This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Hands of the Ripper" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Hands of the Ripper
Hands of the rippermp.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Sasdy
Written byL.W. Davidson
Edward Spencer Shew
Produced byAida Young
StarringEric Porter
Angharad Rees
Jane Merrow
Keith Bell
Derek Godfrey
CinematographyKenneth Talbot
Edited byChris Barnes
Music byChristopher Gunning
Production
company
Distributed byRank Film Distributors (U.K.)
Universal Pictures (U.S.)
Release date
3 October 1971 (U.K.)
Running time
85 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Hands of the Ripper is a 1971 British horror film, directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions. It was written by L. W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew, and produced by Aida Young. The film was released in the U.S. as a double feature with Twins of Evil.

Plot

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2021)

At 2 years, the daughter of Jack the Ripper is witness to the brutal murder of her mother by her father. 15 years later, she is a troubled young girl who is seemingly possessed by the spirit of her late father. While in a psychotic trance she continues his murderous spree, but has no recollection of the events afterwards. A sympathetic psychiatrist takes her in and is convinced he can cure her condition. However, he soon regrets his decision...

Cast

Production

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The film features British actor Eric Porter as the doctor, and also stars Jane Merrow, Keith Bell and Derek Godfrey. It has an early starring role for Angharad Rees.

It was filmed at Pinewood Studios, with some location work at St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

Critical reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2014)

Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 2 1/2 out of a possible 4 stars. In his review he stated that the film had "[a] good atmosphere and solid performances, but after a good start, dissolves into a series of bloody murders."[1] The Hammer Story: The Authorised History of Hammer Films wrote that the film "expertly mixes the sophistication expected of Hammer's films with the gore its new audiences demanded."[2] Andy Boot considers the film "flawed, and so close to the fag end of Gothic that it could almost be a parody", but that it is "nonetheless a film well worth watching". He opines that Peter Sasdy "atoned for his appalling Countess Dracula with a much pacier handling of this story."[3] Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 86%, based on seven reviews, with a rating average of 7.1/10.[4]

References

  1. ^ Maltin, Leonard; Carson, Darwyn; Sader, Luke (2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Press. p. 582. ISBN 978-0-451-41810-4.
  2. ^ Hearn & Barnes 2007, p. 147.
  3. ^ Andy Boot. Fragments of Fear: An Illustrated History of British Horror Films. London: Creation Books, 1996, pp 117-19.
  4. ^ "Hands of the Ripper (1971) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

Sources