Boston Strangler (film)
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Founder | Matt Ruskin (writer and director) |
| Products | Film |
Boston Strangler is a 2023 American historical crime drama film both written and directed by Matt Ruskin. It dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the Boston Strangler, responsible for the deaths of 13 women in 1960s Boston. The cast features Keira Knightley portraying Loretta McLaughlin, the journalist who first exposed the case for the Boston Record American, alongside performances by Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, and Chris Cooper.
The movie premiered in the United States on March 17, 2023, via Hulu, and garnered a range of critical responses.
Plot
Set in 1962, Loretta McLaughlin, a reporter for the Boston Record American, investigates a string of murders targeting elderly women strangled with stockings tied in a distinctive bow, indicating a serial killer’s pattern. Her efforts encounter opposition from Boston police officials and her own newsroom.
Following discovery of a fourth victim, Loretta partners with fellow journalist Jean Cole to persist with the investigation despite facing workplace discrimination and personal obstacles. It is during this coverage that Loretta coins the term "the Boston Strangler."
A year later, when a seventh victim named Sophie Clark is found—markedly younger than previous victims—Loretta and Jean reveal police errors and poor coordination between cities, noting comparable killings in places like New York City.
Albert DeSalvo becomes a suspect; although a neighbor points to another individual, DeSalvo admits to all 13 murders in 1964 but is only convicted for unrelated offenses due to lack of conclusive proof.
In 1965, Loretta discovers similar killings occurring in Ann Arbor, Michigan, connected to suspect Daniel Marsh. Marsh is apprehended but remains uncooperative. In 1973, DeSalvo invites Loretta to hear his account but is murdered before they meet.
An anonymous source directs Loretta to Harrison, a former patient who alleges that DeSalvo’s confession was manipulated by Marsh and George Nassar. Nassar denies involvement in coaching but hints at multiple perpetrators and criticizes sensationalist media coverage.
Loretta and Jean propose that Paul Dempsey committed the initial murders before relocating to New York City, with subsequent crimes being imitations. They suggest DeSalvo’s confession may have allowed Nassar to pursue financial gain; under this context, DeSalvo was defended by prominent attorney F. Lee Bailey and misled regarding potential compensation.
Their theory is published by the Record American. An epilogue reveals Loretta’s later achievements as a medical reporter at The Boston Globe, Jean’s three-decade investigative journalism career, and the unresolved legal circumstances surrounding Marsh and Nassar. In 2013, DNA testing connected DeSalvo only to the final murder.
Cast
- Keira Knightley as Loretta McLaughlin
- Carrie Coon as Jean Cole
- Alessandro Nivola as Detective Conley
- David Dastmalchian as Albert DeSalvo
- Morgan Spector as James McLaughlin
- Bill Camp as Commissioner Edmund McNamara
- Chris Cooper as Jack MacLaine
- Robert John Burke as Eddie Holland
- Rory Cochrane as Detective DeLine
- Peter Gerety as Eddie Corsetti
- Luke Kirby as F. Lee Bailey
- Tamara Hickey as Ellie
- Ryan Winkles as Daniel Marsh
- Greg Vrotsos as George Nassar
- Pamela Jayne Morgan as Anne Samans
- Pat Fitz as The Killer
- Johnny Serret as Television Crewman
Production
Boston Strangler was developed as a collaborative effort between Scott Free Productions, LuckyChap Entertainment, and 20th Century Studios. The screenplay and direction were handled by Matt Ruskin, with production led by Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Michael Pruss, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara. On October 4, 2021, Keira Knightley was confirmed to join the cast. The following month, in November 2021, Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Cooper, and David Dastmalchian were announced as additional cast members. Early in 2022, Robert John Burke and Morgan Spector also became part of the ensemble.
The film’s cinematography was overseen by Ben Kutchins. Principal photography commenced on December 6, 2021, with a residence in Belmont, Massachusetts serving as the stand-in for reporter Loretta McLaughlin's home. On the same day, Winn Brook Elementary School was temporarily transformed into the Cambridge Police Department for second unit shoots, for which the location received $5,000. Several private driveways along Statler and Waterhouse Roads were leased to accommodate parking for vehicles authentic to the 1960s era. Filming activities then progressed to Boston's South End neighborhood, particularly along Dwight Street.
By December 9, the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology was repurposed briefly to represent a police headquarters. Between January 26 and 27, 2022, scenes were captured at the former Josephine M. Foster Elementary School located in Braintree, Massachusetts. Additional filming sites included Jamaica Plain, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Roxbury, and Wellesley. Strict COVID-19 safety measures mandated complete vaccination of all crew members alongside testing three times weekly until production wrapped up. The shooting phase concluded in March 2022.
In post-production, the musical score was composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan.
Release
The movie debuted on March 17, 2023, distributed through Hulu.
Viewership
According to data from Nielsen Media Research, Boston Strangler accumulated 206 million minutes viewed during the period from March 13 to March 19, 2023. Tracking viewership via over 21 million users on TV Time, Whip Media ranked it as the third most-streamed program in the United States for the week ending March 19, 2023. Additionally, Reelgood—a streaming aggregator analyzing data from five million US users across SVOD and AVOD platforms—listed Boston Strangler as the eighth most popular streaming title during the week of March 23, 2023.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Boston Strangler holds an approval rating of 68%, while Metacritic assigns it a score of 58 out of 100, indicating mixed critical reception. Kevin Slane of Boston.com commended Keira Knightley’s performance as McLaughlin for its compelling portrayal of resolve. Nick Allen from RogerEbert.com awarded the film two and a half stars, acknowledging its disturbing true-crime elements but critiquing its limited emotional resonance and narrow narrative focus despite recognizing the journalists' commitment.
Some reviewers drew unfavorable comparisons to earlier films such as the 1968 The Boston Strangler and David Fincher’s works like Seven and Zodiac. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it two out of five stars, suggesting that director Matt Ruskin refrained from exploring the darker themes that directors like Jonathan Demme or Fincher might have embraced. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times described the film as a "dreary, painfully stylized slog," criticizing its superficial engagement with period sexism despite attempts to address it.
Awards and Honors
Boston Strangler received a nomination for Outstanding Cinematography in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It secured the award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Limited or Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television at the 2023 American Society of Cinematographers Awards.
Accuracy of Historical Representation
The film Boston Strangler largely preserves the factual elements related to the crimes, investigative process, victim identities, and the gender bias encountered by Loretta and Jean, who originally coined the term Boston Strangler. Nonetheless, there remains ongoing debate among law enforcement and scholars regarding whether DeSalvo acted alone or if multiple perpetrators were involved, as implied by the movie.
Director Matt Ruskin conducted thorough research, including interviews with the families and associates of Loretta and Jean, and incorporated their original articles and headlines into the screenplay. Certain historical details were altered due to timeline compression: for example, Loretta's investigation begins after three murders in the film rather than four as in reality; Sophie Clark’s murder date is adjusted; copycat killings in Michigan are portrayed as occurring earlier; and DeSalvo’s death is depicted shortly after his conviction, although it actually took place several years later.
Additional significant modifications include:
- Detective Conley represents a blend of multiple actual detectives.
- The film shows Loretta and Jean meeting just prior to their 1962 collaboration, whereas they had been working together since 1952.
- In the movie, DeSalvo makes a phone call to Loretta; in truth, this call was placed to a psychiatrist.
- Daniel Marsh is a fictional name used for an unidentified suspect with a history of domestic violence who relocated to Michigan before the copycat murders; the film does not mention that another individual was convicted in Michigan.
- The character Paul Dempsey is fictional but inspired by elements associated with suspected serial killer Charles E. Terry.