Jack the Ripper (1976)

A serial killer whose mother was a prostitute starts killing streetwalkers as a way of paying back his mother for her abuse.

Director:

Jesús Franco

Writer:

Jesús Franco

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, Josephine Chaplin, Andreas Mannkopff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Kinski	...	Dr. Dennis Orloff / Jack the Ripper
Josephine Chaplin	...	Cynthia
Andreas Mannkopff	...	Inspektor Selby
Herbert Fux	...	Charlie, the Fisherman
Lina Romay	...	Marika
Nikola Weisse	...	Frieda
Ursula von Wiese	...	Miss Higgins (as Ursula v. Wiese)
Hans Gaugler	...	Blind man
Francine Custer	...	First victim
Olga Gebhard	...	Ms. Baxter
Angelika Arndts
Peter Nüsch	...	Sergeant Ruppert (as Peter Nuesch)
Regine Elsener
Esther Studer	...	Prostitute Jeanny, second victim
Lorli Bucher

Storyline

A Swiss-German horror film with Klaus Kinski as the notorious Jack the Ripper. A respected doctor by day, Kinski dismembers London prostitutes by night, until the local Inspector's girlfriend (Josephine Chaplin) goes undercover to catch him.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | undercover | doctor | serial killer | jack the ripper | 

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Taglines:

Close your eyes and whisper his name...

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Switzerland West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

23 September 1976 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Jack l'éventreur

Filming Locations:

Zürich, Kanton Zürich, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elite Film, Ascot Film, Cinemec

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 82 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The royal coat of arms shown outside Scotland Yard bears the letters ER - presumably for the current Queen: Elizabeth Regina. In 1888 when Jack the Ripper was loose Victoria was on the throne and the letters would have been VR: Victoria Regina.

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Connections

Version of From Hell (2001)

User Reviews

Not for "Ripperologists", but not bad for Franco

Although this movie is completely historically inaccurate as far as Jack the Ripper goes, it's surprisingly well made for a Franco movie. It's one of the few horror movies, however, that could actually benefit from some more cuts as the gore sequences, besides being nasty and misogynistic, are also just plain stupid and inept. The sequence with Kinski and a young Lina Romay (Mrs. Jesus Franco, for the uninitiated)is one Franco's best and one of Romay's best performances (especially considering she has her clothes on for most of it), but it is almost ruined in the end by an extremely gruesome and completely pointless bit of gore. Still, this is one of the few Franco films that has a more or less coherent plot to go with the occasionally impressive visuals. It definitely won't please the "Ripperologists", but it's worth a look, especially if you like Franco, Romay, or Kinski.