A dog discovers a severed hand in ol’ Manhattan town, and because this isn’t a Hanna-Barbera cartoon doesn’t immediately take on solving the murder mystery.
Nope, that task falls on the world weary, prostitute fuckin’ shoulders of Lt. Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) who joins forces with psychoanalyst Dr. Paul Davis (Paolo Malco) to try and solve the case…and their asses better make like Sherlock Holmes toot-fucking-sweet ‘cuz the body count is getting rather high, as our duck-quacking psychopath carves up the ladies of The Big Apple like a Thanksgiving turkey!
Holy hell is this one full-on sleazy, gory masterpiece boils n’ ghouls! Under he steady hand of maestro of mayhem, the legendary Lucio Fulci (who naturally makes a cameo in the film as well as the Chief of Police), The New York Ripper is a tale filled to the beastly brim with live sex shows, gallons of vivid crimson blood, even more naked flesh, brutal violence, toe-banging…and plenty more bang for your hard-earned dough! It’s also bleak, cruel, and filled with red-herrings and twist after twist as our heroes try desperately to identify the killer.
Adding to aesthetics is the grimy nightmare that was early 1980’s New York City…the place was a graffiti covered, dilapidated hellscape, and the fact that ol’ Lucio filmed there for a lengthier time than usual (Did he actually have permits this time? I’d say “no”…or even “fuck no”, but maybe the special features will shed more light on that) really enhances the film’s vibe exponentially!
Speaking of which; this Blu-ray release from Blue Underground has it’s fair share of them! Beyond the fact that the film boasts a gorgeous 4K restoration sourced from the uncensored original camera negative, we also get a brand new audio commentary courtesy of author and Fulci expert Troy Howarth. This is a lively and info-packed listen, and really enhances the viewing experience!
Following that we get all new interviews with Co-Writer Dardano Sacchetti, Actors Howard Ross (who has absolutely no problem describing how horny he was while working on the picture), Cinzia de Ponti, Zora Kerova (we actually get two conversations with her as an archival interview from 2009 is included as well), Author and Fulci expert Stephen Thrower, and Poster Artist Enzo Sciotti.
Bringing up the rear we have a tour of the film’s locations as they appear today (or more precisely in 2009 when this segment was produced), the film’s theatrical trailer, and a poster and still gallery. Also included are a DVD version of the film, and the picture’s soundtrack by Francesco De Masi on a separate CD.
The absolute epitome of a grindhouse film through and through, The New York Ripper is a symphony of sleaze that marries sex and violence in ways you never thought possible, and deserves a place in the collection of every exploitation fanatic!
