Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Killer That Stalked New York Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2019

Note: This film is available as part of Noir Archive - Volume 1: 1944-1954.

While the frequently questionable “expertise” of Wikipedia asserts that film noir lasted from the early 1920s until the late 1950s, my hunch is at least some fans of film history would tend to proscribe the idiom’s heyday to a probably smaller window of time beginning at some point in the 1940s and then extending into some other point in the 1950s. If that proscription is accepted, it might then be arguable that there was no better purveyor of film noir than Columbia Pictures during this period. While many of the undisputed classics of film noir came from other studios, as in the case of Paramount’s Double Indemnity (released on Blu-ray through Universal, due to the vagaries of film catalogs changing hands), or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s The Postman Always Rings Twice (released on Blu-ray through Warner Brothers, due to — well, you get the idea), Columbia Pictures managed to churn out a rather significant amount of noir offerings, albeit often in what would probably be termed the “B-movie” category. Kit Parker Films and Mill Creek Entertainment have now assembled nine of these rather interesting Columbia offerings in one three disc package, and for noir fans, there are at least a couple of rather notable films in this first collection (it looks like Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954- 1956 is due in a few months), as well as some other outings which frankly might be best categorized as oddities.

Note: This film has a kind of misdirectional conceit that is well nigh impossible not to dislose in a review, so those afraid of reading any spoilers are encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.

Stick a film called The Killer That Stalked New York into a collection of noir offerings, and chances are many, maybe even most, are going to have preconceptions of some mad murderer marauding through Manhattan. That perhaps unfortunate alliteration aside, the “killer” in this film is actually smallpox, and the film’s emphasis on an unfolding health crisis in the Big Apple may at least be interesting for those who have been paying attention to the au courant “anti vaxxer” controversies.

There are some noir attributes to this film, even though it’s actually shot in more of a quasi-verité style, with Evelyn Keyes portraying diamond smuggler Sheila Bennett. Sheila’s a pretty smart cookie, at least in some ways, and she realizes she’s probably being tailed as she reenters the United States due to her smuggling activities, but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s seriously infected and is spreading the disease with every new contact she makes. An unfortunate misdiagnosis means she’s put back out on the street after having been taken to an emergency room.

The Killer That Stalked New York is a kind of interesting departure, at least within the “strictures” of more or less traditional noir, with the smuggling angle intersecting with the public health crisis. If the criminal activity is at least subject to justice, there are some kind of troubling other questions the film raises but arguably doesn’t sufficiently answer, including a shortfall of vaccine and some boneheaded decisions by various health professionals made along the way.

The Killer That Stalked New York Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Killer That Stalked New York is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment and Kit Parker Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. This is another film in this set where my score of 4.0 should probably be seen within the context of the set, as I'm trying to indicate relative levels of excellence. For the most part, this is a very appealing looking transfer, one with typically very good to excellent fine detail levels, and mostly consistent contrast. Some of the location shooting tends to look just a trifle softer than some of the studio bound material, and the film does employ a number of montages where fine detail lapses and grain spikes, both understandably given the opticals involved. There are a few signs of damage, including some fairly noticeable scratches (pay attention during the big showdown between the doctor and Sheila late in the film and you'll see a rather large one toward the right side of the frame), but on the whole this is nice and organic looking transfer without any horrible damage to report.

The Killer That Stalked New York Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Killer That Stalked New York features a fine sounding DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track. The film is narrated in fits and starts, and that element sounds fine, as does all dialogue. Some of the location sequences feature good representations of noisy urban environments, and a few sound effects, including a pistol shot, reverberate with sufficient force.

The Killer That Stalked New York Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are offered on this release.

The Killer That Stalked New York Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of funny that the art behind the film's main credits shows a wild woman holding a gun, while just a minute or two later the film's narrator announces that Sheila isn't killing with a gun or a knife. If you can get past the willful misdirection of the title, The Killer That Stalked New York is rather interesting, especially in the context of the current controversies about "anti-vaxxers". Technical merits are generally solid. Recommended.