THE NEW YORK RIPPER: A Sleazy But Stylish Straight-Razor Slices The Big Apple
Even the hardcore Fangoria/Gorezone reading horror fanswere skeeved out by The New York Ripperback in the day. This giallo/slasherhybrid from Lucio Fulci's most fertile era as a horror filmmaker had to wait afew years to get brief theatrical distribution in the U.S., ultimatelytrickling down to VHS in the latter half of the '80s. Its potent, queasy blendof sex and splattery murder setpieces got a chilly reception from the generalhorror audience at the time, especially the critics.
The film built up a following over time amongst thedirector's fans with subsequent digital releases but it still gets stiff-armedby the critics, who often accuse it of being a misogynistic film. A close look reveals that accusation is notfair.
The premise begins with a string of women being murderedby a mysterious killer in New York. Agrizzled, aging cop, Lt. Williams (Jack Hedley) tries to find the killer,utilizing the help of psychologist Paul Davis (Paolo Malco) to figure out thekiller's rationale. The only clue the killer leaves is a string of mysteriousphone calls using a weird, childlike voice that often trails off in duck-stylequacking noises (!!!). A suspect arises in Mickey (Howard Ross), a gigolo whocrosses paths with a few victims, but the sleuths discover there are no easyanswers to why the killings are happening.
This review contends that The New York Ripper is nota misogynistic film but it's also not difficult to understand why it getslabeled this way. The majority of the victims of women and they are oftenboldly sexual, like a wealthy housewife (Alexandra Delli Colli) who cruisesdowntown for rough trade or a star (Zora Kerova) of live sex shows on 42ndStreet. The murders are also depicted ina pitiless manner: Fulci spares the viewer none of the victims' suffering andthe vicious murders, using everything from a straight razor to a broken bottle,are shown up-close with clinical levels of gore.
However, if you get past Fulci's gleeful shock tactics,a truth about the director reveals itself: he wasn't a misogynist so much as hewas a misanthrope. Whatever the proclivities of the women, they come off a hellof a lot more sympathetic than the men, who often hide their sexual obsessionsunder a veneer of respectability and are prone to mistreating women. In amemorable moment, the supposed cop hero doesn't rush to save one victim becausean embarrassing secret about his personal life would be revealed.
Fulci portrays a world where everyone is driven by theirdesires, sleaze is a bigger currency than honesty and the film's vicious crimessimply reflect the moral decay of the citizens. The script provides a sturdy narrative to back up his worldview: it's abit reliant on comic-book psychology, particularly when the killer is revealed,but it pulls an effective bait-and-switch midway through the story inmanipulating subplots and character focus. When the killer's motivation is revealed near the end, it set things upfor a final bit of narrative cruelty that is gore-free but ends the film on acrushingly downbeat note (one imagines Fulci grinning with vindictive glee whenhe first read it).
If you can roll with the film's one-two punch ofluridness and brutality, it's made with impeccable style. Fulci makes excellentuse of NYC locations, particularly some searing views of 42nd Street's seedyside, and his fluid visual sense creates a hypnotic frame for the grimplotline. His style is aided beautifullyby sleek photography by Deep Redcinematographer Luigi Kuveiller, editing by Vincenzo Tomassi that is attentiveto rhythm and a score by Francesco De Masi that finds the meeting point betweencop show funk of the '70s and early '80s disco. Together, these craftsmencreate a film that mixes the urban alienation and sex-driven seaminess of Cruising with the chic visualstylization of Dressed To Kill.
Ultimately, TheNew York Ripper is advanced viewing for Fulci fans. It's likely to be toovicious for neophytes but those accustomed to the director's dark worldviewwill appreciate how skillfully made it is. No Italian horror director didmisanthropy quite like Fulci and this is one of his most intense cinematicexpressions of that attitude.
Blu-RayNotes: this one's been released more than once in digital formaround the world but the new 3-disc limited edition from Blue Underground isthe best set to date. The 4K restoration is stunning, easily the best it's everlooked on video in the U.S.. It collectsthe extras from the prior Blue Underground release and adds a batch ofworthwhile new extras including a new commentary track and killer sitdowns withscreenwriter Dardano Sacchetti and Fulci expert Stephen Thrower. Even better,it includes the expanded 70-minute CD of the DeMasi score. The result is a mustfor anyone with an interest in Fulci.