Pretty Good

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a not that bad Hammer horror idea dragged down by the dull dialog and deathly slow pacing. The idea itself is a pretty good one, have Jack the Ripper beget another little ripperette, who proves lethal to those unfortunate enough to kiss her. Several bloody killings, prostitutes, and a whispering gallery all contribute to this 4 Star production, making it somewhat less of a snooze-fest than it otherwise would be.

After a splendid opening credit sequence, this hustles along and in the space of the first fifteen minutes we have a had a seance, a gory killing, a suggestion of corruption in high places, child prostitution and the introduction of a blind fiancé. Things do slow down, however, and the film is not afraid to leave loose ends (and bodies) about the place. Eric Porter is effective as the guardian with too much faith in Freud and too much attention on the young girl in his charge. Angharad Rees plays the young child who at times looks disturbingly young although was in reality twenty- seven at the time. By halfway it is clear that this is not going to be an all absorbing and believable story but it does pick up for a splendid finale at St Paul's, though I was still left wondering why we had had the blind fiancé.

The infant daughter of Jack the Ripper is witness to the brutal murder of her mother by her father. Fifteen years later she is a troubled young woman (Angharad Rees) who is seemingly possessed by the spirit of her father.I just finished watching Hammer's "Demons of the Mind" and was rather disappointed, so I decided to watch another Hammer of the same era to wash my palette clean. This was Peter Sasdy's third film for Hammer, following "Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970) and "Countess Dracula" (1971).The use of Freudian psychoanalysis (and the illness of "hysteria") is an interesting touch, particularly considering the age Jack the Ripper's daughter would have been. I also particularly like the men's pointy mustaches.Why do films about killers systematically hunting prostitutes never get old?

Classy, elegant and atmospheric Gothic thriller, based on excellent script by L.W.Davidson and Edward Spencer Shew. Jack the Ripper's daughter murders people in Edwardian London. Sets and colours are rich and gorgeous in true, cozy Hammer Gothic style, and psychotic Anna is fascinating and even sympathetic character: so sweet, so innocent ... and oh, so lethal. There is also nice - and definitely unintended - irony: slimy, hypocritical politician tries to violently rape insane Anna and later yells how only gallows can cure her from criminal insanity. At least Anna is mentally ill. What is HIS excuse? Murders are nasty, but they are genuinely horrifying instead of disgusting and sleazy.