Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

"From Hell. Mr. Lusk. Sir, - I send you half the kidne I took from one woman, prasarved it for you, tother piece I fried and ate it; was very nice. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate while longer. (Signed) 'Catch me when you can.' Mr. Lusk."

I first became interested in the story of Jack the Ripper when I was about 13 and was flipping through books in the library. I found Donald Rumbelow’s The Complete Jack the Ripper and paged through it fascinated. When I came to the picture of Mary Kelly, I was speechless. Never had I seen such gore in my life. Needless to say, my mother was not enthusiastic about my newfound interest in the True Crime genre.

It continued over the years until I reached college and was confronted with choosing a topic for my freshman research paper topic at the University of North Texas. I had to pick a point and prove it. And then, my Ripper interest hit high gear. I discovered another musty copy of Rumbelow’s book, and an article from Life magazine (I believe—this has been 1985, after all) that claimed that Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence (and claimant to the throne!) had committed the murders as punishment for all *hores because he had been given syphilis by a prostitute on a Caribbean excursion. Supposedly, his doctor knew about it, and the doctor’s papers were referred to by a source close to British royalty. However, after his appearance on a British television show, this source suddenly recanted, and the papers disappeared. I claimed in my research paper that the Duke of Clarence was the Ripper, and provided enough information to get an A for my efforts!

Of course, being a Ripper dabbler, I had to go see the Hughes Brothers’ From Hell last weekend. And for the most part, I was pretty impressed.

It treated the subject a bit differently that I had seen in Murder by Decree, Time After Time, or several other Jack the Ripper films. Supposedly, the prostitutes are friends. They group at the Ten Bells pub, and lead squalid lives, as we know already.

However, at the beginning of the film, we see their friend, Anne Crook, holding a baby, and discussing her lover Albert. My ears perked up right then. She is wearing a nicer dress than the rest of them, and obviously was not a prostitute. I figured they would go for the Albert as Jack scenario. Wait…don’t assume anything!

Johnny Depp (Inspector Abberline), is as usual, masterful at whatever he touches. A gorgeous, incredible chameleon. Here he is a laudanum and opium addicted detective who has psychic visions. He has sunk into a nightmare of “chasing the dragon” since his wife died in childbirth two years previously. But he can still flesh out the story behind a crime scene, and he does each one he is confronted with. Robbie Coltrane is his police friend, who constantly has to summon him from his favorite couch at the neighborhood opium den.

One by one, the *hores go down, as expected, and only small clues, like grape clusters, statements about “Juwes” painted on fences, anatomical knowledge, and expired ladies with laudanum breath begin to emerge.

Meanwhile, Anne “disappears,” and Johnny tries to keep Heather Graham (as the unfortunate Mary Kelly) safe. For her acting job, I’d say don’t bother. While Depp can move from one role to another with infinite grace, Graham is laughable as a Whitechapel unfortunate. She says her family came from Ireland, but her accent is noticeably Cockney (or should I say ATTEMPTED Cockney—it drifts like the fog in the streets).

Now the cinematography? That’s something else again. Atmospheric, foreboding, and surreal. Absolutely incredible. The silhouetted views of London against blood red, cloudy skies are amazing. So too is the misty, ethereal vision of the White Chapel, the church for which the area is named. And of course it wouldn’t be Victorian London without the ominous, fog-filled, cobblestoned streets. Especially when they’re dripping with fresh blood.

Remember that the Hughes Brothers directed Dead Presidents. Blood, guts, Vietnam war footage—this movie does not scrimp in the gore department either. Throat slitting is featured, as are stabbing, primitive lobotomies, and plenty of bloody scenery. But a good deal of the violence is shown through shadows, a glinting knife flashing bloody above a silhouette, and sounds that resemble ripping. Your imagination does the rest. That’s what is so scary.

If you think your stomach can handle it, check it out. But don’t do it at a Movie Dinner Grill. You might be rethinking the decision about halfway through!


Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age