The Boston Strangler 1968
Boston is terrorized by a series of murders of women—thirteen opened their doors to the killer—culminating with the notorious Boston Strangler. Based on true events, the film follows investigators as they pursue scarce leads, introducing the murderer only later. The story is told from detectives’ viewpoint, highlighting struggle with sparse evidence.
Does The Boston Strangler have end credit scenes?
No!
The Boston Strangler does not have end credit scenes. You can leave when the credits roll.
Where to Watch The Boston Strangler
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Meet the Full Cast and Actors of The Boston Strangler
Explore the complete cast of The Boston Strangler, including both lead and supporting actors. Learn who plays each character, discover their past roles and achievements, and find out what makes this ensemble cast stand out in the world of film and television.
Jeff Corey
John Asgeirsson
James Brolin
Det. Sgt. Phil Lisi
Murray Hamilton
Det. Frank McAfee
George Kennedy
Det. Phil DiNatale
Tony Curtis
Albert DeSalvo
Henry Fonda
John S. Bottomly
William Hickey
Eugene T. O'Rourke
Hurd Hatfield
Terence Huntley
David Lewis
Judge Schroeder
David Proval
Removalist (uncredited)
George Furth
Lyonel Brumley
Dana Elcar
Luis Schubert
Chuck Hicks
Cop (uncredited)
Alex Rocco
Lt. Lurie (uncredited)
Sally Kellerman
Dianne Cluny
Tom Aldredge
Harold Lacey (uncredited)
Harry Carter
Detective (uncredited)
Tim Herbert
Cedric
Leora Dana
Mary Bottomly
Lara Lindsay
Bobbie Eden
Mike Kellin
Julian Soshnick
Carole Shelley
Dana Banks
Rex Thompson
Nat (uncredited)
Eddie Smith
Suspect (uncredited)
Matt Bennett
Harold
Jack Perkins
Cop Arresting Man Goosing Woman at Crosswalk (uncredited)
George Tyne
Dr. Kramer
Austin Willis
Dr. Nagy
George Voskovec
Peter Hurkos
Almira Sessions
Emma Hodak
Walter Scott
Police Officer (uncredited)
Bennie E. Dobbins
Police Officer (uncredited)
Richard X. Slattery
Det. Capt. Ed Willis
William Marshall
Atty. Gen. Edward W. Brooke
Clint Kimbrough
Stanley Hodak (uncredited)
Benjie Bancroft
Detective (uncredited)
John Richards
Mr. Barris (uncredited)
George Fisher
Mr. Taylor
Alex Dreier
News Commentator
Charlie Picerni
Driver (uncredited)
Victor Paul
Police Officer (uncredited)
Glenn R. Wilder
Driver (uncredited)
Sandy McPeak
Reporter (uncredited)
Larry Duran
Police Officer (uncredited)
Mark Dawson
Police Officer (uncredited)
William Traylor
Arnie Carr
Edward Winter
Man in Hallway (uncredited)
Carolyn Conwell
Irmgard DeSalvo
Jack Garner
Technician (uncredited)
Michael Jeffers
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Napier
Technician (uncredited)
Owen Orr
Dick Matheson
Hank Robinson
Police Officer (uncredited)
Pamela McMyler
Grace
Bob Harks
Suspect (uncredited)
Isabella Hoopes
Bertha Blum
Barbara Collentine
Nurse (uncredited)
George Holmes
Clerk (uncredited)
Robert Buckingham
Bailiff (uncredited)
James J. Casino
Suspect (uncredited)
Enid Markey
Edna
Karen Ericson
Pat Bruner
Ken DuMain
Suspect (uncredited)
Jeanne Cooper
Cloe
Mike Lally
Crime Scene Investigator (uncredited)
Boyd Santell
Orderly #2 (uncredited)
Shep Houghton
Detective (uncredited)
Dorothy Blackburn
Minnie Adams
Jean Ransome
Worried Woman (uncredited)
Gina Harding
Audri (uncredited)
Bill Couch
Police Officer (uncredited)
Linda Clifford
Bystander (uncredited)
Eve Collyer
Ellen Ridgeway
Gwyda Donhowe
Alice Oakville
John Cameron Swayze
T.V. Narrator
Shelley Burton
David Parker
Elizabeth Baur
Harriet Fordin
Richard Krisher
Tom
Walter Klavun
Chief of Police
Arthur Hanson
Commissioner
Penny Williams
Mae
Janis Young
Louise Parker
Loren Brown
Police Officer (uncredited)
Violet Carlson
Woman (uncredited)
Ron Burke
Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
Kevin Coates
Boy (uncredited)
Dennis Cross
Steve (uncredited)
Bob Courts
Detective (uncredited)
Yutta D'Arcy
Girl (uncredited)
Dick Dial
Driver (uncredited)
Edmund Donnelly
Bartender (uncredited)
Tommy Flanders
Minor Role (uncredited)
Eddie Frank
Michael DeSalvo (uncredited)
Nicci-Ann Frank
Judy DeSalvo (uncredited)
Cornelius Frizell
Bit Part (uncredited)
Chance Gentry
Det. Doran (uncredited)
Alfred Hinckley
Manager at Charley's (uncredited)
Brick Huston
Technician (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns
Police Officer (uncredited)
Tom Noel
Cop (uncredited)
John Pedrini
Detective (uncredited)
Nancie Phillips
Barbara Wise (uncredited)
George Sawaya
Police Officer (uncredited)
Marie Thomas-Foster
Gloria (uncredited)
Hagen Smith
Suspect (uncredited)
Meredith Vincent
Mrs. Taylor (uncredited)
Fiddle Viracola
Clara Lucia (uncredited)
Forrest Wood
Arthur Leary (uncredited)
Sally Yarnell
Worried Woman (uncredited)
External Links and Streaming Options
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Take the Ultimate The Boston Strangler Movie Quiz
Challenge your knowledge of The Boston Strangler with this fun and interactive movie quiz. Test yourself on key plot points, iconic characters, hidden details, and memorable moments to see how well you really know the film.
