HANDS OF THE RIPPER: HEREDITARY ISSUES

In writing about COUNTESS DRACULA I talked about how Hammer films was one of the mainstays of horror during the sixties while growing up. While its impact lessened in the seventies it didn’t stop them from still trying to release horror films to a fan base eager to see what was coming. A change over in leadership did them more damage than good but they still brought out films that the public was going to, just not in the numbers they once were. That’s sad because the product they were releasing was actually quite good.

HANDS OF THE RIPPER is one of those movies. It could have languished on the shelf with no one recalling it or taking time to view it ever again but thanks to Synapse Films the movie was brought out on blu-ray and not only looks great but includes several extras that fans will enjoy. The care with which Synapse has taken to make sure the film exists for fans should be applauded and makes one wish they were handling all Hammer titles.

HANDS OF THE RIPPER opens with Jack the Ripper on the run, avoiding a frenzied groups of street people armed with torches by ducking into his home. There his wife realizes that he is indeed the Ripper and he to silence her she becomes his next victim, all in view of his young daughter sitting in her bed.

Fifteen years pass and the girl has grown, now being looked after by Mrs. Golding (Dora Bryan), a fake medium bilking people of their money by pretending to talk to their deceased loved ones when in actuality it’s the young girl Anna (Angharad Rees) hiding nearby. At the latest séance she is conducting are two prominent citizens, Dr. Pritchard (Eric Porter) along with his son and politician Dysart (Derek Godfrey). Leaving afterwards Pritchard comments to his son that the woman is a charlatan, sets him off in a cab and waits for his own.

In the house we find that Mrs. Golding uses Anna for more than just voices when she offers the girl to a well paying Dysart. When he shows her a necklace he’s brought the sparkles hit the light just right and send the girl into a trance. When Mrs. Golding comes in to help the upset Dysart, Anna kills her and Dysart goes running. Pritchard sees him leave the house, enters and finds the young girl near catatonic and Golding impaled to the door.

Taking her under his wing Pritchard decides to try and cure the girl using the new methodology of psychoanalysis brought about by someone called Freud. Taking her into his home he sets her up in her own room as his son and his blind fiancé arrive. She is to stay in the home as well.

As Anna prepares bathe and dress to meet the doctor, his son and fiancé at the restaurant the handmaid assisting her goes to put on a necklace left for her to wear. The baubles sparkle, she enters her trance like state and kills the woman. When Pritchard arrives home to find what has happened he covers up the murder, still intent on helping the girl.

The movie progresses like this, with the bloodline of Jack the Ripper stuck firmly in the girl’s mind due to what she witnessed as a child. Pritchard continues to attempt to help her while the police begin looking for the killer on the loose. It all ends with a satisfying finish that brings everyone into the fold.

What surprised me most about the film is something I noticed while watching COUNTESS DRACULA. The film stands on its own, not as a horror film but as a solid drama with undertones of horror. No one would guess that from the ad campaign the film employed but the production values on this film rank up there with any major studio at the time. It’s a period piece that rivals many larger budgeted films. The cinematography is wonderful here, the acting well done by every single player on screen and the direction well handled.  Except for the fact that blood is spilled non-horror fans would find this an enjoyable film as well.

As I said Synapse has done a wonderful job with this. Not only does the film look amazing it includes those extras I mentioned. Those include “The Devil’s Bloody Plaything: Possessed by Hands of the Ripper” a featurette on the film, “Slaughter of Innocence: The Evolution of Hammer Gore” a motion still gallery showing the progression of the gore found in Hammer films from their earlier items through their later ones, the U.S. Television introduction to the film, the original theatrical trailer and TV spots, “Hands of the Ripper” motion still gallery and an isolated music and effects audio track. That this many extras could be found speaks well of Synapse. They strive to offer not just the best version of the film to be found but bonuses that are worth watching as well.

As I said before I wish Synapse was handling more of these classic Hammer films. With so many still unavailable let’s hope that it happens.

