Jack The Ripper 4K Review (Cauldron Films)

Jack the Ripper is a 1976 serial killer film written and directed by Jesús Franco (She Killed in Ecstasy, Vampyros Lesbos, Barbed Wire Dolls, Dracula Prisoner of Frankenstein, Night of the Blood Monster, The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu, The Sadist of Notre Dame, Sinfonía Erótica, Jailhouse Wardress, Trip to Bangkok Coffin Included, Bangkok Date with Death, Golden Temple Amazons, House of Cruel Dolls, Countdown to Esmeralda, Angel of Death, The Panther Squad, and Diamonds of Kilimandjaro). It was produced by Erwin C. Dietrich (Mad Foxes, Barbed Wire Dolls, Swedish Boarding School Girls, Killer Condom, Cobra Mission, Code Name: Wild Geese, The Salamander, Caged Women, and High Test Girls). It’s a loose remake of 1962’s The Awful Dr. Orlof mixed with the true crime story of Jack the Ripper. During the late 1800’s, the Whitechapel area of London was gripped in fear as Dr. Dennis Orloff aKa Jack the Ripper (played by: Klaus Kinski from Nosferatu the Vampyre, Aguirre the Wrath of God, For a Few Dollars More, Vampire in Venice, Crawlspace, Schizoid, The Little Drummer Girl, Death Smiles on a Murderer, The Great Silence, Count Dracula, and Venom) tears through the prostitutes of the area with ease. Desperately trying to solve the grisly murders and placate the panicking residents, Inspector Selby (played by: Andreas Mannkopff from Mandara, Fabian, The Young Seducers, and Direktion City) finds himself obsessed with finding the killer behind these graphic crimes. He is paranoid that his girlfriend Cynthia (played by: Josephine Chaplin from The Canterbury Tales, The Man Without a Face, Shadowman, Downtown Heat, and Escape to the Sun) will be next, can he stop this sadistic maniac before it’s too late???? Jack the Ripper is one of the highest quality efforts from cult director Jesús Franco. It’s definitely in his top 10 of all time. That’s a very high compliment considering that he is responsible for 205 films during his career. This adaptation is more related to The Awful Dr. Orlof than Jack the Ripper but they made sure to include enough gruesome material to make it fit for the infamous serial killer that was never caught. True crime fanatics might be a little thrown off because it’s not your typical straight up re-creation of the real life monster. Franco is credited with the script, he did have some uncredited help from writer Jean-Claude Carrière (The Flesh of the Orchid, The Milky Way, The Thief of Paris, The Diabolical Dr. Z, Viva Maria!, and The Suitor). It’s some of the best work when it comes to writing. Cult actor Klaus Kinski is excellent in this. He’s respected physician Dr. Dennis Orloff during the day and he’s the psychotic serial killer Jack the Ripper at night. Kinski has the natural acting talent but he’s not afraid to go over the top like this one. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde type of character. He can flip his switch at any time when his sanity goes away. Andreas Mannkopff is good as the determined Inspector Selby that wants to stop this lunatic from killing all of these women on the streets. He is dedicated to solve this case. He puts his own girlfriend Cynthia undercover. She is played by Charlie Chaplin’s daughter Josephine as the brave woman that might sacrifice her own life to save the terrified community. Franco’s muse Lina Romay (Golden Temple Amazons, Angel of Death, Diamonds of Kilimandjaro, The Sadist of Notre Dame, Barbed Wire Dolls, and Bangkok, Date with Death) shows up as one of the victims Marika Stevenson. The rest of the supporting cast includes Herbert Fux (Lady Dracula), Nikola Weisse (Der Fall), Ursula von Wiese (George!), Hans Gaugler (It Happened in Broad Daylight), Olga Gebhard (Model Husband), Angelika Arndts (Andorra), Lorli Bucher (Ilsa, the Wicked Warden), and Esther Studer (Love Camp). Jack the Ripper delivers when it comes to sleaze, gore, and nudity, violence. It has quality special fx for the gruesome murders in this. Jack the Ripper gets extremely nasty and it doesn’t cut away from the graphic scenarios. I actually liked that they didn’t try to hide the killer at all. They show his identity right away. It provides a creepy atmosphere and no one is safe. It’s all about it’s thrills and nerve racking tension. It just keeps going back to destruction of these prostitutes. It might not be the most accurate or best adaptation for the unknown murderer but it has what you expect from something like this. It’s a cruel and sleazy slasher. It mixes psychological and sexploitation, it’s such an entertaining dark combination. Jack the Ripper has been stuck in DVD hell forever so I am very grateful that it’s finally been upgraded to the best possible quality after all these years being unavailable for the most part. This is much better than it should be, it’s beyond underrated at this point. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Cauldron Films! This 2160p (1.85:1) uncensored transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is from a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. I am shocked it took this long to get an HD home video release for Jack the Ripper especially considering all of the other Jesús Franco films that have been released by a variety of boutique labels over the years. It was previously released on DVD from both Image Entertainment and Full Moon Features plus it had a VHS from Vestron Video back in the day. This brand new UHD blows away everything from before. It never really got a proper restoration until now to be honest. Jack the Ripper has gritty cinematography, bloody fx, and attention grabbing locations when it comes to it’s sharper visuals. It has a few audio options which includes English: DTS-HD 5.1 and English: 2.0 Stereo tracks on the UHD. The killing spree and the reign of terror elevates the sound here. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a massive boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Dr. Will Dodson plus someone else. It has the almost 27 minute “He Caught Jack the Ripper”. It’s an interview with actor Andreas Mannkopff. He says he got the role because he dubbed numerous films for producer Erwin C. Dietrich. They were softcore films and he is hilarious as he repeats some lines that they had to do for it. He tells some funny stories about his experiences with them. He chats about knowing Kinski when he was younger. He shows his appreciation for the late great actor. He goes over his process and how it was like working with him. It has the little over 22 minute “Erwin C. Dietrich’s Tribute to Jess Franco’s Jack the Ripper”. The producer tells when Franco came in his office and pitched for him to help finance Barbed Wire Dolls in a hour. He’s blunt about being shocked at the quality of the turned in material for it. Franco convinced him again to give it a shot for distribution despite him not understanding what he was trying to do with it. He mentions how popular Jess Franco has gotten over the years, he thinks it could be Quentin Tarantino referencing him in Dusk Till Dawn. He goes over the development and the production of Jack the Ripper including disguising locations at Britain. It has the little over 21 minute “Klaus the Ripper”. It’s a video essay from Troy Howarth. He chats about the collaborations of Jess Franco and Erwin C. Dietrich. He goes over some of Franco’s other projects with different producers. He talks about Orson Welles having Franco on his behind the scenes team during some of the movies that he shot in Spain. He brings up some of his bigger productions and collaborations with known actors including Kinski. It has the little over 17 minute “Whitechapel Shadows”. It’s a video essay from Eugenio Ercolani. This is a detailed look at Jack the Ripper. It goes over the history of the case plus some theories. It shows a few of the film adaptations of it. It has the under a minute “Deleted Scene” that’s extended from before so this is a nice unreleased bonus. It features some additional gore. It has the “Trailer” for Jack the Ripper. It comes with a hardcase slipcover, 2 additional artworks underneath, a 40 page booklet, 1 UHD, and 1 Blu Ray. Jess Franco fans finally get one of his greatest cinematic moments in its highest possible quality thanks to Cauldron Films. This should be in your collection. It’s available exclusively at DiabolikDvd.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!