Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The New York Ripper 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 24, 2020

Lucio Fulci's "The New York Ripper" (1982) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include various vintage promotional materials for the film; cast and crew interviews; interview with author Stephen Thrower; new audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Travis Crawford and technical credits. In English or Italian, with optional English SDH, English, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Kinky lady

It is neither the crime story nor the graphic violence that make this famous genre film from cult director Lucio Fulci attractive. It is the dark and very creepy atmosphere that permeates it, which is essentially the glue that holds it together as well.

As the title reveals, the film is set in New York City, where a maniac begins killing young women for no apparent reason. A veteran detective named Fred Williams (Jack Hedley) starts digging up for clues that could help the police profile the maniac, but quickly gets frustrated because there does not appear to be a common thread between his victims. However, shortly after Williams passes some of his initial findings to the media he is contacted by a stranger ‘sounding like a duck’, who turns out to be the man he is looking for. Convinced that in addition to a voice disorder his target has some psychological issues, Williams seeks the help of Dr. Paul Davis (Paolo Malco), a brilliant psychotherapist who teaches at Columbia University. While the two men struggle to understand how the maniac’s mind works and predict his next move, more women fall in his deadly net.

The New York Ripper has the reputation of one of the nastiest high-profile gialli, and it is hard not to agree that it is well-deserved. Indeed, virtually all of the killings test the viewer’s tolerance for graphic violence, and because the crime story does not have much depth this quickly becomes the only area where the film does some ‘interesting’ things to impress.

The best material, however, comes during the buildups before the killings. Each of these buildups is unique and Fulci essentially utilizes them as cinematic foreplays that infuse the film with different layers of creepy atmosphere. The more intense the victim’s fear and panic become, the better the atmosphere usually is.

There is a decent dose of old-fashioned European sleaze in the film as well, but it is presented with a mature attitude that again enhances the creepy atmosphere. The best sequence features a frivolous wife played by Alexandra Delli Colli whose unbridled sexual desire pushes her in the hands of a stranger that fits the description of the maniac that Hedley’s detective is tracking down. (This is classic Fulci. To see how the same type of sleazy material can produce an entirely different type of atmosphere, see Mario Gariazzo’s Play Motel, which next to Fulci’s film looks almost like a parody of a genre film).

The performances are something of a mixed-bag. Various sequences where important conversations are held sound very choppy, and the interactions between the actors look like segments from a rehearsal. Elsewhere, there are comedic situations that were either poorly scripted or improvised with time running out. A great example is the sequence from the morgue, where the goofy doctor with the cassette player and his guest are quite simply not on the same page. Fulci’s cameo is of questionable quality as well.

Francesco De Masi’s soundtrack adds an unexpected touch of class to the mayhem. It blends some very cool jazzy tunes and dark and trippy psychedelica, plus a lovely performance by Kiss Kream, a top orchestral rendition of “The Ballad of the Cobra”, and some other goodies.

The New York Ripper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and encoded with HEVC/H.265., The New York Ripper arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The recent 4K restoration of The New York Ripper was first released on Blu-ray in 2019. (You can see our review of this release here). This release is sourced from the same 4K restoration, which now can be experienced in its native resolution.

On my system the 4K presentation excelled in two key areas. The first was the sharpness and overall fluidity of the visuals which now reveal some incredible background nuances. I thought that the 1080p presentation of the restoration looked terrific -- and I still do -- but the consistency of the visuals in native 4K is simply astonishing. To be perfectly clear, I don't think that it is only the higher native resolution that contributes to the difference. On my system I could actually very easily appreciate the better density because of the superior encoding. So, expect to see an overall sharper, tighter, and much better defined presentation of the film. The second area was color reproduction. There are expanded, more easily recognizable and better balanced nuances, which make the vibrancy of the original cinematography that much more impressive. In darker areas shadow definition is also better. I still think that the color scheme on the 1080p presentation looks great, but the lushness of the colors here is unquestionably superior. (A good spot to easily see the difference is the footage around the 19.00.00 mark where the neon lights are on full display). I also thought that some of the very dark footage reveals better depth, but it is quite possible that you must have a larger screen to appreciate the difference. Image stability is outstanding. Incredible presentation.

