The Haunted Strangler (1958) review

Writer (and self-described "social reformer") James Rankin (Boris Karloff) looks into the case of executed Haymarket Strangler Edward Styles and is convinced he was innocent, so he starts doing interviews and research, going so far as to dig up Styles' grave to look for the murder weapon ... which, as it turns out, has transformative powers.  It begins promisingly enough with Rankin trying to do a good deed, but then falls into the B-movie pit of implausibility and ludicrousness: the "twist" is preposterous, and Karloff scrunching his face up and biting his lower lip, which might have been "disturbing" in the late fifties, only makes him appear silly in the 21st century.  However, there is a half-decent message in there about the importance of reforming the justice system and making sure the accused get proper legal representation, which is true today and most likely will be one hundred years from now....