''Strangler vs. Strangler'' ( sh, Davitelj protiv davitelja) is a 1984 Yugoslav Serbian film featuring elements of

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

, thriller and horror genres.

Plot

In the mid-1980s Belgrade finally gets its first

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

: an awkward

carnations ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of '' Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.M ...

seller named Pera Mitić ( Taško Načić). Mitić is an overweight 48-year-old man who is in an Oedipus kind of way connected to his aging mother. 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 antagonist in his 1959 thriller novel '' Psycho''. He has an alter, Mother, who takes from the form of his abusive mother, and later victim, Norma, wh ...

's character and relationship with his mother. After the first murder, mostly incompetent inspector Ognjen Strahinjić ( Nikola Simić) starts the investigation. His attempt to catch the strangler by employing an undercover agent, Rodoljub Jovanović (Branislav Zeremski), ends up tragically. Strahinjić is a loner who lives only with his cat George, who is his best friend. He is a short man, with a thin mustache 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. He is portrayed by Peter Sellers in the original series, and also by Alan Arkin in ...

from the

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

'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 Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...

'' series. The plot becomes even more complicated when a 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 is also well known as a founder and a member of the Yugoslav new wave band Idoli in the 1980s.P. Janjatović, Idoli, YU rock enciklopedija ...

) obsessed with the strangler records the song "Bejbi, bejbi" ("Baby, Baby"), with his band VIS Simboli, 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 more memorable 1980s Yugoslav films. Sonja appeared in Miroslav ...

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

Cast

* Taško Načić as Pera Mitić * Nikola Simić as Inspector Ognjen Strahinjić *

as Spiridon Kopicl * Rahela Ferari as Pera's mother *

as Sofija Mačkić * Radmila Savićević as Mica Mojsilović, an eye witness *

María Baxa María Baxa (born Marija Baksa, sr-cyr, 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's ...

as Natalija * Pavle Minčić as Dr. Dobrica Kopicl, Spiridon's father * Žika Milenković as Inspector Gane * Branislav Zeremski as Rodoljub Jovanović * Dragana Ćirić as a girl * Dijana Sporčić as Evgenija Poslisković *

Jelisaveta Sablić Jelisaveta ( sr, Јелисавета) 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. ...

as Miss Dobrila Skara * Đorđe Nenadović as Impressio Oskar (as George Heston) * Dobrica Jovanović as Sofija's father * Velibor Miljković as a punk

External links and references

*
Movie critique (Serbian source)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strangler Vs. Strangler 1984 films 1980s 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 1984 comedy films