The Devil Strikes At Night (Nachts, Wenn Der Teufel Kam)

An honest police officer solves the case of a serial killer and arrests the murderer who, beginning in 1933, has killed over eighty women. Yet in 1944 Germany, every aspect of the case must be filtered through the political reality and interests of the Third Reich. Admitting that a mass murderer had eluded detection or capture for over a decade was inconceivable, so by order of Hitler news of the case was completely suppressed and the police officer was sent to the front. The killer’s character was based on an actual murderer, Bruno Ludke, who is said to have amassed a similarly gruesome record. Siodmak narrates this story with a kind of chilling detachment, avoiding sensationalism while focusing on the omnipresent influence of the Gestapo, even on criminal investigations. Screen debut by Mario Adorf. Germany, 1958, B&W, 105 minutes, English subtitles.

NTSC Region 0 encoding (Entire World)

The Devil Strikes At Night (Nachts, Wenn Der Teufel Kam) (DVD)
DVD050$29.95