The Boston Strangler (1968) Quiz: Test your knowledge of the 1968 film that dramatizes the investigation into the notorious Boston Strangler case.
Who is appointed head of the Strangler Bureau in the film?
Full Plot Summary and Ending Explained for The Boston Strangler
Read the complete plot summary of The Boston Strangler, including all major events, twists, and the full ending explained in detail. Explore key characters, themes, hidden meanings, and everything you need to understand the story from beginning to end.
After three elderly women are found murdered in Boston—strangled and penetrated with foreign objects—the police conclude they’re dealing with a serial killer known as the Boston Strangler. As the killings cross police jurisdictions, Massachusetts Attorney General Edward W. Brooke appoints John S. Bottomly [Henry Fonda] as head of a Strangler Bureau to coordinate the investigation across multiple agencies. In the face of mounting pressure, several suspects are interrogated and released, while the city watches the case unfold with a growing sense of urgency.
Desperation prompts a controversial step: Bottomly brings in a psychic, Peter Hurkos [George Voskovec], whose profile points toward Eugene T. O’Rourke [William Hickey], a man described as severely masochistic. O’Rourke is taken in for psychiatric observation for ten days, but nothing concrete links him to the murders. Yet even as he is watched, another murder occurs, which ultimately clears him of involvement and shifts the focus back to a ruthless pattern plaguing the city.
Amid national tension during the 1963 funeral of John F. Kennedy on television, Albert DeSalvo [Tony Curtis] leaves his wife Irmgard DeSalvo [Carolyn Conwell] and their children under the pretense of work. He gains entry into the apartment of Dianne Cluny [Sally Kellerman] by posing as a plumber sent by the building supervisor. Inside, DeSalvo attacks her, tying her to her bed with rags ripped from her dress. He is startled by his own reflection in a mirror as he fights to subdue Dianne; she struggles free and bites his hand, and DeSalvo flees into the night.
He then attempts entry into another apartment, but the husband is home, and DeSalvo is spotted and apprehended by a passing police patrol. Found incompetent to stand trial for attempted breaking and entering, he is committed to a hospital for psychiatric observation. By chance, Bottomly and Det. Phil DiNatale [George Kennedy] pass DeSalvo in an elevator; they had just visited Dianne, the survivor of the earlier attack, and notice the wound on DeSalvo’s hand—evidence that tightens the connection to the Boston Strangler murders.
Conventional interrogation yields little progress, because the treating physician believes DeSalvo suffers from a split personality: a “normal” identity that fabricates memories to shield the murders committed by the other, killer identity. The treating physician, Dr. Nagy [Austin Willis], thinks that the hidden personality could be forced to confront the facts, but the resulting shock risks catatonia for DeSalvo. Bottomly opines that catatonia would be the second-best outcome to a conviction, highlighting the difficult legal and ethical balance at stake.
With the defense counsel insisting that new revelations remain inadmissible in court, Bottomly is granted one final round of interviews with DeSalvo. After several sessions, Bottomly manages to reveal the hidden personality behind the façade. The shock reverberates through DeSalvo, and he slips into a catatonic state, leaving the investigation at a precarious crossroads as the true scope of the killings becomes clearer through the intertwining of psychology, evidence, and the relentless drive to bring a serial killer to justice.
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Cars Featured in The Boston Strangler
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The Boston Strangler Themes and Keywords
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The Boston Strangler Other Names and Titles
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