An otherwise altruistic man getting hit over the head and turning into a villain is a weak premise to hang a film on. This kind of set-up works best with comedy where the absurdity can be leaned into. For instance, Victor Buono did a fine job portraying this kind of character in the 1966 classic television series Batman where he was able to inject a great deal of camp into that kind of role. When it is played seriously, though, the holes in the logic become far too obvious and any real suspense dissipates.
This film takes place during The Blitz in wartime London. Stage actor Reginald Parker (John Loder) has just finished his final performance playing Edward Grey, the Brighton Strangler. As he is preparing to leave for the holidays, the Nazis drop their bombs on the city. The theater is hit and Reginald takes a heavy blow to the head. When he recovers, he thinks he really is the Brighton Strangler and begins to act out scenes from the play, tracking down the specific types from the play and actually killing them.
This very concept is silly to begin with. However, director Max Nosseck and his cast do the best they can with it, refusing to play into the absurdity. Instead, they take things very seriously, playing up the suspense as best as possible. It doesn’t always work, especially when we get to the finale where, in an attempt to prevent yet another murder while also avoiding shooting Reginald outright, applause is used to defuse the situation, making Reginald believe the play has reached its conclusion and he can remove his hands from around the neck of his intended victim. The film as a whole is well executed, especially the shots of buildings being destroyed during The Blitz, but it never quite overcomes its ridiculous concept. 1945 - 67 minutes
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