Hands Of The Ripper [1971] [DVD]

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This English production was directed by Peter Sasdy & was presumably an attempt by Hammer studios to try something different from it's well know Dracula & Frankenstein series of films, personally I really liked it for what it was even though I know it's not that well known or thought of that highly which is a shame. The script by L.W. Davidson was based on a short printed story by Edward Spencer Shew & seems to take itself very seriously which I thought it just about got away with, the basic concept is rather far fetched & silly but I thought it worked quite well & was something a bit different even if it unfolds in a slightly predictable & linear way. Some of the character's are a bit underdeveloped & some of them are a bit dull but that's probably how people behaved in Victorian London. The film moves along at a nice pace & is never boring plus it has a nice ending which seemed very fitting. The only thing which didn't really work for me was that it didn't take much for Anna to go into here trance & be possessed & since it was so easy why had it never happened before? Oh & I personally wouldn't let a person who had just slit my maids throat in cold blood walk around my house & do whatever she wanted especially while my family was there! Slaughter of Innocence: The Evolution of Hammer Gore" (6:08, HD) is a slide show displaying the various levels of grotesqueries that have found their way into the company's horror efforts. Ranging from tastefully managed to graphic, this collection of bloodshed, beheadings, severed limbs, and assorted nightmare fuel paints a vivid portrait of Hammer imagination. Technically Hands of the Ripper is good, it's well made with nice production values, photography & music. The acting was very good by all involved & I actually think it helps the film that none of the Hammer regulars were used like Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing.

Hands Of The Ripper ( 1971) Full Length Movie Eric Porter Hands Of The Ripper ( 1971) Full Length Movie Eric Porter

U.S. Television Introduction" (7:07) is audio from the original ABC presentation of "Hands of the Ripper," where, to fill in the gaps caused by excised gore, Universal shot special scenes to help explain the setting and psychological profile of the characters. Due to a studio fire, the footage is presumed lost, but the audio, despite its rough quality, is intriguing.

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Hands of the Ripper (1971) with Angharad Rees, Jane Merrow Hands of the Ripper (1971) with Angharad Rees, Jane Merrow

Asshole Victim: Anna's first victim after possessing Anna is her guardian, a con artist "medium" who sold her to be raped by an Ephebophile. Independent British distributors Network have confirmed that they will add five additional titles to their Blu-ray catalog: Michael Anderson's The Quiller Memorandum (1966), Zoltan Korda's The Four Feathers (1939), Peter Sasdy's Hands of the Ripper (1971), Michael ... Next day Pritchard meets Dysart for an update. To Pritchard's dismay, Dysart has not discovered anything about Anna's past and still thinks she is possessed. He insists Pritchard attend an interview with Queen Victoria's medium Madame Bullard [Margaret Rawlings]. The sceptic-who-is-proved-wrong is a familiar figure in horror films. As soon as we hear the words "I don't believe in ghosts/witches/vampires/whatever" we know that retribution is lurking just around the corner. In some films this retribution will take no more serious form than the humiliation of being forced to eat one's words, but in others the forces of the supernatural will take bloody revenge on those who wrong them by doubting their existence. Overall, a solid effort from Hammer that lovers of 70s horror cinema should find to be satisfactory.As a take on the Ripper story, this doesn't really work. As usual the prostitutes on display here are mainly glamour types with little attention to veracity (a few matronly ladies do make it into the mix) and Eric Porter's Freudian Doctor is surely the most misguided psychoanalyst ever put on screen, even disposing of the bodies when Anna kills.