Jack the Ripper 4K 1976

Klaus Kinski as a psychopathic killer is always a sight to behold, especially when chaos reigns. Jack the Ripper (1976) is a typical exploitation horror film by Jesús Franco, in which a respected physician named Dr. Eckman (Claus Kinski) hides a dark secret: he is Jack the Ripper, taking revenge on prostitutes for his brutal childhood and his mother, who was a prostitute. The film shocks with graphic murders involving dismemberment, nudity, and sex, but the atmosphere of 1888 London is lost in the low budget, odd editing, and psychedelic interludes.

Opinion
Kinski is in his element here a maniac with a mad look in his eyes who carries the entire film on his own, but Franco doesn’t bother with plot or logic: the police investigations are pointless, the characters are two-dimensional, and the typical Freudian motif (the prostitute mother) is served up in a deliberately over-the-top manner. A must-see for fans of exploitation and Kinski, but don’t expect a coherent thriller.

What Works
The strengths lie in the gore and eroticism: the knife-and-guts murder scenes are brutal for the ’70s, plus the nudity of Josephine Chaplin and other actresses. Kinski overacts, but that’s a plus for this genre. The 4K release from Cauldron Films promises to reveal details in the violence and foggy London.

Verdict
Cult exploitation nonsense for fans of Franco and Kinski, but for everyone else boring and chaotic. IMDb-style: 5.3/10 Kinski saves it from a total flop