Author David Annandale joins me for the second time to talk
about another 1940’s horror film! This time we wade through STRANGLER OF THE
SWAMP (1946) which is one of the more interesting examples of the output of the
smallest of the Poverty Row studios - PRC (a.k.a. Producer’s Releasing Corporation).
This is a fascinating low budget film that manages to make its lack of resources
a virtue by leaning into the creepy fog and mists to hide the set limitations. It’s
a favorite of both of us and we love getting to talk about it.
STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP is actually a remake of a German
movie made by the same director a decade before. We start the show by digging
into the earlier film to compare the two and delineate their many differences. The
American film is much more a horror tale than the 1936 German original with a
dark foreboding hanging over the characters living in an isolated village. The
1946 film has the vengeful ghost of a wrongfully accused man stalking and
strangling the men responsible for his death and extending his attacks to the
male children of the families as well. Having watched this moody little gem
repeatedly over the years we were surprised to only now take note of the heroic
town mothers the movie presents. While the men flail around trying to find a ‘reasonable’
excuse for the horrific events the female population works to deal directly
with the problem. We note that this story element might be related to the
changing view of women’s place in society during the second world war and
wonder if this was a conscious choice by the filmmakers. We may never know, but
it shows just how intriguing this little film can be and points to how
creativity can make a movie endlessly rewatchable. There are always thought-provoking
things buried in this swamp to drag out of the muck!
Mr. Annandale and I last discussed THE MONSTER MAKER and that episode can be found here. If you have any comments about this film or any
other Poverty Row horror film thebloodypit@gmail.com
is the place to send them. Thank you for listening!
