The Killer That Stalked New York

Directed by Earl McEvoy, The Killer That Stalked New York details the citywide manhunt that ensues after a smuggler (Evelyn Keyes’ Sheila) inadvertently begins spreading smallpox around the city. It’s a decidedly novel premise that’s employed to hit-and-miss effect by McEvoy, as the filmmaker, working from a script by Harry Essex, has infused the early part of the proceedings with a distressingly meandering feel that’s compounded by an almost total lack of interesting, compelling characters – which ensures that the melodrama-focused bent of the picture’s opening stretch fares rather poorly, to put it mildly (ie it’s all just so tedious). There’s little doubt, then, that The Killer That Stalked New York improves substantially as it progresses into its procedural-like second half, as the emphasis is increasingly placed on the investigation into the sudden smallpox appearance and, eventually, the authorities’ efforts at vaccinating millions of New Yorkers – which, when coupled with a surprisingly engrossing climax, cements the movie’s place as an erratic yet ultimately satisfying piece of work that’s just as relevant now, if not more so, than it was back in 1950.

**1/2 out of ****