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The New York Ripper (1982)
It’s no secret that director Lucio Fulci made a career out of making horror films that would be the mortal enemy of the squeamish. It’s also no secret that Fulci is one of the most beloved horror figures of all time because of this. But there is something to say about the fact that after making such gore soaked fare as “Zombie”, “Gates of Hell” and “The Beyond” that he would strike even more of a chord with audiences with the film “The New York Ripper”. Although the film itself in my opinion pales in comparison to the ones I named, at least as far as the quality of the movies go there’s no doubt that “The New York Ripper” holds it’s own in the gore department. The film features some of the more mean spirited violence out of any of Fulci’s films and I’m thinking that’s just the way he wanted it. It reminds me of something I read in the great book “Beyond the Terror” by Stephen Thrower about frequent Fulci collaborator Dardano Sacchetti. See Sacchetti was a co-writer with Fulci on scripts for the films “The Beyond” and “Gates of Hell” and would help him out with “The New York Ripper” when it was in the writing stages and was being called “The Beauty Killer”. He always felt that Fulci took too much of the credit for the writing in “The Beyond” and “Gates of Hell” but accredited Fulci with Ripper’s overlying theme of misogyny. Either way, “The New York Ripper” is one of Fulci’s most memorable films and would also mark his return to the Giallo film.
“The New York Ripper” filmed in New York in 1981-1982 follows the exploits of a knife wielding maniac through the streets of New York City, while detectives find themselves on his trail of murder and destruction. Also to add to the overall weirdness here the killer quacks like a duck and does frequently throughout the film. Eventually this leads to a cat and mouse (or shall I say duck? ) game to find the killer for the detectives working the case.
Personally I’ve never been the biggest fan of “The New York Ripper”. It’s not the gore or the supposed misogyny in the film that bothered me. My main issue with it is the film is just slow and boring in parts, which makes the film come off as horribly uneven. Now I’m fully aware that a lot of Fulci’s films were uneven, but this one doesn’t have much else going for it other than the sleazy New York atmosphere and the gore. Otherwise it feels like Fulci’s earlier (and much more superior) film “Don’t Torture a Duckling” with a different atmosphere and themes changed. This one however is much more gore heavy and nihilistic which will appeal to certain viewers more. Although I do like the nihilistic nature of the film and the gore is excellent, it’s just lacking too much in other departments for me to believe this was one of Fulci’s better works.
Now, although I said I’m not extremely fond of the movie let me just take a second and tell you what I think works here. First off, the gore in the film is top notch and features some of the most brutal kills in any of Fulci’s films. There’s one scene in particular in which a razor blade is used to lacerate a woman’s nipple and eyeball that stands alone as one of the nastiest kills you’ll ever run across and it still holds up today. Believe me, after watching it you’ll understand why it might be his most controversial movie of his career.
Overall I think that Fulci’s “New York Ripper” does lack in some departments, but I’d be lying if I said it’s not worth seeing. It’s a must see for Fulci fans and it’s certainly worth at least a viewing to see what all the fuss is about. Also I can see fans not really worrying about the story (because we all know that is most likely the least important thing about a Fulci movie) and just enjoying the sleazy ride to early 80s New York City that it is. Although I do wish the movie did some things better, I have to say it’s a pretty effective movie with what was done. The intent is to be mean and nasty and that is certainly achieved in this one.
Rating - **1/2
-Ed Demko
