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Jack the Ripper (1976)

Jack the Ripper (1976)

List Price: $8.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great new transfer makes this film a whole new experience
Review: ... Buy this DVD instead. Image's disc is the US version of the legendary European VIP edition, featuring a new, longer transfer which adds so much more atmosphere to this masterpiece of horror. Kinski as the maniac killer and Lina Romay as a sexy prostitute are reason enough to make this movie a classic.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I first saw this movie when i was 8...
Review: ...it had a big effect on how i look at real life(or supposedly real life) murderers. I just recently got into watching Jes Franco movies for the lone fact that that his ideas and movies were a huge sampling source for one of my all time favourite bands, Thrill Kill Kult. I have since seen 5 of his movies and am not impressed. he is not a bad director but he is way below average. this movie is very interesting to see the Frac's opinion on who Jack the Ripper is, and i like it. Go see FROM HELL, which is written by Watchmen/Miracleman creator Alan Moore. talk about messed up souls...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Thanksgiving Dinner
Review: Definitely one for Thanksgiving Dinner - a real turkey
Putting on one side the appalling print and sound quality, and suffering from a dreadful transfer to DVD, the film itself should get an award for awfulness.
Inept mis-en-scene, risible dubbed dialogue, incoherent story, and pathetic acting. Why Kinski & Chaplin got involved, goodness alone knows. How do people raise money for ventures like this?
Plus points - it's cheap and in a decent jewel case!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: impressive B movie
Review: I had never witnessed a Jess Franco film before I picked up Franco's Jack The Ripper and I'm extremely impressed! It's a low budgent venture but Franco is obviously the right man for the job and knows exactly how to make this type of film work. Highly entertaining.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Time to rip on the ripper
Review: I purchased this DVD on a whim because of its ultra-low price and the fact that I really liked "From Hell" and horror/true crime films. Well, I can safely say that this is not "From Hell," and any resemblance to the actual Jack The Ripper murders in 1888 is tenuous at best. Here's why (possible SPOILERS ahead):

1. I realize that this is a low budget film, but this is absolutely the worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. It makes Caligula look like Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as far as picture quality.

2. If this film was supposed to be set in Whitechapel in 1888, you could have fooled me. Whitechapel at that time contained a population of several hundred thousand; this film made it look like it was a small village consisting of two policemen, an old blind guy, three or four prostitutes, an old lady, two fishermen, and a few others. Was this filmed in London? Once or twice, we see Big Ben, but it might have been stock footage.

3. Jack The Ripper did not dump his victims into the Thames, nor did he likely have some woman in a greenhouse helping him. (Who was she, anyway?)

4. Many of the fashions are all wrong. The men wore shirts and ties which looked to be from the 1920s, not the 1880s. Where were the derbys? Prostitutes also wore more clothes than these women did.

5. Klaus Kinski speaks very few lines in this entire film, few enough to rival Charles Bronson's lack of verbosity in the Death Wish series. There is little room for character development in this film, and we could have used a bit more background on him. Was his name ever even mentioned (beyond merely "Doctor"?)

6. The film had a lame ending, to say the least. (...)

In summary, this film is not a must-see proposition. But for the price, buy it anyway just so your friends can say, "Hey, is this that cool Johnny Depp movie?" and you can smile knowingly.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Time to rip on the ripper
Review: I purchased this DVD on a whim because of its ultra-low price and the fact that I really liked "From Hell" and horror/true crime films. Well, I can safely say that this is not "From Hell," and any resemblance to the actual Jack The Ripper murders in 1888 is tenuous at best. Here's why (possible SPOILERS ahead):

1. I realize that this is a low budget film, but this is absolutely the worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. It makes Caligula look like Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as far as picture quality.

2. If this film was supposed to be set in Whitechapel in 1888, you could have fooled me. Whitechapel at that time contained a population of several hundred thousand; this film made it look like it was a small village consisting of two policemen, an old blind guy, three or four prostitutes, an old lady, two fishermen, and a few others. Was this filmed in London? Once or twice, we see Big Ben, but it might have been stock footage.

3. Jack The Ripper did not dump his victims into the Thames, nor did he likely have some woman in a greenhouse helping him. (Who was she, anyway?)

4. Many of the fashions are all wrong. The men wore shirts and ties which looked to be from the 1920s, not the 1880s. Where were the derbys? Prostitutes also wore more clothes than these women did.

5. Klaus Kinski speaks very few lines in this entire film, few enough to rival Charles Bronson's lack of verbosity in the Death Wish series. There is little room for character development in this film, and we could have used a bit more background on him. Was his name ever even mentioned (beyond merely "Doctor"?)

