The New York Ripper (1982) ***1/2
Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper (1982) is exploitation cinema at its finest with a reputation that precedes itself. It's full of graphic nudity, shocking gore, and perturbing violence toward women—sure to offend those with delicate sensibilities—but always in the service of the story, stylistically shot, and made by a master of genre filmmaking.
Ripper is one brutal and sleazy giallo, primarily because it's so sexualized. In fact (believe it or not), in some ways, Fulci is more restrained than he usually is in this film—not lingering as long as he tends to on the grisly moments, which actually makes them more powerful, in my opinion. I think that's because the audience is given less time to register that what they are seeing is fake. That's not to say the f/x work is particularly realistic, but what's portrayed on screen is disturbing nonetheless (and an extreme horror film fan's paradise).
Ripper features perhaps one of filmdom's most nihilistic and inept cops, basically grimacing and giving everyone a hard time, whilst accomplishing nothing. There are plenty of red herrings along the way and once the killer is revealed there’s a bit of a throwback to Psycho (1960), wherein the doctor character explains the deranged individual’s condition/motive so that the audience can understand. The ending is actually quite sad (though oddly juxtaposed with an Italo disco song). Speaking of music, Francesco De Masi's eclectic score is a standout—at times jazzy, mysterious and Lalo Schifrin-like.
You can find my Lucio Fulci Feature Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
Ripper is one brutal and sleazy giallo, primarily because it's so sexualized. In fact (believe it or not), in some ways, Fulci is more restrained than he usually is in this film—not lingering as long as he tends to on the grisly moments, which actually makes them more powerful, in my opinion. I think that's because the audience is given less time to register that what they are seeing is fake. That's not to say the f/x work is particularly realistic, but what's portrayed on screen is disturbing nonetheless (and an extreme horror film fan's paradise).
Ripper features perhaps one of filmdom's most nihilistic and inept cops, basically grimacing and giving everyone a hard time, whilst accomplishing nothing. There are plenty of red herrings along the way and once the killer is revealed there’s a bit of a throwback to Psycho (1960), wherein the doctor character explains the deranged individual’s condition/motive so that the audience can understand. The ending is actually quite sad (though oddly juxtaposed with an Italo disco song). Speaking of music, Francesco De Masi's eclectic score is a standout—at times jazzy, mysterious and Lalo Schifrin-like.
You can find my Lucio Fulci Feature Films Ranked list here.
You can find my Giallo Feature Films Ranked list here.
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