The New York Ripper (1982) Lo squartatore di New York (original title)

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Lucio Fulci (story)
Gianfranco Clerici (story)
(more)

Release Date:

4 March 1982 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

New York City: It's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to die there!

Plot:

A burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.

Plot Keywords:

City | Detective | Serial Killer | New York City | Duck

Cast

Jack Hedley	...	Lt. Fred Williams
Almanta Suska	...	Fay Majors (as Almanta Keller)
Howard Ross	...	Mickey Scellenda
Andrea Occhipinti	...	Peter Bunch (as Andrew Painter)
Alexandra Delli Colli	...	Jane Forrester Lodge
Paolo Malco	...	Dr. Paul Davis
Cinzia de Ponti	...	Rosie - Ferry victim
Cosimo Cinieri	...	Dr. Lodge (as Laurence Welles)
Daniela Doria	...	Kitty
Babette New	...	Mrs. Weissburger
Zora Kerova	...	Eva - Sex show performer) (as Zora Kerowa)
Paul E. Guskin	...	Desk sergeant (as Paul Guskin)
Antone Pagan	...	Morales (as Anthon Kagan)
Josh Cruze	...	Chico (as Johs Cruze)
Marsha MacBride	...	Policewoman
Rita Silva	...	Scellenda's landlady
Giordano Falzoni	...	Dr. Barry Jones, Coroner
Lucio Fulci	...	Chief of Police
Barbara Cupisti	...	Heather
Martin Sorrentino	...	Police detective
Violetta Jean	...	Hospital nurse
Cesare Di Vito	...	Telephone tracing technician
Elisa Cervi	...	Hooker
Chiara Ferrari	...	Susy Bunch
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Urs Althaus	...	Sex Show Performer #2 (uncredited)
Sal Carollo	...	Dog Walker (uncredited)
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Scellenda's Landlady (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Steven Luotto	...	Peter Bunch (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Lt. Fred Williams (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Michele Soavi	...	Newspaper Buyer (uncredited)
Robert Spafford	...	Dr. Barry Jones (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Pat Starke	...	Kitty (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Dr. Paul Davis (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Lucio Fulci

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gianfranco Clerici		story and screenplay
Lucio Fulci		story and screenplay
Vincenzo Mannino		story and screenplay
Dardano Sacchetti		screenplay

Produced by
Fabrizio De Angelis	....	producer

Original Music by
Francesco De Masi

Cinematography by
Luigi Kuveiller

Film Editing by
Vincenzo Tomassi

Production Design by
Massimo Lentini

Costume Design by
Massimo Lentini

Makeup Department
Franco Di Girolamo	....	makeup artist: second unit
Rosa Luciani	....	hair stylist
Germano Natali	....	special makeup effects artist
Rosario Prestopino	....	makeup assistant: second unit
Luigi Rocchetti	....	makeup artist
Manlio Rocchetti	....	makeup artist
Maurizio Trani	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fabrizio De Martino	....	unit manager
Paolo Gargano	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marisa Agostini	....	assistant director: second unit
Roberto Giandalia	....	assistant director

Art Department
Mariangela Capuano	....	assistant designer
Roberto Pace	....	set constructor
Rodolfo Ruzza	....	property master
Fabio Traversari	....	set constructor

Sound Department
Eros Giustini	....	sound engineer
Bruno Moreal	....	sound mixer
Guglielmo Smeraldi	....	boom operator

Stunts
Nazzareno Cardinali	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Antonio Annunziata	....	assistant camera
Antonio Benetti	....	still photographer
Umberto Dessena	....	grip
Sergio Emidi	....	key grip
Guglielmo Mancori	....	director of photography: second unit
Aldo Marchiori	....	assistant camera: second unit
Roberto Nicosia	....	still photographer: second unit
Renato Palmieri	....	assistant camera
Sabatino Sperandeo	....	chief electrician
Marco Sperduti	....	assistant camera: second unit
Ubaldo Terzano	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Massimo Cataldo	....	assistant editor
Armando Pace	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Rita Agostini	....	continuity
Rick Dallago	....	location manager
Emilia Morale	....	production assistant
Settimio Scacco	....	production assistant
Otello Tomassini	....	paymaster
Captain Haggerty	....	dog trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fulvia Film

Distributors

• Ascot Filmverleih (1982) (Germany) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• S.N. Prodis (1983) (France) (theatrical)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO) (1983) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Invest AB (1983) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Vidmark Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Professional Cine Media (1993) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Protected (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Neo Publishing (2002) (France) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (TV)
• Stomp Visual (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Shameless Screen Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2008) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blue-ray)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• United Film (????) (Finland) (video)
• Videocast (198?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Arredamenti Cineteatrali G.R.P.  set dressings
• Cinenoleggio  camera equipment provided by
• D'Angelo  set furnishings
• Ditta Rancati  set dressings
• L'Immaginoteca  set dressing
• N.C.  recording studios
• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs

Also Known As:

"Lo squartatore di New York" - Italy (original title)
"New York Ripper" - USA (video title)

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:89 min | USA:85 min | USA:93 min (director's cut) | Finland:80 min (cut) (video version) (1989)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:(Banned) | UK:(Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1982) (1985) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (heavily cut) (1985) | Australia:R (2005) (re-rating) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (uncut) (2007) | Sweden:15 (uncut) (video release) | Germany:(Banned) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (self applied) (2007) | Germany:16 (heavily cut) | Portugal:M/18 | Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Fulvia Film

Trivia:

After many years of being banned in Britain the rights were purchased by UK company Vipco who issued the film originally as an export-only VHS version under close censor & police supervision. When censorship laws were relaxed in the UK it was submitted to the BBFC for a certificate in 2002 and received 22 secs of cuts to the razor-blade murder, as well as a strict guideline that the film could only be released with minimal publicity. The film was then issued on VHS by Vipco but a DVD release was canceled after some UK DVD distributors refused to stock it. Consequently it was never available on UK DVD until 2007 when the movie was released by Shameless Films, and this version contained similar cuts but reduced to 19 secs via a different edit.

Quotes:

Lt. Fred Williams:Well, if it isn't the big chief person himself.
Chief of Police:Hello, Fred. I need to talk to you and it's kind of hush-hush. Is there anywhere private where we can talk?
Lt. Fred Williams:Sure. How about the church across the street?

Movie Connections:

References Mean Drunken Master (1979)

dumb, goofy, gory and italian

i finally tacked down a pan/scan version of the 86 minute U.S. version that cuts out all the explicit sex scenes but keeps all the violence and gore intact. i've yet to see the 93 minute director's cut that Anchor Bay has recently released and i've heard that some of the incoherency and plot problems in the 86 minutes cut are rectified in the 93 min. version.

what i can say about this film is that it is really sick. i've never seen images like this of women being sliced and diced in typically explicit Fulci fashion. Most director's would cut away after the first slash, but no Fulci. He lets the camera linger while the women are cut to pieces over and over.

The fact that the killer talks like Donald Duck is also really strange and unintentionally humorous. Like other Fulci fans, i'm not sure what he was thinking putting this element in the film. It does provide a humorous element in the film that is welcome in the sea of graphic gore and violence.

As far as this film being labled misogynistic, those people have a legitimate argument. I've never seen another slasher flick where the director showed such disturbing delight in showing his actresses brutally butchered in such grisly detail.

Definitely not for all tastes, and a low point in Fulci's post Zombie career, but the film has a quirky ableit sick charm at times and is worth a look for fans of italian horror films.

rating:5