6. The film had a lame ending, to say the least. (...)

In summary, this film is not a must-see proposition. But for the price, buy it anyway just so your friends can say, "Hey, is this that cool Johnny Depp movie?" and you can smile knowingly.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Kinski cuts and runs...
Review: Let me begin this review with the statement that DVD packaging does make or break a film. Also, DVD packaging that attempts to be creative and exciting (when it is actually not) will only break a film. I mention this because it is what I experienced with Jack the Ripper on DVD. When the film's menu started it seemed like there was some time and effort put into this release. As the menu opens there is Kinski's spooky eye twitching back and forth with several options for special features and extras. I was impressed; I thought that this film would just start without really any detail going into the DVD. This is what I thought, until I tried to work the audio options. With my German not up to par, I needed some subtitles or anything to help translate this film. What I discovered were flags for different countries to have the characters speak. This was a dubbed film, and the only flag that I knew (since there was no American flag) was Britain's flag. A made the choice and changed the outlook on this film forever. While it was grizzly to watch, there was quite a bit of humor behind it as D-grade British actors attempt to dub over German words. The character voice placement was horrendous. The main police officer sounded more effeminate than respectable and the others had this feel that they were behind the microphone speaking their lines. You never really felt like the voices matched the characters. What began as a developed horror story soon turned into a possible MST3K episode. It really detracted from the overall feel of the film.

This was my first Jesus Franco film and let me say I was taken aback. I wasn't expecting to see the gore and disgusting acts that Jack the Ripper did to these unsuspecting women. Franco holds nothing back from these deeds. The blood is fake, the bodies are doubles, and Franco is behind the camera making this all work. Outside of Clint Howard, Franco could be a master of this genre. I need to see more of his work, but this initial taste left a flavor in my mouth I cannot seem to fathom. I was impressed, and not impressed with this body of work. Kinski did a fantastic job of creating this hellish creature devoid of fear and compassion. The raw power in his eyes alone will send shivers up your spine as you sit in the comfort of your own couch. This was awesome to see, but then on the other side of the spectrum the voice and sound that came from Kinski's mouth was embarrassing. You were scared, yet laughing at the same time. This is the first time that I have ever experienced this feeling while watching a film. Kinski pulled me into this film, but the sound yanked me back out.

Before you expect too much from this film, you need to realize that this was a B-rated horror film. The young women show their breasts, they run into the woods instead of into safety, there are dark alleyways and implausible characters. This is not a film to win awards, but to a newbie into the world of Jesus Franco, it was fascinating. This was not in anyway the caliber of From Hell, because it is a slasher film to the utmost degree. It was somewhat of a tame slasher film, but nonetheless one in that genre. Sexual instability is the culprit in Franco's eyes that built this mass murderer known as Jack the Ripper. While Franco does skew the truth a bit about the actual murders involved with Jack the Ripper (throwing the bodies in the Themes, etc.), it still makes an interesting story.

Overall, it was decent. After I watched it and thought about it for some time, I had a better respect for the film. It wasn't the greatest, yet it wasn't horribly bad. The dubbing caused me the most irritation, while Kinski raised the bar on this film. If you go into this film with high expectations, you will be utterly disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind and an ability to laugh, than it may just be up your dark alley. The DVD packaging is impressive, yet very misleading. The transfer of this film to DVD is impressive for it being made in 1976. Again, not expecting a lot will lead to a better film experience. You should also accompany this film with your favorite six-pack of beer and your most eccentric friend. Sit back, relax (as much as you can with this film) and enjoy the next hour and a half.

Grade: ** out of *****

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: One of Franco's "better" movies. That is not good.
Review: Make no mistake about it, the movie is very poorly made and has laughable acting, but this one is still entertaining. "Jack The Ripper," One of Jesus' most well known films, is a test for average film goers. Necrophilia (almost) and really low budget gore make this movie hard for the "Lord Of The Rings" viewer to witness. But that fact is the beauty of it all. If you ever watch a Fraco movie it's a badge of honor: "Hey, that movie was funny as junk, it was awesome." Jesus Franco's perception of The Ripper is a unique one, making him an insane doctor who treats the less than fortunate Fellow. Warm hearted doctor Luv by day, Cold blooded pscho necrphyliac murderer. Doesn't fit, but is certainly entertaining. Great camp perfornces from Kinski(Jack) and Romay (uh... wife.)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: One of Franco's "better" movies. That is not good.
Review: Make no mistake about it, the movie is very poorly made and has laughable acting, but this one is still entertaining. "Jack The Ripper," One of Jesus' most well known films, is a test for average film goers. Necrophilia (almost) and really low budget gore make this movie hard for the "Lord Of The Rings" viewer to witness. But that fact is the beauty of it all. If you ever watch a Fraco movie it's a badge of honor: "Hey, that movie was funny as junk, it was awesome." Jesus Franco's perception of The Ripper is a unique one, making him an insane doctor who treats the less than fortunate Fellow. Warm hearted doctor Luv by day, Cold blooded pscho necrphyliac murderer. Doesn't fit, but is certainly entertaining. Great camp perfornces from Kinski(Jack) and Romay (uh... wife.)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This is Jess Franco we're talking about....
Review: Sure, this movie isn't much good. A lot of time it looks as if it were made by a small child. Did they even have a script? But all that's really beside the point for fans of this stuff. Here's the great Klaus Kinski in a Jess Franco movie! Wonder if he slept with Lina Romay? Klaus slept with everyone else, at least according to his book.

Klaus stalks, female flesh is exposed, blood flows, and Jess does something that might, in a pinch, even pass for direction. What are you waiting for? Buy this DVD!


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