A few thoughts: One of Hammer's more surprisingly underappreciated films of the 1970s, this story about the twisted spawn of Jack the Ripper is both beautiful to look at and horrifically violent at the same time. Even more than is normal of the gothic horrors of this studio, the set design and costuming in this film is terrific, and it all looks especially wonderful thanks to the lighting and cinematography which features excellent use of sweeping shots and heavy shadow. The blood is, of course, bright red and plentiful -- it may be overly dramatic and theatrical, but such is the style of these films. The moral ambiguity of the characters create an odd and upsetting atmosphere, making it both difficult to predict and hard to decide who is the actual protagonist within the story. Since this isn't a sequel, the story never feels like a rehash of anything in spite of its "daughter of something evil" set up. It's a familiar kind of story, but not one I can recall ever seeing before in this incarnation. It may not be the most revolutionary film ever produced by Hammer, but does stand as one of the best they made during the tail end of their heyday.
Fans of gothic horror -- especially of the variety that borders on slasher material.
My grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment