I recall this series being broadcast on the original i.e. non-exploitative Bravo cable channel on British TV, along with many another classic series but, back then, I never would sit down to watch such programs through! Consequently, this marks my introduction proper to Boris Karloff's stint as TV host, and the result is a good one – treading familiar territory, yes, but dealing with it in a new and fascinating light. Indeed, here we have the fanciful but undeniably intriguing notion of Jack The Ripper being something of a supernatural entity, whose crime spree resurfaces every few years following a strict set of astrological permutations! Casting is modest but John Williams (with whom director Milland had locked horns, as an actor, in Alfred Hitchock's DIAL 'M' FOR MURDER {1954}) is ideally cast as the middle-aged 'stargazer' who comes up with the theory, initially disbelieved by the U.S. Police (naturally, with time on his side, The Ripper has extended his 'practice' to other countries and continents!) but which is subsequently forced to eat its words
except that the identity of the perpetrator is ultimately revealed to be far closer to home than even he could have envisaged, himself learning it the hard way! The modern-day setting allows for a reasonably accurate depiction of the beatnik scene, among whose members – living on the margins of society – the infamous serial killer now scours for his victims; especially amusing is Williams' first taste of a strip club!