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VAMPIRE CIRCUS: NO CLOWING AROUND

I can remember the first time I ever saw VAMPIRE CIRCUS. It was a dusk till dawn screening around Halloween and it was the last film being shown out of I think four movies that night. I’d never seen the film before but had heard it was from Hammer and that was all it took to convince me we had to see it. My friends and I went and I remember thinking how good the film was. I’d never had a chance to see the film again until recently when I picked up a copy from Synapse Films. With the stellar offerings they’d presented before I knew I’d be in good hands. I wasn’t disappointed.

The one thing I was surprised by was the amount of eroticism in the film as well as the amount of blood. Could it have been this was my first exposure to gore in horror films? Or was the version I saw the watered down version and this my first time seeing the film as it was originally shot? I can’t say for certain but it remains a good movie.

The film opens with Jenny, a young child, being escorted to a nearby castle by Anna (Domini Blythe) the wife of local schoolmaster Albert Muller (Laurence Payne) who follows trying to stop her. He fails and the young girl is presented to the evil Count Mitterhaus (Robert Tayman) who immediately drains her of blood before bedding down Anna. Returning with the local villagers as well as Jenny’s father and the Burgermeister. They break in to find the girl’s body and the count aloof and uncaring. When asked what he’s done with Muller’s wife he responds “Nothing she didn’t want me to”. Captured by the villagers and staked through the heart he swears vengeance on them all and their children before dying. They blow up the castle, Anna left inside along with the Count, before leaving.

Years pass, their children grow up and the town is now the victim of the plague. Cut off from the rest of the world many believe it is the vengeance of the count but the local doctor insists it is just the plague and sets out to bypass the guards along the road to get help and medicine. While he’s gone a circus comes to town promising delights to take people’s minds off of their troubles.

But the circus is merely a front for kin to the disposed count there to resurrect him using the blood of the children of the townspeople. While performing a tiger transforms into a body painted woman writhing about in ecstasy while her tamer cracks his whip, tumblers transform into bats flying above the crowd and back again before landing and a panther changes into a gypsy prince. All of this is used to lure the young children to check out things behind tents and for those who are older to seduce them and take them to the castle remnants.

As members of the village begin to realize what is actually taking place it may be too late. Children are murdered drained of blood, villagers attempt to leave only to be mauled by the panther and those older children who were seduced fall into bed with the enemy. It will take the village elders to muster the support they need to rid the town of the plague of vampires that now hold them hostage as they attempt to being Count Mitterhaus back.

For a movie made in 1972 the first striking thing is the amount of gore and nudity in the film. I know much of this had to have been removed from the version I saw because, as is noted on IMDB, the film only had a PG rating. That still didn’t prevent certain images from being seen like the body painted tiger woman. In watching Synapse version much more makes sense with the added images of vampires and women in seductive trysts.

But it’s not just the amount of nudity now found but the gore as well. That I actually can’t recall if it was included in that old version or not. But here we have plenty of brightly colored red blood spilled and on view as well as dismembered and mauled bodies. There are also several well done impalements with the most notable being a huge church cross.

One thing of note that makes this film different from two other Hammer titles released by Synapse is that this movie is definitely a horror film. While both COUNTESS DRACULA and HANDS OF THE RIPPER might be seen as drama pieces, this one is riddled with long fangs and blood gouged necks aplenty so that there is no mistaking it for anything but a horror film. And for horror fans that’s a good thing.

The movie holds up after all this time since seeing it over 40 odd years ago. The music is still eerily creepy, the vampires devoid of all morality and the circus has an almost surreal feel to it that makes you uneasy while watching the performances. The acting in the film along with everything from set design to costumes to makeup to directing combines to tell a tale that doesn’t feel watered down or old. It’s a solid horror film all the way.

As with their other Hammer releases Synapse has outdone themselves on this one when it comes to extras as well as presenting the film in 1080p high definition. They include “The Bloodiest Show On Earth: The Making of Vampire Circus” an all-new documentary with interviews of people like director Joe Dante, actor David Prowse who plays a strongman in the circus and more, “Gallery of Grotesqueries: A Brief History of Circus Horrors” a retrospective on circus/carnival themed horror films, “Visiting the House of Hammer” a retrospective on Britain’s popular horror magazine of the same name with author Philip Nutman, an interactive comic book of the movie with artwork by Brian Bolland, a poster and stills gallery and the original theatrical trailer.

