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Released by: Synapse Films
Released on: July 9, 2013.
Director: Peter Sasdy
Cast: Eric Porter, Angharad Rees, Jane Merrow, Keith Bell
Year: 1971
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The Movie:
Directed by Peter Sasdy in 1971, Hands Of The Ripper begins with a prologue sequence in which Jack The Ripper himself returns to his home. His wife finds out for the first time just what he's been up to and right in front of their young daughter, he silences her forever. From there we jump ahead fifteen years or so and witness a séance being conducted by a Mrs. Golding (Dora Bryan). After the séance conclude it's found out that Golding has taken in the young girl from the prologue, Anna (Angharad Rees) and is not only using her in her phony communications with the spirit world but also prostituting her to sleazy patrons.
After one such séance, a Freudian psychiatrist named Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) leaves but outside spies through a window a politician named Dysart (Derek Godfrey) visiting Golding and Anna in the upstairs room. When Golding is stabbed, the cops figure Dysart has to be the culprit, there's no way Anna would have had the strength to kill her in such a way, but Pritchard claims Dysart an innocent man. He then adopts Anna and brings her into his home, noting that he'll treat her as one of the family but knowing full well who she is and secretly hoping to study her to learn more about the criminal mind. As Anna acclimates to her new life, Pritchard's son Michael (Keith Bell) moves ahead with his plans to marry his blind fiancé, Laura (Jane Merrow). When their maid, Dolly (Marjie Lawrence) turns up dead, however, it seems that not only has Anna inherited her father's penchant for murder but according to a 'real' medium named Madame Bullard (Margaret Rawlings) she's actually possessed by his spirit!
It's been well documented that Hammer was in a sort of transitional phase around the time that this picture was made. As they tried to keep their line fresh while still milking as much as they could out of Lee and Cushing Dracula and Frankenstein movies, they also branched out into different and sometimes more explicit directions. One such foray into more graphic violence is this picture, which features some fairly graphic throat slashings and murder set pieces, the kind that would wind up raising the ire of the censors of the day. There's a lot more here than just some nifty gore sequences, however, as the script does a great job of working in some interesting psychological elements by way of Pritchard's attempts to psychoanalyze and learn from Anna's behavior. This makes the story more compelling than it would have been if it were just left as another Jack The Ripper movie and it helps to set it apart from other cinematic adaptations of similar material.
Performances are strong here, with Eric Porter doing fine work as the doctor and the beautiful Angharad Rees bringing the right mix of misguided innocence and legitimate sex appeal (she has a brief nude scene shortly after being brought to Pritchard's home where she's 'cleaned up' in the bathtub) to her role as Anna. She also delivers some genuine malice when her character switches from lamb to lion. Nice attention to period detail results in some great looking sets and costumes that help to give the movie some solid gothic ambience. It all builds to a pretty intense conclusion that is not only completely fitting but also very well executed and completely effective. Definitely a high point in seventies era Hammer output.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Hands Of The Ripper looks excellent on Blu-ray, framed at 1.66.1 widescreen and presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. The image is consistently film-like, showing nice levels of grain but no serious print damage of note. Colors are pretty much perfect and skin tones look lifelike and realistic from start to finish. Black levels are strong while shadow detail remains solid, and there are no issues with compression artifacts or edge enhancement to note. Texture looks great, from the soft and fairly lush outfits worn by Anna and Laura to the rather grubby looking costumes worn by some of the street walkers. It should be noted that there are a few scenes that make blatant use of some soft focus camera work for artistic effect, so obviously these don't look as sharply detailed or textured as some of the other parts of the film, but this was intentional on the part of the filmmakers. Hammer fans should be quite pleased with how this movie looks on Blu-ray. Shadow detail is good, the image is clean and stable and all in all the film translates to Blu-ray very nicely indeed.
The English language DTS-HD Mono track, which comes with optional English closed captioning, is also very strong. While it's obviously limited in range due to the original elements, older mono mixes don't really come any cleaner or more succinct sounding than this one. Dialogue is as clear as a bell and the score in particular sounds great. There are even some impressive moments of depth to note, such as the scene that takes place in the 'whispering gallery' of St. Paul's Cathedral for example. Here even Laura's whispers are clear and audible. There are no problems with hiss or distortion and the levels are properly balanced throughout. A very solid mix overall.
The main extra on the disc is the twenty-eight minute long documentary featurette, The Devil's Plaything: Possessed By The Hands Of The Ripper. Made up primarily of interviews with director Peter Sasdy, actress Jane Merrow, Hammer Films historian Wayne Kinsey, writers Richard Klemensen, Kim Newman and Tim Lucas and filmmaker Joe Dante it's an interesting look back at the history of the film and where the studio was at during this point in its run. Topics discussed include censorship issues and how the studio was trying to compete in this regard, difficulties getting the money together, tricks for playing a blind character and more. The late Angharad Rees also appears here by way of some audio recordings, discussing her brief nude scene and what it was like working on the picture. It's a well put together documentary and a nice addition to the disc.
Also found here is a six minute presentation called The Slaughter Of Innocence: The Evolution Of Hammer Gore which is basically a still gallery set to music that shows in chronological order how the studio's movies got more explicit in the bloodshed department as the years went on. Surviving as an audio recording only, the disc also includes the U.S. Television Introduction (it would seem that the elements were destroyed in a 2008 fire on the Universal back lot). As the film was obviously cut for its initial television broadcast, some additional bits with Severn Darden playing a psychologist were added to compensate. It's a shame that the footage is gone but great to see it included here 'as is.'
Rounding out the extras is a still gallery of behind the scenes and promotional images, the movie's original theatrical trailer, a trio of TV spots, and an isolated music and effects track. Menus and chapter stops are also included as is a DVD of the feature.
The Final Word:
Hands Of The Ripper holds up well, and if it's a bit more malicious in the throat slashing department than most Hammer films, so be it. There are some fine performances here, lots of atmosphere, great sets and costumes and a solid score - plenty to enjoy for those who enjoy a good period horror film. Synapse Films presents the movie on Blu-ray for the first time in a great transfer with excellent audio and a nice selection of supplements as well. No complaints here, a top notch disc all around.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
