia and believes he is Edward Gray, aka The Brighton Strangler. He even finds his murder weapon in the pocket of his coat. Now, as Edward Gray, Reginald will take a train to Brighton and kill the people which the strangler murdered in the play. He's charming and well schooled, thus a sultry dame in uniform, the lovely April (June Duprez) befriends him.
June looks marvelous in the uniform of a WAC (Women's Army Corps). She is engaged to an American officer, the hunk Bob (Michael St. Angel). When the two depart the train in Brighton, April introduces Edward to her mom and dad who are also taken by his charm. Just like the script calls for, Edward Gray, the strangler, seeks the beloved mayor of Brighton and strangles him to death. Uh oh...the script calls for several more murders, which also include the wise old police detective (Miles Mandor) on the case. Continuing his charm, April feels a closeness to Edward and confides in him for guidance and help. The sultry uniformed dame has no idea that the drama, which just closed in London, ends with her own murder. Trickery and deceit enable Edward with alibis and set up a perfect plan for April's murder.
Will the hunk Bob, American soldier, get wise and flee to Brighton to save his girl? Did the screening boards in the U.K. use this film as an example of how violence on the stage can influence the youth to do naughty things? Will the sultry and smart appearance of April in a military uniform help with military recruiting in Britain? This is a scary and suspenseful and Ms. Duprez performs the damsel in peril with allure and perkiness. Mr. Loder's charm and refinement makes his strangler character just so much more terrifying. For a foggy and vicious thriller, see "The Brighton Strangler."
Never heard of this, but sounds fun!
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