New York Ripper

New York Ripper (1982)
Dir: Lucio Fulci ( Zombie/The Beyond/City of the Living Dead/House by the Cemetery)

New York Ripper is Fulci's spin on the Giallo genre and I have to say it is a very well made film. Fulci is a legend in his own right along with a few other Italian Horror directors popular at the time along with the likes of Mario Bava and Dario Argento as masters of the craft. Unlike most Giallo's this one is set in the U.S. obviously as New York is terrorized by a Jack the Ripper clone who is killing women through the city. the film opens with a man walking his dog and playing fetch when the pup finds a severed hand in some bushes. After the findings Lt. Fred Williams is put on the case. After the first remains are found the killing spree hits full stride as A woman is cycling and after an altercation with a asshole after accidentally scratching his car she goes onto a ferry boat where she finds his car and writes Shit on his windshield, Along her way she is followed by someone and eventually caught in the car port, While she tries to escape she sis gutted in brutal fashion before the boat docks. After her body is found it becomes apparent that the killings are connected due to the fashion of the murders which lead Williams to believe the killer is quite intelligent making precise cuts with near surgical precision. While investigating he finds that the woman received a phone call before leaving her house from someone talking with a cartoon duck voice, shortly after hearing this development Lt. Williams gets a call himself from the same voice ridiculing Williams and alerting him that there will indeed be more bloodshed in the near future.

                                                               Bored to Death?

After the call we see a man who is missing two fingers on his right hand named Mickey Cellanda going to a live sex show and while there he sees a woman who is a voyeur masturbating near by. After the show one of the female performers hits the dressing room and is killed with a broken bottle being shoved in her Vagina. Although the style is not similar to the previous killings Lt. Williams is informed by a Psychologist Dr. Davis that the murder is indeed connected.We then see Jane the woman from the theater hitting bars looking for thrills and she comes across a man with a sizable bulge in his pants and he molests her underneath the table before she flees feeling violated, later that night A young woman Fay is on a train and is approached by the creepy Cellenda and after she is cornered by him she escapes into the nearest station before being caught and attacked but lucky for her she survives the attack and awakes in a hospital after having a nightmare of her boyfriend Peter being the assailant.Fay is questioned about the attack and she leads the officer to believe Cellenda is the suspect. While Police comb the streets looking for the suspect, Cellenda is seen going into a hotel with Jane and he ties her up for some rough play,  before a radio D.J. is heard speaking of the suspect with missing fingers. Jane startled by this news attempts to free herself while Mickey sleeps and as she makes her way into the hall of the hotel she is murdered.

                                          Ah, 42nd Street in it's prime, Live Cinemax shows

                                                 I hear you can get drunk faster this way

                                                        Another Awkward Bart Ride

Lt. Williams arrives at Cellenda's house searching for evidence and all they officers find is drug paraphernalia and a bunch of smut. Shortly after the search Williams receives another call from the killer , Police trace the call to a phone booth at a near by pier. Upon arrival all the cops find is a device that forwards the call and the killer tells Williams he is with Lt. Williams hooker friend and he begins to carve her up as the police make their way to the scene. They show up too late only too find the young lady carved up in brutal fashion, as the killer went to town on her with a razor blade in a very graphic scene. After we see Fay is released from the hospital and is moving in with her boyfriend Peter. Later that night Peter heads out to run errands and leaves her alone in the house. Soon someone is stalking her from outside and it is Cellenda who sneaks in to attack Fay, Lucky for her Peter shows up just in time and Cellenda quickly makes his escape.Lt. Williams is informed of the new developments and the search for Cellenda continues.

                                                            Another Botched Tit Job

                                              Sale on Lasik Eye Surgery at Highland Hospital

Then a wrench is thrown in the investigation as Cellenda's body is found dead , So the case is back to square one with their prime suspect out of the picture. Dr. Davis starts to believe it could be Fay that is behind the slaying, and Williams is ahead of him as he has undercover officers following her all day. Fay visits a hospital where Peter apparently has a ill daughter he has been keeping secret, When she returns home the killer calls the house, and in a twist scene it is hard to tell weither Fay is making the call or if it is Peter, as they both were on the line at the same time. I would go further into the film but at this point to say anymore would spoil a pretty decent twist ending so I will leave the synopsis at that.

                                                           Frankenstein is the culprit

New York Ripper is a very well made crime Drama with some great gore scenes to spice it up. The film is similar to Maniac which is a good thing in my book although I do like Maniac a bit more. The Donald Duck Voice for the killer is a bit strange but it works and never comes off as goofy although it easily could. The entire films does a good job of making you think you know who the killer is all the way up to the end with the twists and then keeps you guessing until the films closing moments. fans of murder mysteries will enjoy this one for the story and plot devices and fans of horror will get a kick out of it due to the graphic gore set pieces. Definitely a film worth watching and for those interested in getting into the giallo sub genre I would highly recommend this one as a starting point as it never really dulls down as many Giallo's tend to. Fulci scores big with this one in my book and That is not too much of a surprise as he is a incredibly talented director.
Gore:7
Nudity:6
Story:7
Characters:6
Overall: 7 out of 10