''Strangler vs. Strangler'' () is a 1984 Yugoslav film featuring elements of

horror comedy Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

and

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

. The film is set in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

during the 1980s. A

middle-aged Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...

flower seller upRudolf Ernst painting of The Flower Vendor A flower seller, traditionally a woman, sells flowers on the street. Often the flowers are carried in a basket, for example. The subject matter has been a favorite of artists.Diego RiveraThe Flower Se ...

becomes a

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

, targeting girls who refuse to buy his products. His motivation is the sadistic punishment inflicted on him by his domineering mother for the failed sales. An inept

police inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

is increasingly obsessed with capturing the killer. A rock singer turns into a

copycat killer A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modeled after or inspired by a previous crime. It notably occurs after exposure to media content depicting said crimes, and/or a live criminal model. According to a study, copycat crime is a social phen ...

, killing his wife during their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

and putting the blame on the original killer, leading to a confrontation between the two killers.

Plot

In the mid-1980s

finally gets its first

: an awkward

carnations ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' ( ), commonly known as carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to the Mediterranean region. Its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,000 years. Carnations ...

seller named Pera Mitić (

Taško Načić Taško Načić ( sr-Cyrl, Ташко Начић; 7 April 1934 – 27 March 1993) was a Serbian actor. Early life Načić's paternal family was of Aromanians, Aromanian descent from Zaječar. He studied acting at The Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Be ...

). Mitić is an

overweight Being overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than ...

48-year-old man still living with his aging mother—an unusual relationship with numerous Oedipean overtones. His mother often punishes him when he does not sell any of the carnation flowers. His punishments include kneeling on nutshells while being slapped by his mother or being locked in the water tank. This is the reason why he starts killing every girl who refuses to buy his flowers. Mitić's character can be compared to

Norman Bates Norman Bates is a fictional character created by American author Robert Bloch as the main protagonist in his 1959 horror novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, who in hi ...

's character and relationship with his mother. After the first murder, mostly incompetent Belgrade police inspector Ognjen Strahinjić ( Nikola Simić) starts the investigation. His attempt at catching the strangler by employing an undercover agent, Rodoljub Jovanović (Branislav Zeremski), ends up in tragedy. Strahinjić himself is a loner living only with his cat George, who is his best friend. He is a short man, with a thin moustache and is similar to

Inspector Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical ''The Pink Panther'' series. Clouseau's immense ego, eccentricity, exaggerated French accent, and prominent mustache ...

from the

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...

's ''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...

'' series. The plot becomes even more complicated when the strangler-obsessed rock star Spiridon Kopicl (

Srđan Šaper Srđan Šaper ( sr-cyr, Срђан Шапер; born October 9, 1958) is a founder of I&F McCann Grupa. He was also a founder and a member of the Yugoslav new wave band Idoli in the 1980s.P. Janjatović, Idoli, YU rock enciklopedija 1960-1967, ...

) records the song "Bejbi, bejbi" ("Baby, Baby"), with his band

VIS Simboli VIS Simboli are a fictional band from the Yugoslavian film '' Strangler vs. Strangler''. Fictional history The band was formed by Spiridon Kopicl (played by Srđan Šaper, at the time of the film recording member of the band Idoli, which was ...

, dedicated to the strangler, which immediately becomes a nationwide hit. Mitić, having heard the song, becomes delighted; he even strangled his own mother in order to hear it on the TV. While Mitić's number of victims becomes bigger, Kopicl is focused on Sofija (

Sonja Savić Sonja Savić ( sr-Cyrl, Соња Савић; 15 September 1961 – 23 September 2008) was a Serbian actress, famous for her husky voice and series of impressive roles in some of the most memorable Yugoslav films of 1980s and 1990s. She was born ...

