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Rating
Synopsis
After a severed hand is found by a local, NYC Lieutenant Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) starts investigating the murder. He interviews the victim’s landlady, Mrs. Weissburger (Babette New), who regularly spies on her tenants, including the victim. According to Mrs. Weissburger, the victim got a call from a mysterious stranger who talked with a Donald Duck voice. Soon enough, more women, including a young cyclist and a sex show performer, wind up dead. As the murders continue, Williams keeps getting phone calls from the duck-voiced killer, taunting him about the deaths. One would-be victim, Fay (Almanta Suska), tells Williams that the killer was a scruffy-looking man with two missing fingers. This information pins the murder on Mickey Scellenda (Howard Ross), a Greek immigrant with a history of sexual assault. However, Williams gets another call from the ripper, letting him know the killings will continue until they stop him.
Review
Lucio Fulci is known for his excessive use of blood and gore, and The New York Ripper is no exception. The kills are even more brutal because of their sexual nature, including stabbing a broken bottle into a woman’s crotch. According to co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, much of the sexual content was added in by Fulci. Also, Sacchetti claimed that Fulci “nurtures a profound sadism towards women,” which has led to much of the film’s controversy. Many critics have labeled this film as being misogynist and shameful due to how the primary victims are women. On the one hand, I can see where they’re coming from, especially with some of the dialogue sprinkled in. On the other hand, the killer isn’t meant to be sympathetic, nor is the audience supposed to root for him. Considering past serial killers have primarily targeted women, it’s more a reflection of real-world events.
This movie is a prime example of what I call the “New York sleaze era” between the 70s and 80s. This was a period filled with low-budget exploitation films that showed off the sleaze of 42nd Street before its gentrification. It’s a sort of dirty, gritty, and raw feeling that we don’t see anymore with today’s sanitized, safe movies. Francesco De Masi’s score adds to the sleazy feeling with its upbeat tones and fast tempo. As with many Giallos, all the main characters have significant flaws, such as the lieutenant hooking up with prostitutes. Admittedly, the final reveal is pretty apparent, and the explanation they give is thrown haphazardly at the end. This movie isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy your horror films with some sleaze, this is for you. Overall, The New York Ripper is a viciously sleazy Giallo that succeeds at what it sets out to do.
Buy The New York Ripper from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JLh9sD.
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