The New York Ripper (1982)

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.

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Gianfranco Clerici (story), Vincenzo Mannino (story)

Stars:

Jack Hedley, Almanta Suska, Howard Ross

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Pagán	...	Morales (as Anthon Kagan)
Josh Cruze	...	Chico (as Johs Cruze)
Marsha MacBride	...	Policewoman

Storyline

Killer who talks like a duck wanders around New York City killing women by various means including slicing an eyeball with a razorblade. Detective Jack Headly is hot on his trail.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | serial killer | psychopathic killer | live sex show | detective | 

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Taglines:

Slashing Up Women Was His Pleasure!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

After the film was rejected for a UK cinema certificate in 1984 chief censor James Ferman ordered the original print to be re-exported back to the rights holder in Italy. This was to avoid any possible prosecution of either the UK distributor or the BBFC itself.

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Goofs

When Cinzia de Ponti's character gets stabbed in her breast, it was on the right side of her nipple. But later in the morgue, it is shown that the stab wound was on the left side of the nipple.

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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?

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Alternate Versions

The UK Shameless DVD is missing 2 scenes. A brief conversation between Dr Davis and his secretary, and a shot of Davis turning and watching Lt Williams driving off in his car outside the hospital. These are distributor edits which were removed to maintain the flow of the movie. The UK Shameless Blu-ray adds 15 seconds of footage missing from the Blue Underground release.

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Connections

Referenced in Fulci Talks: The Movies (2007)

User Reviews

"Overall, it was a good, efficient butchery."

There's not much need to go into detail on the plot. Simply put, The New York Ripper is the story of a mad killer with a penchant for slashing young woman and harassing the police with his duck-like voice. That's really all you need to know.

The New York Ripper is Lucio Fulci's latter day ultra-violent take on the Giallo. When I say ultra-violent, I mean ULTRA-violent. If you're a fan of Fulci-style gore, there's surely something here for you. There's one scene where a girl's eye meets a razor that's particularly nasty and particularly difficult to watch. And, if you're a fan of Fulci-style sleaze, there's surely something here for you also. While I won't go as far as some reviewers and call it pornographic, there are a variety of sexual perversions on display. But it's not all blood and sex. Fulci actually manages to create a few scenes with real tension. There are moments where you know that killer is about to strike, but the anticipation Fulci builds in the audience is quite good.

Unfortunately, there are problems I have with the film. I'll limit this to two examples. First, the resolution of the mystery is a real letdown. The killer's identity is far too easy to guess. Fulci telegraphs the answer form the opening moments of the film. Second, Gialli often ask the viewer to suspend reality to accept various plot points, but the final scenes in The New York Ripper cross the line into ridiculousness and really hurt the overall film. I'm certainly no expert, but I sincerely doubt that all the psychological babble made any real sense to anyone.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian Spanish

Release Date:

31 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

New York Ripper

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fulvia Film, Silent Warrior Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 93 min (director's cut) 80 min (cut) (1989) (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1