The Strangler

Kroll is a mother‑fixated lab technician who is questioned by the police about the nurse murders but is released. The interrogation hints at his disturbing fixation on women and his volatile temper. The officers warn him to stay available for further questioning.

Kroll visits an amusement park and wins a doll from a park stall. This marks the first sign of his fixation on his future victims. He begins to develop an attraction to Tally, one of the stall workers.

The doll and the park encounter deepen Kroll’s fixation as he becomes increasingly drawn to Tally. He observes her and imagines a possible attachment, fueling his distorted view of relationships. The obsession sits alongside his growing sense of control over women.

Kroll travels to the hospital where Clara, the nurse caring for his mother, is working and murders her. He leaves the doll behind at the murder scene, a detail that ties his past fixation to the crime. The act further cements his pattern of targeting women connected to care and vulnerability.

The police question Kroll again and subject him to a lie detector test. He passes the examination, and he is released once more. The acquittal leaves him free to continue his disturbing game.

Kroll visits his mother in the hospital and recounts how he killed Clara. His confession triggers a second fatal heart attack in his mother, ending her life. The emotional release is replaced by a chilling sense of personal power for Kroll.

Returning to the amusement park world in his mind, Kroll spots Barbara, a co‑worker, talking with police and grows frantic. Barbara mimics a doll by saying Mama, which reminds him of his mother and triggers his breakdown. He goes to Barbara's apartment and strangles her as she steps out of the shower.

The killer’s MO of striking a park worker rather than a nurse throws the police off the trail. Barbara’s death shifts the investigation toward the world of the amusement park rather than his hospital ties. The discrepancy creates confusion as they try to connect the crimes.

With his mother dead, Kroll believes he is free and his hatred of women may be fading. He visits Tally and asks her to marry him, but she rejects him. The rejection fuels his belief that women are deceitful and reinforces his murderous resolve.

Police question Tally again and obtain a description of the killer. They begin a focused pursuit of the strangler, narrowing the list of suspects to Kroll. The net tightens as they piece together the evidence.

Kroll hides in Tally’s apartment, waiting for a chance to strike. The police install bugs in the room to monitor the killer, while Tally packs to leave town and unknowingly covers the bug with clothing. The surveillance sets the stage for a final confrontation.

Kroll emerges to strangle Tally as police burst in and open fire. He is hit, goes through the window, and falls to his death. It remains unclear whether Tally survived the assault, leaving the ending morally ambiguous.