With having enjoyed the commentary that Kim Newman had done with Alan Jones for Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage,I started to search round for other commentaries that Newman was involved in,and I stumbled upon a title which was made during the last days of Hammer Horror,which led to me getting ready to shake hands with the ripper.
The plot:
Returning home from his latest murder,Jack kills his wife in front of their child Anna. Traumatized by the sight of her dad killing her mum,Anna finds her subconscious inheriting her dads murderous legacy.
15 years later:
Visiting a medium with some friends, psychoanalyses Dr. John Pritchard discovers that the sounds of the "spirits" have actually been made by a girl called Anna,who was hidden away from view.Leaving with the group,Pitchard notices an MP enter the building,and pay to have sex with Anna,in what Pitchard realises is a secret brothel.Waiting round for his carriage (as you do!) Pitchard hears a blood curdling scream.Rushing in,Pitchard is horrified to find that Anna has brutally killed the medium.
As the MP threatens to put Anna in the "nut house",Pitchard stops him in his tracks,by saying that he believes that a cure can be found for Anna's psychological problems,and that if the MP lets him take care of Anna,then he will not report the MP for visiting a brothel.Finding himself cornered,the MP agrees to Pitchard's demands.Wanting to give Anna a life which will give her a chance to get away from her horrible past,Pitchard starts introducing Anna to his friends & family,but soon discovers that he is unable to stop the return of the hands of the ripper.
View on the film:
Made just as Hammer was to enter a decade where it would fight for its survival,director Peter Sasdy & cinematographer Kenneth Talbot tear the traditional primary colours of Hammer Horror down,to instead grind murky browns and blacks into the film,which along with giving the title an excellent grim atmosphere,also perfectly shows how murky Anna's mind has become.Backed by a smooth score from Christopher Gunning,Sasdy shows a remarkable skill in making sure that the psychological terror is not drowned out by the blunt-force set pieces,with Sasdy using restrained camera moves which allow the viewer to decide if the killings our either being done by the traumatised Anna,or the "spirit" of Jack the Ripper.
Gripping the viewer with a short,sharp,shock of a pre-credits sequence,the screenplay by Lewis Davison (here credited as L.W. Davidson) and Edward Spencer Shew takes an impressively mature approach to Anna's psychological troubles,with Pitchard being a flawed,but well-meaning man,who believes that Freud's teachings can be used to save Anna from the darkness inhabiting her.Making sure that the film does not become too serious,the writers cut into a vicious proto-Slasher body count,as Anna's killing spree follows that of the real life Jack,with each stylish set piece murder being even gorier than the last one.
Looking absolutely angelic, the cute Angharad Rees (whose dad was distinguished psychiatrist Linford Rees!) gives a marvellous performance as Anna,thanks to Rees giving Anna a real frailness which turns to stone when the blood-socked hand of her dads past returns.Desperate to help Anna, Eric Porter gives a fantastic performance as Pritchard,with Porter dipping the movie into My Fair Lady,as he gives Pritchard a real caring nature towards Anna.Sharing most of their scenes with each other,Rees & Porter wonderfully complement each other,with both of them bringing a real sense of parental bond to Anna & Pritchard's relationship,as the hands of the ripper strike again.
The plot:
Returning home from his latest murder,Jack kills his wife in front of their child Anna. Traumatized by the sight of her dad killing her mum,Anna finds her subconscious inheriting her dads murderous legacy.
15 years later:
Visiting a medium with some friends, psychoanalyses Dr. John Pritchard discovers that the sounds of the "spirits" have actually been made by a girl called Anna,who was hidden away from view.Leaving with the group,Pitchard notices an MP enter the building,and pay to have sex with Anna,in what Pitchard realises is a secret brothel.Waiting round for his carriage (as you do!) Pitchard hears a blood curdling scream.Rushing in,Pitchard is horrified to find that Anna has brutally killed the medium.
As the MP threatens to put Anna in the "nut house",Pitchard stops him in his tracks,by saying that he believes that a cure can be found for Anna's psychological problems,and that if the MP lets him take care of Anna,then he will not report the MP for visiting a brothel.Finding himself cornered,the MP agrees to Pitchard's demands.Wanting to give Anna a life which will give her a chance to get away from her horrible past,Pitchard starts introducing Anna to his friends & family,but soon discovers that he is unable to stop the return of the hands of the ripper.
View on the film:
Made just as Hammer was to enter a decade where it would fight for its survival,director Peter Sasdy & cinematographer Kenneth Talbot tear the traditional primary colours of Hammer Horror down,to instead grind murky browns and blacks into the film,which along with giving the title an excellent grim atmosphere,also perfectly shows how murky Anna's mind has become.Backed by a smooth score from Christopher Gunning,Sasdy shows a remarkable skill in making sure that the psychological terror is not drowned out by the blunt-force set pieces,with Sasdy using restrained camera moves which allow the viewer to decide if the killings our either being done by the traumatised Anna,or the "spirit" of Jack the Ripper.
Gripping the viewer with a short,sharp,shock of a pre-credits sequence,the screenplay by Lewis Davison (here credited as L.W. Davidson) and Edward Spencer Shew takes an impressively mature approach to Anna's psychological troubles,with Pitchard being a flawed,but well-meaning man,who believes that Freud's teachings can be used to save Anna from the darkness inhabiting her.Making sure that the film does not become too serious,the writers cut into a vicious proto-Slasher body count,as Anna's killing spree follows that of the real life Jack,with each stylish set piece murder being even gorier than the last one.
Looking absolutely angelic, the cute Angharad Rees (whose dad was distinguished psychiatrist Linford Rees!) gives a marvellous performance as Anna,thanks to Rees giving Anna a real frailness which turns to stone when the blood-socked hand of her dads past returns.Desperate to help Anna, Eric Porter gives a fantastic performance as Pritchard,with Porter dipping the movie into My Fair Lady,as he gives Pritchard a real caring nature towards Anna.Sharing most of their scenes with each other,Rees & Porter wonderfully complement each other,with both of them bringing a real sense of parental bond to Anna & Pritchard's relationship,as the hands of the ripper strike again.