THE NEW YORK RIPPER

Director: Lucio Fulci

Starring: Jack Hedley, Almanta Keller, Howard Ross

A cop hunts for a sadistic serial killer.

Fulci’s 1982 symphony of brutality Lo Squartatore di New York marked a return to the giallo genre for the director, and resulted in a film that even his most loyal supporters have trouble in defending against accusations of misogyny. The movie, which  features Colditz star Jack Hedley, is a pretty squalid film, but not one entirely without merit. If nothing else it marks the most extreme example of the genre.

Anchor Bay’s 16:9-enhanced disc contains a letterboxed (2.35:1) transfer of the film taken from a very clean source, with strong vivid colours. The sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0, not that it helps a very poor mix, with atrocious dubbing. (Hedley’s own fine speaking voice is replaced with a stereotypical Brooklyn burr). The disc comes with a theatrical trailer, and a potted Fulci biography. Anchor Bay’s disc makes a definitive, top-quality version of the film widely available, but its fearsome reputation as a bona fide Video Nasty – not helped by a “Uncensored Classic” sticker on the DVD box – might continue to make it difficult to acquire.