Basically everything in my life revolves around The Room. (For those of you not in the know, that is the name of writer/director/star Tommy Wiseau's 2003 cult classic film. It's in the "so-bad-it's-good" category - I think it totally transcends that simple categorization, but that's a discussion for another time.) But I really cannot watch any other movie without comparing shots/lines/characters from it to The Room. It is my curse. A Room line that wasn't spoken in The New York Ripper, but was constantly front and center in my mind was "He is a Hateful Man!" It's in regards to director Lucio Fulci, because, man - as far as sexual violence goes, this was a rough one.
I've heard a lot on DVD extras about Fulci - saying he's kind of a big asshole and that he hates women. (Although it's never the person being interviewed that voices these opinions - it's always second hand "he has a reputation for..." The person being interviewed always likes him.) It's almost like this film is some sort of response to that criticism - "oh yeah? You think I hate women? I'll show you!" This movie is just flat out mean. Think of any body part that represents women & sexuality, and chances are it is graphically mutilated in The New York Ripper. Is it supposed to be provocative? Sleazy? Perversely enjoyable? I suppose it depends what you bring to the table as a viewer.
In fact, in doing research for my last review (the WNUF Halloween Special) I found a Vice article citing four late-70's/early-80's youtube clips - claiming these were where he realized as a teenager he should probably stop watching horror movies because the violence against women would be bad for the adolescent mind. Two of the four were Fulci - one Argento. Go Italy!
All that being said - I feel like kind of an asshole, but I liked it. It's definitely not a fun (although it has some slasher elements that could be fun in other hands - first person stalking shots, graphic kills). If you know anyone that would cheer for the killer here, please cut them out of your life immediately. The New York Ripper is legitimately disturbing. But there is no denying that it's strong filmmaking.
The New York Ripper is about a serial killer stalking the streets of New York, and the cop who is after him. He's the type of serial killer that taunts the police over the phone. A couple of things really set this killer apart: (1) the afore mentioned sexual violence, and (2) he talks in a crazy duck/quacking voice - when he's talking to the police *and* when he's killing his victims. It sounds lame, but in execution it's really quite chilling. Some movies have trouble making their bad guys seem seriously unhinged, but as odd as it sounds, the duck quacking here does the trick. The second half of the film zeroes in on one victim who managed to escape the Ripper once - will she be lucky enough to escape the next time he goes after her? Why is she being targeted? Tune in next time to find out!
The big star here is the filmmaking - looking back (having watched several other movies before getting to writing this blog entry), the main thing I remember is the mood and the set pieces. After the first kill - and just the vibe of the movie in general - you know that really nothing is off limits. There is this pervasive threat of nastiness that hovers over the whole thing. Even the cop (technically our hero) is an asshole, and the psychiatrist who is helping him out is kind of a pompous jerk too. I don't think there is even anyone to really like until the victim that escapes from the Ripper half-way through the movie... and even then, things may be more than they seem.
The sleazy New York setting plays into the "anything goes" vibe. Seeing the seedy late 70's/early-80's Times Square is always awesome, and I only really see it in horror-films of this era. It almost seems like another planet. Also, I learned that if you go to a live sex show, you should applaud when the act is done - I wouldn't have guessed.
The kill scenes are all pretty damned graphic (my notes have "gross" and "OOF" in them a couple of times), but always visually interesting. Whether it is in a darkened alley (playing with the shadows) or a neon-lit hotel room (playing with the colors), Fulci definitely has an eye for filming violent scenes in interesting ways.
Nothing really stuck out as bad - the acting was fine across the board, although there is a little "real-life" pity-factor going on for some of the Ripper's victims. It's definitely got the "charm" of an early 80's Italian horror flick too - the dubious dubbing, blunt dialogue, and groovy soundtrack. So if you're into that sort of thing and have a strong stomach, it's worth a watch. Ultimately, The New York Ripper served as a good reminder that there was stuff put out in the early 80s that is just as disturbing as anything that came out of the so-called torture-porn movement of the 2000s.
I would consider the type of relationship we have. If you know I am not in fact a misogynistic a-hole, and I know you are into this sort of thing, I would recommend this movie.
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