Brightlyme
i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.
Stellead
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
ChanFamous
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Stephen Abell
This film has got me wanting to read the story that spurned it. I've always liked the psychological idea of hereditary madness and this is a pretty good example of that... but with a possible twist.Jack the Ripper is being chased down so he runs to the safety of his mistress' house. Still caught up in the killing fugue, he attacks and kills his mistress in front of their young child. Years later the child has become a young woman, Anna (Rees) and is helping an old woman to run a medium scam, pretending to be the dead family members and friends of the clients she entertains with her seances. It's at one of these meetings that her path crosses with Dysart (Godfrey)... a pervert who buys her virginity from Mrs Golding (Bryan). However, things take a nasty turn when he tries to force himself on her and Mrs Golding comes to her rescue. Mrs Golding is killed, but who is the murderer?The thing I liked most about this story is its darkness. Not only do you have a psychotic killer, but a doctor who is willing to overlook the murders so he can view and record the killer's moods. He's even willing to team up with a miscreant to get his results.There's nothing bad about this movie at all. It could have been stronger had the director opted to add a darkness to the atmosphere. For me, it was a little light, especially when considering all the bleaker subject matters. Though there are some really good shots in the film. The ending in the whispering gallery at Saint Paul's is very well done. As is the "Oh My God!!! That's gonna leave a mark," moment when Dr Pritchard (Porter) pulls the sword from his side. The moment when the bloody sword hangs from the doorknob, swaying and banging, will stay with me for a while. Very iconic and well thought out.Another thing that may have strengthened the film is the hinted at possession of Anna by her father Jack The Ripper. If this had become a story arc on its own then it would have opened up a few more possibilities for twists and turns. It would have turned it into a full horror film by doing so.However, this is a good psychological thriller based on The Ripper mythos. I would recommend this to everyone.
trashgang
Not bad at all, I lust say, even as it is on low standards for the tile being. But back then this must be a gory flick. All based on the Jack The Ripper case but pure fiction. Jack has a daughter and she does see Jack killing her mother. A doctor takes the daughter in his house to study her about doing weird stuff.Of course you know where this is going. For a Hammer production this one is made before Hammer did put in a lot of nudity. And even on part of the flick itself it sin't a Gothic story like we've seen from Hammer. It's just an underestimated flick.It wasn't boring at any moment and when killings take place it all looks creepy due the use of the camera. For geeks of Hammer it's a must see and for old school horror fans too but if you want to see a typical Hammer then this isn't going to satisfy you. Excellent acting, good story and well done effects.Gore 1/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2,5/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5
samhill5215
TCM just aired this and like all the other Hammer films I enjoyed it a great deal. They're not cinematic achievements but they are fun and that's one of film's aspects I really appreciate. I also tend to look at technical aspects and the first thing that struck me is how fake the moustaches looked. The beards looked better but now I wonder. The second, I'm embarrassed to write, was Marjie Lawrence's cleavage which may not be how she would like to be remembered given her extensive body of work. Did they really dress like that in Victorian England? I'd also never seen Angharad Rees before nor had I even heard of her but then I found out this was her first co-starring and second film role and I was intrigued. And, incidentally, that's another thing I like about Hammer: they find and highlight young talent. Anyway lots of good talent here, a lot from TV, presumably because they come cheaper. Some goofs like when Rees begins to sit while her host invites her to do so. But I'm getting technical again. Eric Porter is great. He manages to save the day even skewered by a cavalry sabre. Which brings up another goof: the thing must be five feet long but you can't see the other end sticking out of Porter's body. Good final scene, good score, worth a viewing.
AaronCapenBanner
Peter Sasdy directed this tragic story about a little girl named Anna who sees her mother murdered by her father...who turns out to be Jack The Ripper, who then dies. Many years later, Anna(played by Angharad Rees) is now a troubled young woman who is being used as a prostitute by a phony psychic, whom she murders, though Dr. John Pritchard(played by Eric Porter) takes her in to discover how and why she is a killer, much to his later regret, as poor Anna is possessed by the spirit of her late(and evil) father... Good cast and direction, but an unconvincing and overly bloody story overwhelm it, though it does have a most striking end.