HANDS OF THE RIPPER

Bryan, Porter and Rees

HANDS OF THE RIPPER (1971). Director: Peter Sasdy. 

Dr. Pritchard (Eric Porter), who has just begun studying the teachings of Freud, decides to take in a 17-year-old orphan named Anna (Angharad Rees) after her guardian, a medium (Dora Bryan of No Trace), is horribly murdered. Pritchard, who may have ulterior motives for taking in the pretty young thing, makes Anna part of his household, despite the fact that she apparently slaughtered her guardian. Incredibly, Pritchard keeps Anna around as the bloody slayings continue. He later learns that Anna is the daughter of Jack the Ripper! 

Daughter of the Ripper: Angharad Rees

Hands of the Ripper is an exciting, well-acted Hammer horror film with handsome appointments and some very gruesome murder sequences. Rees is perfect casting as the angelic-looking gal who can become quite savage and sadistic at the drop of a hat, and Porter makes an effective shrink with less common sense than most. Marjorie Rhodes is fine as the housekeeper Mrs. Bryant, and there are also excellent performances from Dora Bryan, Margaret Rawlings as another medium, Lynda Baron as the prostitute Long Liz, and especially Derek Godfrey as Dysart, someone who wanted to deflower Anna for cash but is blackmailed by Pritchard into finding out the girl's origins. Keith Bell is Pritchard's son, Michael, and Jane Merrow [The Horror at 37,000 Feet] is his lovely blind fiancee, Laura. There's an excellent climax in the whispering gallery of St. Paul's Cathedral -- or rather a replica of it. Some of the gore was cut in the U.S. to give it an R rating, but this is the uncut version. 

Verdict: Quite classy Hammer horror film. ***. 
 

NO TRACE

Hugh Sinclair

NO TRACE (1950). Director: John Gilling. 

Robert Southley (Hugh Sinclair) is a best-selling mystery writer, radio host, and former actor. Patronizing and chauvinistic, he has a secretary, Linda (Dinah Sheridan), who puts up with him probably because she's in love with him. Inspector MacDougall (John Laurie) doesn't think much of Southley's crime novels, and thinks he should learn more about police procedure. This opportunity presents itself when Southley murders a blackmailer (Michael Brennan), and MacDougall invites him to tag along on their investigation. Southley finds himself in a bit of a sticky wicket, and now Linda is beginning to have suspicions herself ...

No Trace is an entertaining and well-acted British suspense film -- Laurie is especially good in this -- and other cast members include Dora Bryan as the dead-common Maisie, who lives in the same boarding house as the victim, and Barry Morse as Sgt Harrison, who is an assistant to MacDougall and is also sweet on Linda. 13 years later Morse became famous as the policeman hunting David Janssen on the long-running TV series, The Fugitive. You would never have known that Morse was actually an Englishman who emigrated to Canada and eventually got many American roles; he amassed about 150 TV and film credits, and that's not even counting his numerous stage credits. 

Verdict: The acting, a fast-pace, and interesting situations put this over. ***.