The New York Ripper
Fans of Italian director Lucio Fulci’s work will be thrilled with the new Anchor Bay release of his “The New York Ripper.” Delivered in letterbox and restored with every unsettling image intact, “The New York Ripper” More a film for the Fangoria crowd rather than someone looking for a coherent and believable crime thriller, “The New York Ripper” is the gruesome tale of a serial killer stalking New York’s vulnerable women and the detective trying to bring him down.
Fulci shot the exteriors on the mean streets of New York, but all of the interiors were filmed back in Rome. The actors seem to be speaking a phonetic English that makes dubbing easier. Fulci, best known for his notorious scene of a young woman’s eye being impaled on a long splinter works overtime to insure an even sicker vision in “The New York Ripper.” Even though they are special effects, the images are still disturbing, especially an extended scene of the killer slicing up a victim with a razor blade.
Unlike the razor blade scene in “Hellraiser II,” which was so extreme it turned into Grand Guignol, the images here are so realistic they become repulsive. Then again, that’s the point. The actors never rise above the material, and the script is as pedestrian as they get. Fulci does a fine job of creating suspense, but the film is never actually thrilling.
COMPLETE CHECK-UP
VISION: [ ] 20/20 [ X ] Good [ ] Cataracts [ ] Blind
The 2.35:1 widescreen transfer looks pretty decent, but suffers from some negative flaws like scratches. The actual digital transfer is sharp, with good coloring and saturation. Blacks hold up, and flesh tones are okay but not overly flattering. Depth of field is adequate, and attention to detail is decent. No problem with compression artifacts or noise.
HEARING: [ X ] Excellent [ ] Minor Hearing Loss [ ] Needs Hearing Aid [ ] Deaf
Effective, clear Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack.
ORAL: [ ] Excellent [ ] Good [ X ] Poor
No Closed Captions or Subtitles.
COORDINATION: [ ] Excellent [ X ] Good [ ] Clumsy [ ] Weak
The DVD features handsome main and scene access menus, plus the film’s original theatrical trailer and a director’s biography.
PROGNOSIS: [ ] Excellent [ X ] Fit [ ] Will Live [ ] Resuscitate [ ] Terminal
Best left to Fulci fans, who like the creatures in his film “Zombie” will eat this stuff up.
VITALS: $24.98/Not Rated/93 Minutes/Color/25 Chapter Stops/Keepcase/#DV10897
DATE EXAMINED: August 27, 1999
PATIENT RELEASED: August 24, 1999
John Larsen ATTENDING RESIDENTATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen
PATIENT: THE NEW YORK RIPPER
BIRTH DATE: 1982
HMO: Anchor Bay Entertainment
