Rating: NR | Runtime: 96 minutes
Release Date: September 24th, 1972 (France) / November 15th, 2023 (USA)
Studio: Les Films Paramount / Altered Innocence
Director(s): Paul Vecchiali
Writer(s): Paul Vecchiali

I just killed. What do you want to know?

How good is the new restoration? Well, it’s clear enough that you can see the “X” on the floor marking where writer/director Paul Vecchiali wanted Katja Cavagnac’s ballerina to drop her bag and coat so the camera could capture it before panning up to her in the mirror. There was one brief moment when the color shifted and the picture softened, but perhaps that was a product of my internet connection? Not sure. Maybe the studio couldn’t get a good original for that minute or so of time.

The film itself is intriguing. The Strangler follows three characters: the killer (Jacques Perrin’s Émile), his pursuer (Julien Guiomar’s Simon), and a student who hopes to involve herself in the case (Eva Simonet’s Anna). There’s also ‘The Jackal’ (Paul Barge), but he never truly drives the narrative—just follows behind Émile in order to rob his victims and sully his reputation. Because Émile has no visible motive (although the public is gradually understanding the element of sadness and depression on behalf of his targets driving him), Simon and Anna can’t help losing themselves to fascination. To solve the crimes, yes. But also to enjoy the ride.

When Émile is discerning, his violence is presented almost as euthanasia. He stalks these women, but also listens to them. He provides them a “final wish” of sorts, giving them beauty or purpose before tightening the hand-knit wool scarf around their throats. None of them fight back. None of them scream. It’s as though they are resigned to the fact that death is unavoidable. That it’s desired. At one point Émile stops a woman from committing suicide just so he can strangle her instead. In some warped way, he’s saving them from eternal damnation.

Vecchiali doesn’t really delve into this aspect beyond aesthetic, though. It simply supplies Émile a compelling sense of empathy—especially considering Simon is a liar and ‘The Jackal’ an opportunistic creep. Émile is innocent by comparison. A man doing his job to help these women escape the world’s horrors (shown via a random montage of violence in the streets at a moment of psychological conflict that drives Émile to lose his way) so they may bask in the pleasures of a white-linen after-life full of picnics and laughter. This imagery is what sticks with you alongside Perrin’s memorably sympathetic portrayal of a serial killer.

Ultimately more style than substance, you cannot deny the appeal The Strangler holds. That it’s a giallo predating the titles most associate with the term (one I’ve never fully grasped—or wanted to—considering the zealots I’ve come across are more likely to mock you for being wrong than educate you on why) is surely why Altered Innocence saw fit to finally give it a theatrical release in the United States, but there’s definitely more to its success than checking a box and fulfilling a fandom’s curiosity. Between the ransom note titles, Perrin’s acting, and the melancholic nature of the kills, genre fans won’t want to miss it.

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Jacques Perrin and Jacqueline Danno in THE STRANGLER; courtesy of Altered Innocence.