George Mallon (David Summer) is a convict being released from prison. With no job prospects and with the stigma of ex-con on him, George has an attitude. The prison pastor (Anthony Oliver) believes that Mallon can be turned around, but the governor (John Welsh) has his doubts. The governor calls Tom Daniels (James Hayter). Tom has a hostel where he takes in ex-cons and tries to help them get back on their feet. Tom tells the governor that he has a room available, and that George can stay there until he gets back on his feet.
Tom already has several ex-cons staying with him. Also at the house is the housekeeper, Ma Johnson (Renee Houston), Harry Smith (Richard Shaw), Tich (Michael Ripper), Ted Hogg (Michael Wynne), Herb Bailey (John Bown), Blacky (John Woodnutt), and Chopper Jack (George Woodbridge). George takes up residence in Tom’s home.
Not long after that the body of a young woman is found in a wilderness area near the house known as the Flats. Sergeant Harry Tracey (Jack Watson) immediately suspects the new guy, George, but George has an alibi for the time that the woman was killed. Tracey decides to keep an eye on this particular ex-con.
Tom arranges for George to get a job as a delivery man. On one of his runs he meets Muriel Masterson (Mela White), a young woman who works at a furniture store. The two begin dating. When Muriel finds out that George is an ex-con, she breaks off the relationship. That night Muriel is murdered on the Flats. George immediately becomes the primary suspect. Then another woman is murdered. Tracey determines that all the murdered girls were young blonds and that the murders occur every four weeks during a full moon. His best suspect is still George, so he arranges for a policewoman, Sergeant June Lock (Susan Travers) to work at the furniture store. Lock is young, pretty and blond. Tracey waits to see if George makes a move on Lock, but George is not stupid and has plans of his own on how to deal with the situation.
“Out of the Fog” AKA “Fog for a Killer” was released in 1962 and was directed by Montgomery Tully. It is a British crime mystery and a quota quickie.
The best part was the ending. Not because it was over but because was wrapped up interestingly and satisfactorily. The storyline itself was also not too bad. Everything else was either standard or fine. The full moon killer theory is the stuff of horror movies but here the horror aspects are used more for psychological thriller purposes. Even though it could have been better, I actually liked the film, and its short running time made the uneventful parts easy to endure. One other interesting aspect of the film is the music score which had a sort of jazzy feel to it which is different than what you would usually hear in a British quota quickie.
The main character, played by David Summer, is a rather unlikable person. Brooding and with a chip on his shoulder he questions everyone’s motives, even those that are trying to help him. It’s not surprising that he has an attitude, but it doesn’t make him very sympathetic.