If you’ve not seen the film this is your chance to see it in the best format possible. If you’re a horror fan it is a must have for your collection. Synapse shines once more with the release of a movie from Hammer making you wish they’d have access to more.

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THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD: COLLEGIATE SLASHING

If nothing else for horror fans the term slasher took on a whole new meaning in the eighties. Launched by films like HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13^TH in the last part of the seventies, the next decade saw tons of follow up movies and genre rip offs hit the screens not just at drive-ins but theaters as well. Almost all of these movies made money and cost little to produce. And some even made a reputation for themselves as much as for what wasn’t seen as what was. THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is a case in point.

The story follows four students who remain behind over Christmas break to help close down a dorm that’s been scheduled for demolition. Led by Joanne (Laura Lapinski) their job is to clear out the old furniture, clean out what they can and get things ready over the next two weeks. While doing so they’ll be staying in the dorm and taking care of themselves there.

The group was supposed to have five students but Debbie (Daphne Zuniga) received a call from her parents saying they were taking her with them on vacation. While looking for an inventory list she misplaced her parents show. Impatient while waiting, her father goes looking for her only to confront a mysterious figure we saw kill someone in the opening of the film who then smashes his head in with a spike loaded baseball bat. The same killer disposes of Debbie’s mother and when Debbie finds her father’s body does the same with her.

The four remaining members have no clue what has happened. The next day they see a derelict named John Hemmit going through the dumpster. He creeps out the girls so the guys threaten him to get out of the area. Could it be he is the mysterious figure?

Also helping the students out is maintenance man Bill who complains when his drill is taken from his tool kit. Of course this is foreshadowing and we know that Bill will eventually be disposed of by the killer using said drill. This takes place onscreen and we see the drill enter the back of Bill’s skull.

Another potential suspect is added to the list in the form of Bobby Lee Tremble, a local salesman who is buying the used desks. He flirts with Joanne and later on leaves his girlfriend at home to go back and try once more. Or is that what he intends?

The body count continues to rack up, false scares are added to keep the movie going forward at various times and the eventual revelation as to who the killer is should not be too surprising for most gorehounds. But that doesn’t prevent the film from being a fun time for fans of the genre. The kills are there, there is less sex than usually found in the film and the clues are presented to all to decipher who the killer is.

The film was made by two UCLA students, Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow, who made a trailer for the film in order to get financing. Their use of unknown actors and locations at UCLA helped make the film seem more realistic than most. What is most surprising is that the cast does a fantastic job here never coming off as amateurs or non-professionals. I was surprised to learn that this was the only film Lapinski ever made as she was the most convincing of the cast.

When released the film gained a certain amount of notoriety. Originally hitting screens under the title PRANKS rather than the director’s title DEATH DORM it didn’t fare well at first. It was later changed to the current THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD and fared much better at the box office. In England it was released as PRANKS as well before being placed on the list of “video nasties” in that country, an official ban on the film based on the violence found in the film. While made in 1982 it wasn’t until 1992 that the film was released in that country.

Critics have not been kind to the film but they miss the point. This movie wasn’t made to offer something new and original to the fans of the genre but to fulfill their need to see the movies they wanted. It also provided a jumping off point for the directing team involved. The cut on display here from Synapse is the original DEATH DORM with all of the original gore they were forced to trim to satisfy the MPAA censors placed back in. With additional scenes, more gore sequences and an alternate sound mix the film was restored from an existing 35mm answer print thought lost for over 30 years. Now fans can see the film as it was intended from the start.

If that weren’t enough to heap praise on Synapse they’ve also compiled some extras to keep fans happy and occupied. They include an audio commentary track with directors Obrow and Carpenter, interviews with composer Christopher Young who scored the film and Matthew Mungle who did the make-up effects, an isolated music score, the original theatrical trailers and a reversible cover with alternate artwork. Not bad for a little known slasher flick made in the eighties.

Horror fans now have the chance to not only see the film as originally intended but to own it as well. It’s a solid little slasher flick that doesn’t bring a lot new to the table but that provides exactly what fans of the genre are looking for. And with the fact that Synapse has done this much to make it appear that much better as well as complete, I’d suggest making sure you pick up a copy.

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