Hands of the Ripper (1971)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Peter Sasdy

Writers:

L.W. Davidson (writer)
Edward Spencer Shew (story)

Release Date:

13 July 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A new terror-filled X film

Plot:

The infant daughter of Jack the Ripper is witness to the brutal murder of her mother by her father....

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Daughter | Jack The Ripper | Freud | Sword

Cast

Eric Porter	...	Dr. John Pritchard
Angharad Rees	...	Anna
Jane Merrow	...	Laura
Keith Bell	...	Michael Pritchard
Derek Godfrey	...	Dysart
Dora Bryan	...	Mrs. Golding
Marjorie Rhodes	...	Mrs. Bryant
Lynda Baron	...	Long Liz
Marjie Lawrence	...	Dolly
Margaret Rawlings	...	Madame Bullard
Elizabeth MacLennan	...	Mrs. Wilson
Barry Lowe	...	Mr. Wilson
A.J. Brown	...	Rev. Anderson
April Wilding	...	Catherine
Anne Clune	...	1st Cell Whore

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 (DVD rating) | Australia:M | Finland:(Banned) (1971) | Norway:18 (video rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:R | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1971-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Lynda Baron's character is named after one of Jack the Ripper's real-life victims, Elizabeth Stride, whose nickname was "Long Liz".

Another excellent film from Hammer!

I'm a big fan of Hammer Horror; their inventive camp styling puts their output above the majority of other horror studios. Adding to that is the fact that when you watch a Hammer film, you know that you're in for a good time. While Hands of the Ripper isn't the best film to come out of the studio, it still represents another success for the studio and it's a film that will no doubt delight their fans. The great plot line follows the daughter of the infamous murderer; Jack the Ripper. After witnessing her father kill her mother, the young girl is permanently scarred and now, years later, her past is beginning to surface. The film finds a space between a psychological thriller and the familiar 'slasher' sub-genre (and it's yet another film in this style that pre-dates Halloween), and it blends brilliantly. The first thing you will notice about this movie is the way that the murders are done - stylishly, brutally and extremely camp! They're extremely over the top and a great treat for the horror fanatic.

Eric Porter stars as a psychiatrist who takes our heroine in after she murdered the woman who was looking after. Porter gives a fine performance as the good doctor, and keeps in with the style of the older leading male that Hammer have created. The film is noteworthy for it's excellent creation of the period in which the film is set, and that too adds to the delight of the film. One thing that I have noticed about Hammer's product as they entered the seventies is that the films lost that colourful camp edge that epitomised the earlier films and it had been replaced by a more European style. Captain Kronos is the prime example of that change, but luckily Hands of the Ripper is more like the Hammer films of yore. Not as colourful, but it still has that Hammer charm that us fans love so much. As usual, the film isn't quite perfect; it's dogged by a less than perfect script, and at times the psychological elements of the film ground down to walking pace, which makes the film boring; but generally this is a lovely piece of kitsch and Hammer fans won't be disappointed!