The New York Ripper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, French Dolby Digital 1.0, and Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English SDH, French, Spanish, and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the new Dolby Atmos track. I thought that the sound was more compact, with very nicely defined dynamic contrasts. However, I would not say that it had a modern vibe, which of course is a positive. This being said, I still think that viewing the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track is a good decision. Honestly, folks, you are in reference territory with both tracks, though if I had to choose one I would pick the new Dolby Atmos mix.

The New York Ripper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for The New York Ripper. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - author and critic Troy Howarth discusses the production of The New York Ripper, its tone and visual style, some of the material in it that is deemed 'controversial', how the film has aged over the years, cult status, the evolution of Lucio Fulci's style, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for The New York Ripper. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - author and critic Troy Howarth discusses the production of The New York Ripper, its tone and visual style, some of the material in it that is deemed 'controversial', how the film has aged over the years, cult status, the evolution of Lucio Fulci's style, etc.

• Featurettes -
  
  1. The Art of Killing - in this video interview, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti recalls some of his initial interactions with Lucio Fulci and discusses his working methods as well as his involvement with The New York Ripper and the film's production process. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (30 min, 1080p).
  
  2. The Fingers of Violence - in this video interview, actor Howard Ross recalls how he was approached by Lucio Fulci and offered the role of Mickey Scellenda, and discusses some of the more explicit/difficult scene that he did in The New York Ripper, including his lovemaking scene with Alexandra Delli Colli. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).
  
  3. The Second Victim - in this video interview, co-star Cinzia de Ponti explains how she entered the film business after becoming Miss Italia and discusses her contribution to The New York Ripper. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min, 1080p).
  
  4. The Broken Bottle Murder - in this video interview, co-star Zora Kerova recalls how she was offered the role of the sex performer and explains how her explicit scene from the adult theater was shot. The actress also addresses Lucio Fulci's personality and working methods. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).
  
  5. "I'm an Actress" - in this video interview, co-star Zora Kerova discusses her early years in Prague and the trouble she and her partner (who was apparently gay) had while shooting the sex scene, as well as her interactions with Lucio Fulci. The actress also mentions the troubles she had with high-ranking communist officials in the former Czechoslovakia after The New York Ripper was released. The interview was conducted in 2009. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080p).
  
  6. The Beauty Killer - in this video interview, Stephen Thrower, author of Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci, discusses the conception of The New York Ripper, the different genre qualities that meet in it, its visual style (and specifically why it is not a misogynistic film), Lucio Fulci's career, and the evolution of the giallo. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).
  
  7. Paint Me Blood Red - in this video interview, poster artist Enzo Sciotti explains how his passion allowed him to enter the film industry and discusses the type of work he did (for various films) over the years, including his contribution to The New York Ripper. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (18 min, 1080p).
  
  8. NYC Locations Then and Now - this featurette highlights some of the key locations from The New York Ripper. The visual comparisons were done in 2009. With music. (5 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - author and critic Troy Howarth discusses the production of The New York Ripper, its tone and visual style, some of the material in it that is deemed 'controversial', how the film has aged over the years, cult status, the evolution of Lucio Fulci's style, etc.

• Poster and Still Gallery - a large collection of original promotional materials for The New York Ripper from around the world. (1080p).

The New York Ripper 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The bigger your screen is, the easier it becomes to appreciate the incredible quality that 4K Blu-ray can deliver. Some of the color explosions in The New York Ripper looked simply astonishing on my system. This is the type of quality that I have not seen even on recent 4K Blu-ray releases of major studio films. The folks at Blue Underground are doing absolutely incredible work at the moment, so let's hope that they have many more similar projects to delight their fans in 2021. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.