Hands of the Ripper

For a company that specialized in period horror movies it’s odd that Hammer Films never made a Jack the Ripper picture until 1971; and then they made two of them! Both Hands of the Ripper and Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde deal with the famous serial killer in unusual ways. The latter is a gender bending twist that approaches the story from a purely fantastic perspective. Hands of the Ripper’s “possession” angle may be no less plausible, but its psychological underpinning makes it a bit classier in approach and execution.

Opening with the Ripper himself on the run from an angry mob of torch bearing citizens, his young daughter witnesses her notorious father stab her mother to death. Flash forward some years later where the orphaned girl, Anna (Angharad Rees), is now working for a medium as a conduit to the spirit world. But her past returns to haunt her. Bright light puts her in a trance-like state, opening the door to spiritual possession by the Ripper who uses her hands to stab, slice and mutilate anyone nearby who gives her so much as a peck on the cheek.

A visiting psychologist, Dr. Pritchard (Eric Porter) takes Anna into his home in an attempt to prove she’s simply schizophrenic. While he conducts his analysis, more and more victims pile up. And the doctor is soon covering up a string of murders to confirm his theory of her mental innocence.

Most of Hammer’s later output in the ‘70s is marred by an inconsistent approach in both tone and quality. However, hi-def releases like this one from Synapse go a long way in proving that there was more craftsmanship left than first met the eye. Director Peter Sasdy, who’d done a bang-up job with Taste the Blood of Dracula a few years earlier, adds considerable panache to the murder scenes, which vacillate between gory shocks and cleverly disguised reveals. The elaborate sets, filmed at the famed Pinewood Studios backlot with leftover materials from projects with much bigger budgets, don’t hurt either.

But Ripper’s biggest asset was also likely it’s biggest downfall at the time of release. The psychological push-and-pull mystery of Anna’s possession makes for a unique story that forgoes the studio’s usually simplistic approach. And the film hints that Dr. Pritchard’s intentions towards Anna, though supposedly purely scientific, are a bit more prurient under the surface. Hence we’re left with no real hero in the story…and no real victim either. It’s a curious construction that’s probably better appreciated now than at a time when every Hammer monster wore fangs and a cape.

Synapse Films’ blu-ray / DVD combo is, first off, very pretty to look at. Sasdy’s compositions (particularly in the tragic conclusion) are well served by the new transfer and accurate framing. But there’s also a 30-minute documentary that hits on all the talking points from historians and the filmmaker’s involved, a still gallery of Hammer’s gory high points (of which Ripper earns a couple slots), a rare audio track from the U.S. television print to cover censor cuts, trailers and an isolated music and effects track. As Jack might say, that’s some bloody good work.