Night of the Strangler

Night of the Strangler

Year: 1972

Runtime: 88 mins

Language: English

Director: Joy N. Houck Jr.

DramaHorrorCrime

Southern revenge! In New Orleans, a relationship between a black man and a white girl leads to a string of murders.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Night of the Strangler (1972)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Night of the Strangler (1972). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

New Orleans, New York

The action centers in New Orleans with scenes around the parish, marina, and a gardener's estate, giving the film a Southern noir atmosphere. New York is referenced as Denise's destination, providing a contrast to the homegrown danger. The setting blends intimate, domestic spaces with public urban areas to heighten the sense of inescapable peril.

🗽 New Orleans 🕍 Parish Life 🗺️ Urban Crime

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:19

Main Characters – Night of the Strangler (1972)

Meet the key characters of Night of the Strangler (1972), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Denise Roberts (Susan McCullough)

Denise is pregnant and becomes the initial target of a deadly sequence after telling her brothers. She is murdered when an intruder drowns her in the bathtub and slits her wrists to fake a suicide, triggering a chain of retaliations that expose the family’s dark secrets.

🤰 Pregnant 💀 Targeted 🛡️ Tragic

Vance (Micky Dolenz)

Denise’s brother who resents theSituation and blames Dan for the tragedy. He escalates the violence, stabbing Dan in the chest during a confrontation, and endures the loss of his wife Ann as part of the family’s spiral of vengeance.

🗡️ Brother ⚔️ Violent 💔 Grief

Dan (James Ralston)

Denise’s other brother who becomes entangled in the deadly scheme. He defends himself against Willie, is stabbed by Vance, and is ultimately killed by Jake as the murders close in.

🗡️ Brother 🧭 Targeted 💥 Tragic End

Father Jessie / Jake (Chuck Patterson)

The apparent priest who reveals he is actually Jake, the twin who engineered the murders in revenge for the real Jessie’s death. He kills Dan, and the ending suggests the police used a venomous snake to trap him.

👥 Twin 🧭 Mastermind 🐍 Endgame

Carol (Ann Barrett)

Dan’s wife, who had previously been Vance’s girlfriend. She becomes a casualty of the killer’s machinations when a venomous snake is delivered in a bouquet to their home.

💔 Wife 🐍 Murder 🏡 Domestic

Ann (Katie Tilley)

Vance’s wife, who dies from a poisoned arrow shot via a booby-trap in Vance’s car, illustrating how far the plan extends into the family’s life.

💀 Spouse 🗺️ Tragedy

Willie (Warren Kenner)

The Roberts family gardener who lunges at Dan at the marina and is killed by Dan in self-defense, becoming one of the series of violent incidents driving the plot.

🧑‍🌾 Gardener 🗡️ Near-murder 💥 Self-defense

Assassin (Patrick Wright)

The killer who murders Denise’s fiancé and later returns to target Dan. His fate is sealed when he is shot by a guard at the marina, leaving the trail of killings unresolved until the climax.

🗡️ Assassin 💀 Killshot

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:19

Major Themes – Night of the Strangler (1972)

Explore the central themes of Night of the Strangler (1972), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗝️ Secrets

A web of concealed motives and hidden identities drives Night of the Strangler. Denise's pregnancy, family resentments, and a twin brother’s hidden plan ignite a chain of murders. The plot continually withholds truth until a dramatic revelation reshapes the entire sequence of events.

🕯️ Religion and Betrayal

A Black priest returning to a parish frames faith as a tension-filled backdrop to violence. The twin brothers manipulate sacred roles to justify murder, showing how religion can be weaponized for revenge. The twist hinges on the contrast between perceived sanctity and true intent.

🗺️ Twins and Deceit

Two brothers with secret loyalties orchestrate a deadly spree from behind a veneer of normalcy. The revelation of the twin’s involvement reframes prior actions as calculated strategy rather than rash impulse. The finale ties deception to fate as the mastermind meets a police-influenced end.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:19

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Night of the Strangler Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Night of the Strangler, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Night of the Strangler Summary

Night of the Strangler Timeline

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Night of the Strangler Timeline

More About Night of the Strangler

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More About Night of the Strangler

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