Louisiana exploitation brings murder, snakes and racism to a boil.
“Night of the Strangler” is such delightful hicksploitation trash from the early 1970s. I’ve seen the film bounce around in a few forms on VHS and DVD for the last 20 years. Most tout it as an exploitation flick starring Mickey or Micky Dolenz from the Monkees. On the surface, that’s not far off from the facts. Dolenz plays a Louisiana redneck who’s trying to make sense over his sister getting knocked up by a black guy on the bayou.
What’s so weird about the film is that no one is actually strangled. The main check is killed by a poisonous snake used as a weapon. But, it’s mainly a look at how racial prejudice breaks down basic family relations into straight-up homicide. You will believe that a Monkee could be a homicidal killer after this flick. I’m not spoiling anything, as I’m just commenting on how graphic this film dabbles towards its finale.
The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality looks better than I’ve ever seen. The transfer has been scanned and restored in 2K from the original print. While it’s never going to look stellar, it looks far closer to the original source. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to exploitation fans.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
