New York Ripper
| release date | November 30 1981 |
| studio | Anchor Bay |
| director | Lucio Fulci |
| writer | Lucio Fulci |
| starring | Jack Hedley, Almanta Suska |
| rating | R |
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The New York Ripper is probably the most brutal movie in Lucio Fulci’s career; The New York Ripper doesn’t feature the gore Fulci was known for at the time, but this is probably his most sadistic movie. The New York Ripper is gory at times, but that isn’t what makes it brutal; the kill scenes are very disturbing at times. The scene when the killer slices the girl up with a razor is cringe worthy. The glass bottle to the crotch is deeply disturbing.
Like I said the violence here is quite brutal in other Fulci flicks the gore is over the top, but in a good way it makes the movie even more fun. It’s hard to take the violence too serious when the blood starts shooting out in what seems like gallons. But The New York Ripper on the other hand has a real sadistic maybe even mean spirited violence.
Horror films are often labeled misogynistic and it might be hard to argue against that with The New York Ripper. Do I think that is the case with the movie? No not at all, but the violence against the women in this movie is so raw it’s hard to argue that the movie isn’t.
The New York Ripper is one of Fulci’s movies that sparks great debates among his fans; some think it’s one of his best others say it’s one of his worst. As much as I enjoyed The New York Ripper it’s not without its flaws. The biggest problem is the sexual content of the movie. Sex in movies does not bother me at all, but here it just seems it was thrown in there to help reach more of an audience. Honestly when all was said and done a lot of these scenes were not needed and could have been edited way down.
None of the sex scenes really add to the plot and had they been cut down I think The New York Ripper would have moved at a much better pace, but hey it’s in the movie and nothing can be done and at least the women are hot. I don’t mind sex and nudity, but in my opinion it does sort of slow the pace down.
The screenplay was written by Gianfranco Clerici, Vincenzo Mannino, Lucio Fulci and Dardano Sacchetti. The screenplay is your basic Giallo nothing here really stands-out, overall the script isn’t bad, but I don’t think we watch Fulci flicks for their brilliant screenplays. All the writers here should be known to fans of Italian cinema. Clerici and Mannino were writers on House by the Edge of the Park and Clerici was a writer on the infamous Cannibal Holocaust. Lucio Fulci and Dardano Sacchetti have teamed up quite a few times and I have always been pleased with the outcome. The New York Ripper had a good writing team, some things work and others don’t.
As director Lucio Fulci, is able to craft some solid scenes and create some pretty good tension. Like I stated earlier in my review the sex scenes do slow the pace down, but Fulci does a pretty good job here and this one is mostly coherent. Often in 80s Fulci things sort of happen with little or no explanation. But, for the most part The New York Ripper makes sense. This really was Fulci in mean mode; the kill scenes are very brutal. Like I said the gore level is good, but nothing like some of his other flicks, but what they lack in gore they make up for in brutality.
At the time this movie was made, New York wasn’t the safest city. It was filled with crime and a lot of sleaze and Fulci is able to capture all that in this movie.
What I think is the biggest problem with The New York Ripper is the killer talking in a duck voice and even quacking like one. Lucio Fulci manages to put together some great moments filled with tension, but than the quacking starts and well it’s a tension killer. It’s hard to take a killer talking in a duck voice too serious and when he starts quacking it can be difficult to keep a straight face. The reason for this is explained at the end and it does make sense, but it is a bit silly and does break up the tension.
The New York Ripper is also kind of tragic; the finale is quite sad and despite some of the silliness The New York Ripper is a brutal movie and the final minutes are quite sad.
In closing, despite the flaws of The New York Ripper it is a solid Giallo; while not the best movie of Fulci’s career it’s an enjoyable one. If you are a fan of Lucio Fulci it’s worth checking out. But those of you who don’t like his work, I highly doubt this movie will change your opinion of him.
LMFAO! The official B-D review for this flick is the worst movie review I have ever read. They need to write another one. Just look at the others movies “Mr.Wicked” reviewed. He gave Blair Witch 2/10. so unprofessional. great movie anyway!
This one was pretty decent. Not as good as City of the Living Dead, but still pretty good. Fulci shows the reasons why practical effects are way better than CG.
now this is unfortuneatly where critics say fulci showed with this blatant play for the sicko slasher crowd that the days of well-plotted, stylish Italian horror were gone, replaced with the most vicious sort of sexual violence and perversion. the music in this where rosie is hacked is what i found eerie, other than that its not different than fulci’s other work.
One more Fulci-masterpiece full of brillant/gruesome murders!
Definitely one of Fulci’s most violent films, but then again one of his weirdest (and best!). Pretty slow at times, but when it’s time for the killer to come it is actually pretty suspenseful, and there is usually some great gore. Very sleezy, and a pretty smart movie. Recommended for all Fulci/giallo fans!
More sadistic giallo from the Italian splatter master Lucio Fulci. I would have to say this is the most depraved film I’ve seen of his. Look deep into this film and you will surprisingly find a very intense murder mystery with an intelligent plot. But lets be honest this is concealed away under all the nasty sleaze. I expected the over the top killings (this is Fulci) but I was a little taken aback by the unambiguous sex and nudity, and the blatantly misogynistic callous and graphic depiction of brutal sexual violence. Fulci does manage to add great moments of suspense and horror. It’s wonderfully shot. You get a real sense of how dirty and grim 42nd street is. But in contrast Fulci uses vibrant colours in the broken bottle attack scene. Very akin to suspiria. The only thing that lets this film down is the fact the killer talks like a duck!?! Oh, look out for the standard Fulci eyeball scene. This time a graphic razor blade mutilation. Nasty stuff indeed.
