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.

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.

Way before Jason or Michael Sliced and Diced, this Gory Horror from Hammer's Late Period Set a Template and in a Lot of Ways other Films Noticed and Borrowed from Hammer.Upping the Violent and Blood Quota for the New Decade of the Seventies, Hammer uses Little Restraint here and even includes Needle to the Eye Nastiness that "Dr. Frederic Wertham" in His Exploitative "Science" Book Attacking Comics, "Seduction of the Innocent" seemed to Find Great Pleasure in Presenting while at the same time Feigning Revoltion from the Depiction.For the most part the Twist on "Jack the Ripper" Works Well, but some more Picky Fans might Find it a bit Repetitious. The Weakest Scenes in the Film is when a Medium or Psychic Channels minute Details about The Ripper's Daughter's Childhood. It Stretches to the Breaking Point even the Best "Sensitive" Abilities.Overall, it is a Good Looking Film as usual for the always Visually Interesting Hammer Studios and is one of the most Violent in its Catalog. The Beginning and Ending Scenes are quite Effective in Starting and Concluding this Lurid Tale of Psychological Mumbo-Jumbo and Victorian Hypocrisy.

Following a grisly accident in her past, a woman sent to live with a wealthy bureaucrat learns a special trigger causes her to kill those around her and forces him to uncover the dark secret behind this in order to save her.This is quite a rather middling effort which is about equally bad and good points. The best points here is based on the Victorian setting which is quite effectively utilized at detailing the type of society without focusing on the traditional tropes that are featured in these films. By including their aristocracy-like air in how they react to each other and the manner in which they refer to the authorities in which they sign over the guardianship to get her in their care and how they gather at the police station is all about exploring these Victorian-era settings that are so common-place in these films yet are all accomplished in the realm of a slasher effort and is quite enjoyable for that reason. The fact that there's a twist to the slashing here in which it's based on the hypnotism effect which gets triggered at the most inopportune times so there's never a true indication of when she's going to snap which allows these to come as a real shock while also being shocking at the ingenuity needed to kill off her victims as this has a rather fun time doling out a really unique series of kills within this that is far more inventive and grisly than most slashers of the time. These issues here work but there's some problems that crop up in that the discovery of her hypnotic state and resulting killing mode are so late in the film that it really makes the psychology he attempts to use in aiding him look incredibly weak and pointless. Trying this is quite impressive overall, but there's just so many scenes that go by so slowly of him trying out his hand at this type of methodology that it leaves a gaping questions about his excellence in the field as well as not managing to accomplish anything of any value which causes this to feel incredibly drawn-out despite being only a traditionally-paced effort. This really holds the film down somewhat as they're two quite imposing drawbacks even though it's still quite enjoyable.Today's Rating/R: Graphic Violence and Nudity.