chronological guide to jack the ripper movies & tv
He was the first mass media serial killer. Thanks to the telegraph, people as far afield as North America, continental Europe, and the Southern Hemisphere could read about the Whitechapel murders while the blood still stained the pavement. The unsolved killings became an international sensation. Then as the years dragged on, and the case remained unsolved, an entire mythos sprang up around the killings – a mythos which has been explored, almost endlessly, in popular culture.
This section of the Filmguide lists 38 (yes, 38!) Jack the Ripper movies and television episodes, from 1917 to 2001. Popular culture’s second-most prominent serial killer—Ed Gein—has inspired only 7 film productions over the past 48 years. Yes, 2 of Gein’s are classics (Psycho, Silence of the Lambs). But the Ripper still reigns over serial killer cinema. Hollywood and European filmmakers have been producing cinema about the “Whitechapel fiend” ever since the middle of the Silent Era!
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guide to faux rippers, false sightings, copycats
In addition, we provide a listing of 18 productions which are about other Rippers… or which have been confused with films about Jack… or which exploit a part, or all, of his tradename for marketing purposes… or which deal with a copycat.
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ripper types in film & television
Since police never caught the Ripper, he provides fertile ground for cinema – from Eurotrash to classy costume dramas; from supernatural horror to Jack in outer space. These productions can have Sherlock Holmes hot on the killer’s trail, or a kindly Dr. Jekyll turning himself in to…
Have fun with the variety of categories. And don’t be surprised with the many multiple listings.
