Lo squartatore di New York (1982)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Gianfranco Clerici (writer)
Lucio Fulci (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 1982 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

New York City: It's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to die there!

Plot:

A burned-out New York police detective teams up with a college psychoanalyst to track down a vicious serial killer randomly stalking and killing various young women around the city.

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Killing | City | Detective | New York

Cast

Jack Hedley	...	Lt. Fred Williams
Almanta Suska	...	Fay Majors (as Almanta Keller)
Howard Ross	...	Mickey Scellenda
Andrea Occhipinti	...	Peter Bunch (as Andrew Painter)
Alexandra Delli Colli	...	Jane Forrester Lodge
Paolo Malco	...	Dr. Paul Davis
Cinzia de Ponti	...	Rosie (ferry victim)
Cosimo Cinieri	...	Dr. Lodge (as Laurence Welles)
Daniela Doria	...	Kitty (prostitute)
Babette New	...	Mrs. Weissburger
Zora Kerova	...	Eva (sex show performer) (as Zora Kerowa)
Paul E. Guskin	...	Desk sergeant (as Paul Guskin)
Antone Pagan	...	Morales (as Anthon Kagan)
Josh Cruze	...	Chico (as Johs Cruze)
Marsha MacBride	...	Policewoman

Also Known As:

New York Ripper (USA) (video title)
Psycho Ripper
The New York Ripper
The Ripper

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:89 min | USA:85 min | USA:93 min (director's cut) | Finland:80 min (cut) (video version) (1989)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (1982) (1985) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (heavily cut) (1985) | Australia:R (2005) (re-rating) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (uncut) (2007) | Sweden:15 (uncut) (video release) | Germany:(Banned) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (self applied) (2007) | France:-16 | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:(Banned) | UK:(Banned) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Fulvia Film

Trivia:

The lead role was originally offered to Catriona MacColl who had previously starred in director Lucio Fulci's Paura nella città dei morti viventi (1980), E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà (1981), and Quella villa accanto al cimitero (1981). She was apparently a little suspicious and turned the offer down. It would have been her second time appearing with Paolo Malco.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Last fighting scene -- obvious fake head when it is shot at.

Quotes:

Lt. Fred Williams: Well, if it isn't the big chief person himself.
Chief of Police: Hello, Fred. I need to talk to you and it's kind of hush-hush. Is there anywhere private where we can talk?
Lt. Fred Williams: Sure. How about the church across the street?

Movie Connections:

References Tian xia di yi quan (1972)

"Overall, it was a good, efficient butchery."

There's not much need to go into detail on the plot. Simply put, The New York Ripper is the story of a mad killer with a penchant for slashing young woman and harassing the police with his duck-like voice. That's really all you need to know.

The New York Ripper is Lucio Fulci's latter day ultra-violent take on the Giallo. When I say ultra-violent, I mean ULTRA-violent. If you're a fan of Fulci-style gore, there's surely something here for you. There's one scene where a girl's eye meets a razor that's particularly nasty and particularly difficult to watch. And, if you're a fan of Fulci-style sleaze, there's surely something here for you also. While I won't go as far as some reviewers and call it pornographic, there are a variety of sexual perversions on display. But it's not all blood and sex. Fulci actually manages to create a few scenes with real tension. There are moments where you know that killer is about to strike, but the anticipation Fulci builds in the audience is quite good.

Unfortunately, there are problems I have with the film. I'll limit this to two examples. First, the resolution of the mystery is a real letdown. The killer's identity is far too easy to guess. Fulci telegraphs the answer form the opening moments of the film. Second, Gialli often ask the viewer to suspend reality to accept various plot points, but the final scenes in The New York Ripper cross the line into ridiculousness and really hurts the overall film. I'm certainly no expert, but I sincerely doubt that all the psychological babble made any real sense to anyone.