''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 ori ...

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 **Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction ** Korean horror, Korean horror fiction *Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing on ...

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.Med ...

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 Aromanian descent from Zaječar. He studied acting at The Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, wh ...

). Mitić is an

overweight Being overweight or fat 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 m ...

48-year-old man who is in an

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

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 ''Strangler vs. Strangler'' ( sh, Davitelj protiv davitelja) is a 1984 Yugoslav Serbian film featuring elements of comedy, thriller and horror genres. Plot In the mid-1980s Belgrade finally gets its first serial killer: an awkward carnations ...

(

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 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 a ...

, 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 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 co ...

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 Bella Rochel Fraynd (; 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 ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or J ...

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 * 19 ...

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 Pavle ( Macedonian and sr-cyr, Павле; ka, პავლე) is a Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian and Georgian male given name corresponding to English Paul; the name is of biblical origin (cf. Saint Paul). People known mononymously as Pavle inc ...

as Dr. Dobrica Kopicl, Spiridon's father * Žika Milenković as Inspector Gane *

Branislav Zeremski Branislav () is a Czech, Croatian, Russian, Slovak, Serbian, Slovene and Ukrainian given name. It also appears in Polish as Bronisław, in Russian as ''Bronislav,'' and Ukrainian as ''Boronyslav.'' The name is derived from the Slavic elements bran ...

as Rodoljub Jovanović *

Dragana Ćirić Dragana may refer to: * Dragana (given name), a female given name *Dragana, Bulgaria Dragana is a village in Ugarchin Municipality, Lovech Province, northern Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republi ...

as a girl *

Dijana Sporčić Dijana is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Dijana Bolanča (born 1974), Croatian actress *Dijana Budisavljevic (1891–1978), Austrian humanitarian * Dijana Čuljak, Croatian television host *Dijana Jovetić (born 1984), Croatia ...

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 Đorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе; transliterated Djordje) is a Serbian given name, a Serbian variant, derived from Greek ''Georgios'' (''George'' in English). Other variants include: Đurđe, Đurađ, Đura, Đuro, Georgije. It may refer to: * Đ ...

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 Serb ...

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