) who is a host of a popular musical show on the radio. While attempting to strangle Sofija, Mitić gets on his way and while attacking her Sofija bites his ear in self-defence. Kopicl gets the credit of a savior and a hero and marries Sofija. On their honeymoon, in the climax of his obsession, Kopicl strangles Sofija while Mitić, dressed as his mother, observes. Mitić then enters the room and asks for his ear. Kopicl runs to an abandoned building where, after a struggle, hangs Mitić who bit his ear. In the end all of the crimes, including Sofija's death, are credited to the late Mitić. Kopicl, while getting his ear bitten hears a melody on which he composed a

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

inspired by the crime and, after the death of his father, marries his attractive stepmother.

Cast

as Pera Mitić * Nikola Simić as Inspector Ognjen Strahinjić *

as Spiridon Kopicl *

Rahela Ferari Beela Rochel Freund (; 27 August 1911 – 12 February 1994), known as Rahela Ferari (), was a Serbian actress who appeared in more than ninety films from 1951 to 1993. She was of Ashkenazi (Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are ...

as Pera's mother *

as Sofija Mačkić *

Radmila Savićević Radmila Savićević ( sr-Cyrl, Радмила Савићевић; 8 February 1926 – 8 November 2001) was a Serbian actress. She appeared in more than sixty films from 1961 to 2000. Selected filmography References External links * ...

as Mica Mojsilović, an eye witness *

María Baxa María Baxa (born Marija Baksa, sr-Cyrl, Марија Бакса, translit=; 15 April 1946 – 14 November 2019) was an Italian-Serbian film actress, mainly active in Italian cinema. Born in Osijek, Baxa made her film debut in Branko Čelović' ...

as Natalija *

Pavle Minčić Pavle (Macedonian and sr-Cyrl, Павле; ka, პავლე) is a Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian and Georgian male given name corresponding to the English Paul; the name is of biblical origin, coming from Saint Paul. People Mononyms * Pavl ...

as Dr. Dobrica Kopicl, Spiridon's father *

Žika Milenković Zika, or Zika fever, is an illness caused by the Zika virus. Zika or Žika may also refer to: * Zika virus, a member of the ''Flaviviridae'' virus family * Zika Forest, a forest in Uganda * Zika rabbit, a breed of rabbit People * Zika (surname), ...

as Inspector Gane * Branislav Zeremski as Rodoljub Jovanović *

Dragana Ćirić Dragana may refer to: *Dragana (given name) Dragana () is a Slavic given name for females. It is the feminine form of the male name Dragan, which comes from the Slavic languages, Slavic element ''dorogo/drago'', which means "precious". Notable wo ...

as a girl * Dijana Sporčić as Evgenija Poslisković *

Jelisaveta Sablić Jelisaveta () is a given name that may refer to: * Jelisaveta of Hungary, Queen of Serbia (d. 1313) * Jelisaveta Nemanjić, Princess of Serbia and Bosnia (d. 1331) * Jelisaveta, monastic name of Serbian Empress Jelena (d. 1374) * Jelisaveta Kotrom ...

as Miss Dobrila Skara *

Đorđe Nenadović Đorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе; transliterated Djordje) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, common in Serbian. It is derived from Greek ''Georgios'' (''George'' in English). Other variants include: Đurđe, Đurađ, Đura, Đuro, Georg ...

as Impressio Oskar (as George Heston) *

Dobrica Jovanović Dobrica () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Alibunar municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and a population of 1,344 people according to the 2002 census. Name In Serbi ...

as Sofija's father * Velibor Miljković as a punk

External links and references

*
Movie critique (Serbian source)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strangler Vs. Strangler 1984 films 1984 black comedy films 1980s comedy thriller films 1980s serial killer films Yugoslav black comedy films 1980s Serbian-language films Serbian black comedy films Serbian thriller films Serbian horror films Films directed by Slobodan Šijan Films set in the 1980s Films set in Belgrade Films about mother–son relationships Films about uxoricide Fiction about matricide Films about honeymoons Serbian serial killer films Fictional portrayals of police departments in Belgrade