Summaries

Quiet, unobtrusive LA citizen Carl Martin picks up look-alikes for his estranged blonde wife and murders them with garden shears.

Carl Martin is a morose and deranged Los Angeles gardener, who, in retribution for the infidelity of his unfaithful wife, sets about to kill as many blondes as he can. From the time the film opens, to the sound of a radio turned up full-blast over the still-warm corpse of a blonde, the audience knows the identity of the killer. The film depicts, with documentary realism (as it was shot on location in and around Los Angeles), how the police, using laboratory techniques against the few clues they have, track down Martin. Their key clue is a spring from a pair of garden shears. The police move in just as Martin is about to add Jane Saunders, the daughter of a greenhouse owner, to his long list of victims.—Les Adams <[email protected]>

Details

Keywords
  • murderess
  • serial murder
  • newspaper headline
  • gardner
  • killing only blonde girls
Genres
  • Thriller
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
Release date May 7, 1952
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) Approved
Countries of origin United States
Language English
Filming locations Chavez Ravine, Elysian Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Production companies Allart Productions

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 17m
Color Black and White
Aspect ratio 1.37 : 1

Synopsis

All Filters