Lots of pointless sex but some really great kills.
This is one of those weird ones that caused mass hysteria, when released in the early 80′s. The film was banned everywhere earning it a cult reputation. Directed by the late Lucio Fulci, New York Ripper is one of the better Euro Trash Giallo’s of its time.
The story evolves around the detectives and victims of a serial killer, that terrorises the city. The killer taunts the police by telephone, insulting and barging about his exploits in detail. The killer also talks in a Donald Duck Quacking voice, adding insult to injury.
By today’s standards it’s a pretty mild suspense thriller, and I can’t see what the fuss was all about when released anyways. New York Ripper’s reputation must have been based on the brutal graphic mutilations in close up I guess. A woman gets her bare breasts sliced in half through the nipples with a razor blade.
None of New York Ripper’s characters are portrayed in a sympathetic matter what so ever. All women are either portrayed as nymphomaniacs or prostitutes.
Good filming and cheap editing makes this a guilty and credible pleasure. The cheesy soundtrack is also a bonus if you like stuff like this.
New York Ripper is perhaps a bit overrated for its reputation, but is still fun to watch. I’ll probably get this for my collection since I now have a Blu Ray player. Just for the sake of nostalgia and my poor taste in trash.
Just kick back and enjoy, as the dog walking in the park finds a helping hand , and you’ll be in for a treat.
A brutal Fulci tour de force!
Violence is not anything remotely new when it comes to Lucio Fulci flicks, or me. I’m used to the concept of violence itself; and most of the time I don’t mind it in cinema. This is because most filmmakers have the capacity to put substance and moral redemption over content; but then there are some people who just don’t know when to stop and how to make a good movie out of uneasy, disturbing people. With “The New York Ripper”, Fulci has proved himself to be nothing more than a pig.
I mean, what else are you when you make movies as stupid, unnecessary, disturbing, and derivative as this? “The New York Ripper” is not only unoriginal and unexciting, but it’s also disgusting. I wanted to look away from the screen a few times, and I almost did. I thought that Fulci intended to entertain with his fascination in the gore-effects department, but here he wants nothing more than for his audience to squirm in their seats. He will get his wish. I advise the squeamish to steer far away from this cruel, sleazy, perverted “horror film”. They say that the “hardcore” horror fans, AKA the people who are as much of pigs as Lucio Fulci is for making this horrendous piece of shit, will enjoy the flick. Maybe they will. Maybe they’ll get off to it. It’s not my business what they to do with “The New York Ripper”. All I know is that it made me feel like a rather dirty, mindless boy.
Why am I even reviewing it? When it’s over, you feel like you have to clean all the sludge from each corner of your being. I’m still cleaning. The story here involves an ominous killer of women who stalks his prey in the shadows. He makes weird duck sounds whenever he closes in on his victims. He’s a pervert; a voyeur, if you will. Oh, and better yet, he’s also a sadist. Oh, joy!
And it seems he’s been exercising his craft for a long time, and all this time, under the noses of the authorities. It first comes to the attention of the police that there’s a killer in New York when, in the film’s admittedly affective opening sequence, a man is playing fetch with his dog and the pooch brings back a decaying human hand in his mouth instead of a bit of wood.
The police attempt, many times, to find out just who this disgusting criminal is. He frequently calls the characters and makes the same ol’ duck noises that we all know and love, and at one point, he even lets the police take part in the hearing of a torture session. So basically, they get to listen while he mutilates a woman’s entire body with a razor blade. Oh, how fun.
The film is basically one bloody-disturbing set piece after another, with outlandishly gruesome scenes such as the one involving female-genital mutilation by broken bottle. Do I want to watch this kind of thing? Do I go to movies to ENJOY stuff like this? No, I do not. I suppose I was somewhat warned of the dark, dark depths that this film rests within, but I did not heed them; I kept going until I saw the film for myself. It is an official “video nasty”, which is the only reason why anyone would want to seek it out. I don’t know why they would anyways. This isn’t entertainment. It’s pure misogyny. Say what you want about movies such as “Antichrist”; this is filmmaking without the intent of art or entertainment. Thus, it has no purpose, it was pointless in its making, and it remains just as so.
It doesn’t help that Lucio Fulci hires poor screenwriters (including himself) either. The dialogue here, dubbed or not, it just plain bad. And yes: that’s VERY bad, if you must have specifics. So yeah, you basically get to throw up and seek out two sources of the vomit; one being the disturbing images, the other being the complete lack of coherence or substance. There’s no commentary to be made here about serial killers, psychotics, or perverted voyeurs. Instead, we just get a movie all about rape, sex, violence, blood, gore, and ugliness from the darkest corners of the earth. It’s not often that I give any film the ol’ “zero”, but this is a special occasion. And I will celebrate it by forgetting this film, and if I ever get so extreme about my hatred for it, I’ll make sure it can no longer be accessed. You say that’s excessive? Well, so is liking, or making, this film. And there’s no stopping either, now that it is made, and it has been watched. Let’s bury it together.
Excellent Giallo. Fulci at pretty much his most extreme. The story isn’t as good as Don’t Torture A Duckling, but this one is a great find!