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Released by: Anolis Entertainment
Released on: October 31st, 2014.
Director: Peter Sasdy
Cast: Jane Merrow, Dopra Bryan, Angharad Rees, Derek Godfrey Eric Porter
Year: 1971
The Movie:
Hammer's HANDS OF THE RIPPER was always a bit of an odd duck in the legendary studios' canon. Director Peter Sasdy's film doesn't feature any iconic faces like Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing. While quite bloody in bits, it strives for a Hitchcockian psychological edge that separates it from the traditional horror pack. It also features an unusually lush score and better exteriors and sets than normal for the waning days of the legendary studio.
We begin with a prologue. In Victorian England, Jack The Ripper is rushing home to flee the scene of his latest grisly crime. Upon arriving there, his wife realizes that he is the infamous killer. He dispatches the wife but spares his young daughter Anna who witnesses the murder of her mother. He scoops up the child, gives a kiss on the cheek (pay attention - this is important) and... cut to 15 years later. Anna, now an adult played by actress Angharad Rees has been adopted by a fake medium. The young woman helps out by providing the voices of dead relatives (in hiding of course) at sham seances for wealthy and gullible clients. At one such event - attended by a small group including debunker Dr. Pritchard (Eric Porter), his son Michael (Keith Bell) and a sleazy politician named Dysart (Derek Godfrey) - things go horribly wrong. It seems Anna suffers from the Victorian version of PTSD. When the politician attempts to have sex with the girl after paying her foster mother for the "privilege" all hell breaks loose. Dr. Pritchard - outside waiting for a carriage - witnesses a fleeing Dysart and reenters the house to find a dead female homeowner and a catatonic Anna.
The police are stumped so they send the girl to the local halfway house. Pritchard clears Dysart for the police because he's convinced that Anna DID do the killing BUT is suffering from a mental disorder that he can cure. This is where HANDS OF THE RIPPER gets both preposterous and interesting. Pritchard's beliefs are steeped in Freudian theory and he's sure that this young lady suffers from a newfangled disorder called schizophrenia. What he doesn't know is that she has two very specific triggers - a kiss on the cheek and anything shiny like sparkly jewels - that can set off murderous rampages (the film also lightly plays around with a whole supernatural possessed by the spirit of the Ripper angle that isn't properly developed). The doctor's inability to suss this out until the end of the picture is what delivers the body count.
Eric Porter - a big star of British television at that time - is wonderful as the widower doctor. With his marvelously weathered features and natural gravitas he commands the screen in the same manner as the likes of Andre Morrell and Guy Rolfe. When he takes the lovely but deeply disturbed Anna into his home to treat her like a daughter as well as a patient you see his decency and morality. The fact that he's convinced he can cure her makes him slightly egomaniacal too but didn't Dr. Frankenstein start out with the noblest of intentions? Of course, as he keeps leaving Anna alone with the wrong people and covering up the increasing body count we start to question his competence. But that never stops the viewer from believing that Pritchard is just trying to do right by the tortured Anna. The film also features a blind character that is progressive for the era. Michael's fiancé Laura (Jane Merrow) is played as both cheerful and self-sufficient. It is also interesting that she is initially treated with indifference by Pritchard but her safety becomes a key issue in the film's climax.
Anolis have provided the film's uncut version on this Blu ray and the gore is surprisingly strong. Long pointy objects spearing folks are a big thing here and the FX are solid. Some have dubbed HANDS OF THE RIPPER a proto-slasher but that isn't fair. The film has far too much emphasis on character develop and plot twists to fit neatly into that box. The central conceit is ridiculous of course (the peck on the cheek of death) but somehow this talented cast sell it. Porter is so good the silliest scenes work in his hands. Rees is very effective at looking innocent but troubled and the supporting players are good too. HANDS OF THE RIPPER is also graced with one of the greatest tragic endings of any Hammer film. The final scene packs real emotional power and unforgettable imagery.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Germany's Anolis are one of the strongest studios out there when it comes to natural transfers and excellent image quality. Their commitment to first rate filmic transfers devoid of digital sharpening or DNR make them the Synapse of Deutschland. This 1.66:1 framed 1080p transfer is excellent. HANDS OF THE RIPPER isn't the most colorful or brightly lit film but what you see here has solid detail overall and a well rendered color palette. The trademark Hammer blood pops nicely and star Eric Porter's pockmarked face is visible down to the pores. Resolution in lowly lit scenes is good and there are no issues with black levels. Grain is quite evident but seems true to source elements and not the result of scanner noise.
Since this is a region B locked release minted primarily for the German market there are two audio tracks - DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 in German and English (with German subtitles for the English track). Both tracks suffer no serious problems. LFE and general oomph factor aren't in much in play but everything sounds centered and clear. The lovely and slightly OTT score sounds quite nice too. Go in expecting to hear a track defined by the normal source limitations of the era in which it was recorded and one will be quite content.
Two audio commentaries are included. One is with two German experts that I cannot comment on since I don't speak the language and the other is a real treat with genre experts Stephen Jones, Kim Newman and actress Rees. Recorded for the British Network DVD this is a lively chat with everyone having a good time. Newman is as opinionated as usual but that's a good thing. A lot of interesting tidbits are discussed like the mysterious identity of the actor playing the Ripper in the prologue and various film specific and Hammer history related anecdotes.
Next up Anolis have ported over the excellent region A Synapse Films featurette "The Devil's Bloody Plaything" which is a concise history of the film and a look at Hammer Film's in its twilight years. Participants include Newman again, Peter Sasdy and Hammer historian Wayne Kinsey as well as famous face director Joe (GREMLINS) Dante. Next up Sasdy sits for a 20 minute interview with questions provided by Hammer expert Marcus Hearn. Sasdy is a great subject and spends a good chunk of the discussion filling in some information gaps about the film and talking about his affection for producer Aida Young who remains a fascinating figure as a female producer in the heavily male dominated Hammer universe.
When HANDS OF THE RIPPER was shown in heavily edited form on TV in the USA a bizarrely added section was filmed and tossed into the movie with an actor playing a psychiatrist describing Anna's "case". This was done to compensate for the missing gore but the footage was lost in a studio fire years back. Synapse managed to procure the audio of this section and it is ported over here for the Anolis release. Two trailers are also included - the theatrical German and British. 3 USA TV spots are present and finally a slew of mostly German centric stills and images of script pages. The British press book does make an appearance however and there is a lovely montage of film posters from all over the world. For the German speakers out there, all key supplements have subtitles in your native tongue.
The Final Word:
Anolis continue to go from strength to strength. Following on from their excellent CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF set, this HANDS OF THE RIPPER release is yet another top notch affair with excellent A/V, first class and plentiful supplements and a surprisingly English friendly setup for a German release. The film itself is one of Hammer's best-kept secrets and despite the silly plot machinations quite emotionally involving. For those in region B territory and the region-free player enabled out there this one comes with the highest possible recommendation.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
