The New York Ripper

Lo Squartatore di New York/New York Ripper(1982) outraged many horror filmgoers with its brutal uncompromising depiction of violence towards women. One of the most controversial giallos to come out of Italy. Released ten years after Don't Torture a Duckling(1972) which was also controversial for different reasons. Lucio Fulci has filmed vicious scenes of violence before but New York Ripper takes the cake in violent imagery. As brutal as giallos like Giallo a Venezia(1979) and The Killer is Still Among Us(1986). What makes the violent scenes for some tough to digest are the intense physical emotions of the murderer when killing his victims.

Gives new meaning to the term hardcore horror. Some of the most brutal depiction of hardcore horror I have witnessed in a horror film. Many of the film's contents have many similarities with Maniac(1980) which gained controversy for identical reasons. Daring approach by Fulci in making the hardcore horror moments both powerful and ugly. The director had guts in doing a giallo with an extremely unpleasant subject matter. Misunderstood Lucio Fulci film that is one of his finest horror films.

An aspect that either humored, shocked, or upset many people was the mock duck voice used by the murderer. I find that the duck voice of the killer adds to his menacing and sick presence. The duck voice of the murderer was a reference by the director to his earlier 1970s giallo, Don't Torture a Duckling(1972). A reference that is lost among some horror film enthusiasts. Capped what would be Lucio Fulci's second and final prosperous artistic period of his film career. The director's sole horror film with erotic overtones that adds to the controversial style of this pic.

Grim and relentless portrayal of human nature and its darkest aspects. The bleak nature of New York Ripper(1982) makes Lucio Fulci's gothic films look happy go lucky. Explodes with lots of anger and resentment that gives it a depressing feel. Dipped deep in nihilistic waters with the depressing portrayal of human behavior. The subplot involving the disabled little girl is uncomfortably sad. One film that has its plot full of anger and resentment is Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45(1981).

New York Ripper(1982) is filled with some of the director's usual quirks and visual trademarks. Fulci's direction pushes the limit in scenes of sadistic violence. Sometimes part of the story seems to come from the gut of the controversial filmmaker. Direction does have some negative aspects but the negatives are few and far between. The direction of Lucio Fulci for New York Ripper(1982) is not as flashy or flamboyant as Dario Argento's direction of Tenebre(1982)(except in a few moments). He does get the job done with competence and craftsman experience.

Comparisons can be made between Lucio Fulci's New York Ripper(1982) and Dario Argento's Tenebre(1982). Both films deal with similar motifs and themes on violence towards women. Also, each film are gory uncompromising giallos with striking images. New York Ripper and Tenebre each have a show stopping moment of gory murder. These two films use bold filmmaking techniques. Each changed some of the rules of the giallo genre.

There are many scenes that were controversial but the one that placed New York Ripper in film infamy was the infamous death scene of Daniela Doria. Two years for Daniela Doria after being part of another controversial scene in The Gates of Hell(1980). For a gruesome moment of vile violence it certainly has a excellent build up and pay off. As in Zombie Flesh Eaters(1979) the eye motif becomes a major part of this scene. Daniela Doria has to get kudos for acting in a difficult scene as this one. The merger of the erotic and the violent is what makes this particular scene hard to watch.

There is a small film noir quality within the frame of the story. This is because of the assortment of unsympathetic characters that surround it. The only person that comes close to having any moments of sympathy is Jane. Lt. Williams is an unlikable protagonist who comes out as arrogant and self centered. The character of Lt. Williams seems to be inspired by the close minded Police Detective of Let Sleeping Corpse Lie(1974). Dr. Davis comes out in the film as a narcissist who's too please with his intellect.

What turned off even some of the Lucio Fulci admirers was the realistic look of New York Ripper's violent scenes. Unlike in his gothic films from the same period there is no fantasy subtext to make the violence bearable. Its realistic elements help make New York Ripper(1982) into a courageous effort of fercious horror. The violence depicted towards women is what it is and that's disgusting but at the same time has a certain realism that doesn't make it totally misogynistic. New York Ripper moves away from the comic book feel of Fulci's gothic pictures and into the realism of his early 1970s giallo pictures. Its realistic depiction of violence is the film's biggest strength.

Abel Ferrara made a little ribbing to the title of this film when the killer of Fear City(1985) is once referred to as New York Knifer. Two of the film's writers had worked with Fulci before on Don't Torture a Duckling. Unusually tightly plotted thriller which never clicks in a good flow in some moments. Excellent camera work created by Deep Red(1975) DoP, Luigi Kuveiller. Its not a perfect motion picture but for a bold horror film it certainly delivers the goods.

You can say NEW YORK RIPPER is bad, boring, stupid, crap, worthless, mean spirited, vile, etc. Whatever you can say about NEW YORK RIPPER though, you can't say it's not sleazy. It's over-the-top sleazy and misogynistic. It never shies away from it. Personally speaking, it's sleaze par excellence. The misogynistic aspect bothers me but then 90% of horror films out there are misogynistic, so it's not like I'm not used to it. As for the sleaze aspect, well, if you don't like sleaze, don't watch it. If you're fascinated by sleaze, like me, then this is like the CITIZEN KANE of sleaze. What makes this so different than the majority of truly worthless sleaze out there is that Fulci is honest about the sleaze. Compare this to let's say the recent MURDER SET PIECES, which is very sleazy but almost totally worthless. It's so self-conscious about the fact that it's horrific and sleazy, it just doesn't work. It's not real sleaze. NEW YORK RIPPER is real 42nd Ave sleaze.

