Dir. Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci’s The New York Ripper has a reputation as a misogynistic Video Nasty. Throughout its running time the audience is subjected to all manner of abhorrent and depressing violence – pretty much solely directed at women. These scenes are loosely lashed together by a convoluted ‘murder mystery’ narrative, in which a hard boiled, burnt out New York cop (Jack Hedley) attempts to track down the titular ripper, who has been butchering sexually confident women with wild abandon. Fulci relegates the detective story aspect of the film to the background, focusing more on the killer’s sadistic, frenzied exploits, to push his set-piece driven narrative forward. Indeed, tension is often broken by the tonal change when we switch to the police procedural scenes, as our detective and various bumbling cops just stumble from one convenient clue to the next, with little logic or reason.
To say the scenes of violence live up to their disturbing reputation is a vast understatement. Despite being made over thirty years ago, and boasting some SFX that have admittedly dated, The New York Ripper still wields a massively disquieting and disturbing impact. Murderous proceedings are rendered all the more stressful to watch due to the grimy, sleazy atmosphere and their sheer merciless onslaught. Add to this the often laughable dialogue and the fact that the killer quacks like Donald Duck (!) while slashing his victims to death, and you might also get an idea of the ludicrous nature of the film.
Fulci revels in his ability to churn up feelings of disgust and he excels in composing a disheartening and grubby backdrop for his story to play out against. The New York depicted in this film is akin to Abel Ferrara’s scuzzy depictions of the city – an overcrowded space wallowing in filth, deprivation and graffiti-gorged grit. The music, courtesy of Francesco De Masi, sounds like it belongs in a 70s cop show, and really fuels the exploitative, sleazy heat of proceedings. It is by turns kitsch, creepy, sleazy and moody. Aiding Fulci in his squalid depiction of NYC is cinematographer Luigi Kuveiller (who previously worked with Dario Argento on Deep Red). Every alley and corner poses a threat, every shadow conceals a prowler. And as Fulci is just one of those directors you can’t trust, things don’t happen as you expect – the killer often bursts from inconceivable corners of the frame to hack, gouge, slash and mutilate petrified victims.
Indeed, certain elements are highly sexualised, and the excessive nudity and prolonged violence – forensic violence, as Fulci practically thrusts his camera into the seeping wounds – verges on the pornographic. The scene depicting the live sex show features more shots of a couple having intercourse than necessary. A later scene, in which two members of the sex show audience hook up in a sordid motel, is also ultra sleazy and further hinders the already haphazard pacing. Given that the characters are only introduced to be killed, Fulci still manages to create scenes of tension, and this scene eventually becomes suspenseful, as the woman – tied to the bed – hears a description of the suspected killer on the radio, which matches that of the man sleeping next to her…
What was most unexpected (for me, anyway), was the killer’s motive. Yes, it’s cheap and unimaginative, but given that I wasn’t expecting one at all, let alone one that reaches for poignancy, it came as quite the surprise. The New York Ripper is not a film for everyone, and while it's a difficult film to 'like', there is no denying its power to shock and upset. It is depressing, seedy and ludicrous, but if you try and watch it objectively (perhaps not as easy as it sounds), you may see that it's also an effective exploitation movie and a queasy example of the unsettling power of grindhouse cinema.
New York Ripper (cert. 18) will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by Shameless Screen Entertainment on 27th June 2011. Special Features include: feature introduction by Antonella Fulci, daughter of Lucio Fulci and curator of his work; “Beyond Fake Blood” – exclusive interview with Antonella Fulci and writer Dardano Sacchetti; collectors’ booklet adapted by Stephen Thrower from his definitive book, “Beyond Terror, The Films Of Lucio Fulci”; English, Italian and Spanish 2.0 DTS HD and Dolby 2.0 audio options; optional English subtitles. All lovingly packaged in a bright lemon “Yell-o-ray” case!