Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This film has got me wanting to read the story that spurned it. I've always liked the psychological idea of hereditary madness and this is a pretty good example of that... but with a possible twist.Jack the Ripper is being chased down so he runs to the safety of his mistress' house. Still caught up in the killing fugue, he attacks and kills his mistress in front of their young child. Years later the child has become a young woman, Anna (Rees) and is helping an old woman to run a medium scam, pretending to be the dead family members and friends of the clients she entertains with her seances. It's at one of these meetings that her path crosses with Dysart (Godfrey)... a pervert who buys her virginity from Mrs Golding (Bryan). However, things take a nasty turn when he tries to force himself on her and Mrs Golding comes to her rescue. Mrs Golding is killed, but who is the murderer?The thing I liked most about this story is its darkness. Not only do you have a psychotic killer, but a doctor who is willing to overlook the murders so he can view and record the killer's moods. He's even willing to team up with a miscreant to get his results.There's nothing bad about this movie at all. It could have been stronger had the director opted to add a darkness to the atmosphere. For me, it was a little light, especially when considering all the bleaker subject matters. Though there are some really good shots in the film. The ending in the whispering gallery at Saint Paul's is very well done. As is the "Oh My God!!! That's gonna leave a mark," moment when Dr Pritchard (Porter) pulls the sword from his side. The moment when the bloody sword hangs from the doorknob, swaying and banging, will stay with me for a while. Very iconic and well thought out.Another thing that may have strengthened the film is the hinted at possession of Anna by her father Jack The Ripper. If this had become a story arc on its own then it would have opened up a few more possibilities for twists and turns. It would have turned it into a full horror film by doing so.However, this is a good psychological thriller based on The Ripper mythos. I would recommend this to everyone.

When this film begins, a little girl is watching her father (presumably Jack the Ripper) killing her mother. Years pass and this young lady is now working for a sleazy medium--fooling folks into believing she can communicate with the dead. Little does her boss know but the young lady, Anna, is a psychopath--a murderous one at that! After killing the boss in a very bloody fashion requiring super-human strength, a local idiot decides to take Anna into his home and use Freud's techniques to cure the woman. And, since the police don't know for sure who's done the killing, bringing her into his home isn't a problem...until she starts killing again and again. And vivid and VERY grisly these killings are! This sure ain't a movie for kids to watch!This film IS entertaining and if you like seeing a lot of blood, are you in for a treat! However, at the same time the film never makes much sense. Who would bring a violent murderer into his home? Who would CONTINUE to keep her there after she then kills one of his maids?! And, who would CONTINUE to try to cure her after she stabs someone in the eye?! What also make no sense is after impaling someone with a saber, the guy is STILL able to remove the sword and run about London?!?! And this was no small sword!! Enjoyable but stupid.

TCM just aired this and like all the other Hammer films I enjoyed it a great deal. They're not cinematic achievements but they are fun and that's one of film's aspects I really appreciate. I also tend to look at technical aspects and the first thing that struck me is how fake the moustaches looked. The beards looked better but now I wonder. The second, I'm embarrassed to write, was Marjie Lawrence's cleavage which may not be how she would like to be remembered given her extensive body of work. Did they really dress like that in Victorian England? I'd also never seen Angharad Rees before nor had I even heard of her but then I found out this was her first co-starring and second film role and I was intrigued. And, incidentally, that's another thing I like about Hammer: they find and highlight young talent. Anyway lots of good talent here, a lot from TV, presumably because they come cheaper. Some goofs like when Rees begins to sit while her host invites her to do so. But I'm getting technical again. Eric Porter is great. He manages to save the day even skewered by a cavalry sabre. Which brings up another goof: the thing must be five feet long but you can't see the other end sticking out of Porter's body. Good final scene, good score, worth a viewing.

Anna sees her father (Jack the Ripper) stab her mother to death when she's a little girl. Twenty years later she's been adopted and knows nothing about her past--but she kills people when she flashes back to seeing her mother killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) knows she does this but wants to try to find out why and cure her while the bodies pile up.Interesting Hammer horror that mixes psychology with extreme violence. I originally caught this on network TV ages ago where all the violence was cut out. There's not a lot of it but what there is is VERY strong and incredibly gruesome. Even the R rated version released here in the US is edited! I finally saw it uncut on a Portuguese DVD. The color is a little faded and the end credits stop abruptly but it's letter-boxed and complete. The story is a little slowly paced but I was never bored and the violence shocked me--and I'm a hardened horror movie fan! The acting was excellent by Porter and Angharad Rees (playing the unfortunate Anna). The psychology is a little bit silly but the movie is strong and well-done. If you can see this uncut I recommend it.