What makes NEW YORK RIPPER unique among the plethora of sleazy films made then and today is the way it's filmed. In scope, garish colors, grimy settings, very gloomy and harsh. I love the scenes shot in the subway or around other parts of a depressed NY city. The acting is not really good but the level of acting is what you expect from these kind of films. It's remarkably violent towards women. Truly appalling. But then after the stunningly blunt ending, everything is suddenly redeemed. Though most of the violence is directed towards women, the sleaze centers around women and men, including a couple having live sex in front of an audience, horny thugs, a nymphomaniac housewife who tries to sleep around with any guy, including the thugs and a hunky psycho who is thought to be the killer, and there's a gay character who's the most likable character in the whole film.

I can't say that I like this Fulci flick. NEW YORK RIPPER is not something someone likes per se. It's just too harsh to attach any affection to it. But I'm fascinated about it and that's why I give it an 8. There are very few films that can claim to be something that will never be topped and because of our PC times and depending of what's in store in the near future, it's almost guaranteed that NEW YORK RIPPER will never be topped as far as the sleaze factor is concern.

While this movie contains plenty of graphic violence beyond most horror movies, I cannot deny a certain brilliance in Fulci's direction. Sure there were plot holes, the dubbing was bad, the duck sounded ridiculous, those were part of the reasons I enjoyed it, simply because a logical movie doesn't play with my mind like this one did. Fulci deals with a lot of psychological issues and the areas of the unknown. There is enough unsaid that keeps you guessing until the very end (some which never gets said, but we won't go there). In my opinion, this movie had a faster pace and more solid plot than most of Fulci's more popular efforts. It was simple: someone who talks like a duck is killing beautiful women in New York. I did find it scary. Sometimes I'm intrigued how they think up some of the things they did in this movie. Maybe it should be called "The Amsterdam Ripper" because of the extreme sex, violence, and drug atmosphere. But on the Anchor Bay DVD uncut release, the cinematography was amazing. I do love that this is an Italian movie filmed in New York, another totally illogical thing to do in my mind, yet on some level, it works for the sheer creativity and guts to do something new. No Academy Awards, but they sure don't make movies like this anymore! I'll give it 3 quacks out of 5.

The late Italian director Lucio Fulci remains a controversial figure among horror film fans. Some view him merely as a hack exploitation director, who unsuccessfully tried to mimic the ideas and techniques of skilled horror directors such as Dario Argento and George Romero. Others view him as a directorial genius with his own distinctive style. Upon viewing my first Fulci film, THE NEW YORK RIPPER, I am inclined to believe that Fulci has not been given as much credit as he deserves.

THE NEW YORK RIPPER is a good example of an Italian "giallo" film, which blends the graphic gore sequences typically found in "slasher" films with the police investigations typically found in crime dramas. The film's plot is simple: a psychopath who talks like a duck is killing beautiful young women in New York City in vicious ways. Burned-out Lieutenant Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) is assigned to investigate the case, and soon gets taunting calls from the killer. At the same time, the one woman to survive the killer's attack, track star Fay Majors (Almanta Keller), finds that her life remains in peril.

THE NEW YORK RIPPER is unapologetically sleazy. The gore effects are very well done, and will make even the most hardened fans of gore wince at their brutality. There is also plenty of sex, which is quite explicit even by today's standards. In short, THE NEW YORK RIPPER is tasteless. But that doesn't mean it's bad. The film is well paced and there is hardly a dull moment. The murder mystery aspect of the film will keep you guessing until the film's climax. Fulci also delivers stylish direction and the film has some nice atmospheric shots of New York City.

One of the main criticisms of THE NEW YORK RIPPER is that it is brutally misogynistic. On the surface, this appears to be true. The killer's victims are almost all sexually promiscuous young women, who are killed in a brutal, sexual manner. However, in my opinion, the film is not so much anti-woman as it is anti-humanity. Fulci's New York City, much like Martin Scorsese's in TAXI DRIVER, is a seemingly inescapable hell, filled with perverts, sex shows, prostitutes, and "42nd Street gigolos." It should also be noted that the film's one strong and sympathetic character is a woman, Fay Majors.

Also, it is often said that THE NEW YORK RIPPER is Fulci's ripoff of the 1980 film MANIAC (also one of my favorites). This is simply not true: their only similarity is that they concern a psycho killer on the loose in New York City. MANIAC is a character study horror film, while THE NEW YORK RIPPER is a mystery thriller, much like Brian DePalma's DRESSED TO KILL(1980).

Lastly, I must say that the recently released, uncut, widescreen version of THE NEW YORK RIPPER is a major improvement over the old video version. While the dubbing remains shoddy in some parts, this new edition looks beautiful in its widescreen format. Additionally, the old edition chopped up some scenes which contained crucial clues about the killer's identity. With these scenes now intact, the killer's identity is not as totally out of left field as some critics have charged.

*** out of ****

When the dog of an old man finds a decomposed hand in New York, the police identifies the victim as the model Ann-Lyne. Lt. Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) is assigned to investigate the crime and is informed by Ann-Lyne's landlady that she had received a phone call from a man that spoke like a duck. While going to Staten Island, the bicycle rider Rosie (Cinzia de Ponti) is stabbed to death in the ferry by a man with duck-like voice. Lt. Williams teams-up with the psychologist Dr. Paul Davis (Paolo Malco) to hunt down the serial-killer. Meanwhile other women are attacked by the murderer. When the beautiful Fay Majors (Almanta Keller) survives the attack of the man, Lt. Williams and Dr. Davis have a lead to be followed but Dr. Davis questions whether the identified man is the killer since he believes the serial-killer has another profile.

"Lo squartatore di New York", a.k.a. "The New York Ripper", is an engaging Italian thriller directed by Lucio Fulci. The plot is interesting, the actresses are sexy, but the conclusion is disappointing. Most of the deaths are brutal and even gruesome as expected by fans of the giallo genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Estripador de Nova York" ("The New York Ripper")