In 1888, the East End of London was the scene of the Jack the Ripper killings. Despite the fact that the Whitechapel Murderer only posed a threat to a small segment of the community in a limited part of London, the crimes had a major influence on society as a whole. Jack the Ripper, whoever he may have been, managed to expose the sordid underbelly of Victorian society and, in so doing, he helped create an awareness amongst the wealthier citizens of London of the appalling social conditions that had been allowed to develope, largely unchecked, right on the doorstep of the City of London, the wealthiest square mile on earth.
Below are several films based on the serial killer Jack The Ripper; you can watch them to learn more about what happened in those days.
1. From Hell (2001)
Director- Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Prostitutes living in London’s destitute and run-down East End are being murdered by a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper in 1888. Inspector Frederick Abberline and Sergeant Peter Godley of Scotland Yard investigate the heinous murders. The evidence implies that the killer had some medical expertise. But other people are sceptical of the idea that a man of education and social standing could be involved in such crimes. Abberline is guided by drug-induced visions he gets from smoking opium or drinking absinthe. But as the investigation progresses, he discovers linkages between the nobility, the Freemasons, Scotland Yard’s high levels, and the medical profession. For Abberline, he develops feelings for the lovely Mary Kelly, who may or may not be the Ripper’s final victim.
2. Jack the Ripper (1959)
Director- Sebastian Niemann
Jack the Ripper is on a murderous spree in 1888. Inspector O’Neill is delighted to welcome back to London his old buddy Sam Lowry, a New York City detective who has come to see him and is eager to assist with the investigation. Sam develops feelings for Anne Ford, a modern woman for her time, but her guardian, Dr. Tranter, isn’t so sure. When the Jack the Ripper killings occur, the good doctor appears to be absent. The police gradually closing in on the killer as the community loses interest in taking the law into their own hands.
3. Murder By Decree (1979)
Director- Bob Clark
Sherlock Holmes gets lured into the murders of prostitutes in London’s East End by Jack the Ripper. Holmes discovers that the deaths may be linked to a Royal indiscretion and that a cover-up is being orchestrated by politicians at the highest levels, all of whom are Masons, with the help of Dr. Watson and information provided by a prominent psychic, Robert Lees. Homes must race against time to free Annie Crook, who has been detained forcibly in a mad asylum, and her friend Mary Kelly, to whom she has entrusted her secret.
4. A Study in Terror (1965)
Director- James Hill
Jack the Ripper is on the run in London’s Whitechapel neighbourhood, killing prostitutes, and Sherlock Holmes is on the job, aided by his buddy Dr. John H. Watson. Holmes deduces from the pathologist’s results that the man had medical training, most likely as a surgeon. Various clues lead him to the son of an aristocracy who was studying medicine when he married a prostitute and then vanished. Dr. Murray, an avowed Socialist who works part-time as a Police physician, does his utmost to offer the basic necessities of life to London’s impoverished and needy, and his research leads him to a local street mission for the underprivileged. Dr. Murray, his assistant Sally Young, and Max Steiner, a bar owner and pimp, are among the suspects Holmes quickly compiles. The killer’s identity is revealed in the inevitable final encounter.
5. Pandora’s box (1929)
Director- G.W. Pabst
Lulu is a stunning young woman who seems to be able to seduce any male she comes across. Dr. Ludwig Schön, a wealthy editor, is currently caring for her. But she’s only a toy for him, and he’s engaged to Charlotte, a woman from his own social level. He arranges for Lulu to perform in his son Alwa’s musical revue, and he, too, is smitten by her allure. When Dr. Schön and his fiancée go to the theatre, Lulu puts him in a compromising situation, and the senior Schön feels compelled to marry her, despite the fact that he knows it will damage his career. Dr. Schön approaches his breaking point on his wedding day. However, his actions cost him his life, and Lulu is found guilty of manslaughter. She manages to flee with the help of her old pals, but their journey together is doomed.
6. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
Director-Alfred Hitchcock
In London, a serial murderer known as “the avenger” is killing blonde women. Jonathan Drew, a new lodger, rents a room at Mr. and Mrs. Bounting’s in Bloomsbury. The man has odd habits, such as going out on misty nights and keeping a photo of a blonde girl in his room. Daisy Bounting, the Bountings’ daughter, is a blonde model who is engaged to Joe, a detective. When Joe learns that Bounting suspicions Jonathan, he becomes enraged at the lodger’s flirtation with Daisy and arrests him, suspecting him of being the assassin.
7. Time After Time (1979)
Director- Nicholas Meyer
It’s the year 1893 in London. H.G. Wells, a futurist, believes that the future will bring about a utopian society. He also believes in the concept of time travel. He’s just finished building a time machine, which he’s showing off to a group of sceptics, including surgeon Dr. John Leslie Stevenson. Stevenson is better known to the world as Jack the Ripper, unbeknownst to Wells or anybody else in that circle. Stevenson uses the time machine to escape just as the cops are ready to apprehend him, and Wells is the only one who knows what happened to him. Wells pursues Stevenson, not notifying anybody save his obedient housekeeper, in order to apprehend him and bring him back to face justice. The year is 1979, and Stevenson is in San Francisco.
Wells is disappointed to discover that the future is not the utopia he had predicted. However, Wells is also picked up by Amy Robbins, a young woman. While Wells and Amy are on the lookout for Stevenson, Stevenson is on the lookout for Wells in order to gain the master key to the time machine. As Stevenson’s deadly ways continue, he will stop at nothing to fulfil his goals, putting Amy in jeopardy.
8. Waxworks (1924)
Director- Paul Leni, Leo Brinski
Three of his models’ stories must be given to the audience by the owner of a wax museum. As a result, he has recruited a writer who, upon seeing the owner’s lovely daughter, immediately begins penning novels about the models, the daughter, and himself. In the first, he is a baker who is married to a girl who is flirting too much with the customers, including the wezir of Sultan Harun Al-Rashid, who has just ordered his execution because the smell from the bakery is drifting into his palace, yet Harun Al-Rashid wants to meet the beautiful girl himself, while an angry baker is trying to get the Sultan’s whishing ring to prove he isn’t a weakling.
Tzar Ivan the Terrible, together with his court-chemist, enjoys seeing people die in the second floor. When he orders the chemist’s execution, the chemist plans a wonderful retaliation, but before it can be carried out, a nobleman is slain, his daughter is kidnapped by Ivan, and her groom is tortured. He falls asleep while writing the third narrative about Jack the Ripper and dreams that he and the girl are being chased by the serial killer.
9. Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
Director- Roy Ward Baker
Dr. Jekyll is a scientist who is working on a treatment for a variety of ailments. He is a timid and introverted man who spends the most of his time working in his laboratory. Professor Robertson, one of his friends, pays him a visit one day and tells him that he will most likely die before completing his studies. Dr. Jekyll decides to investigate a life elixir based on female hormones in order to prolong his life and, as a result, put an end to his profession. He obtains the hormones from female corpses. The elixir’s influence releases his “feminine suppressed half,” and he transforms into Ms. Hyde, an assertive and beautiful woman. When the remains at the municipal morgue run out, Dr. Jekyll begins killing women in order to continue his studies.
10. Razors: The Return of Jack The Ripper (2016)
Director- Karl Ward, Ian Powell
A teenage writer believes she has found the terror’s holy grail: the knives used by Jack the Ripper in his infamous killings. She and five coworkers are attending an intensive workshop hosted by the mysterious screen-writing maestro Richard Wise in a spooky Victorian warehouse with the goal of making the ideal horror picture. However, when the knives go missing, the writers find themselves in a terrifying situation. Who is the Victorian-dressed little girl who haunts their dreams?
Who is it that is murdering them one by one? Is it Ruth, avenging women for the heinous Ripper murders, or one of the other students attempting to make their storey stand out, or is it the spirit of Jack, slowly reassembling himself and becoming stronger with each new murder? The writers must solve the mystery as the warehouse is converted into the Whitechapel of the 1880s through sound and light, or the next death scene they write may be their own.
