Famously banned outright in 1984 by the then Secretary of the British Board of Classification, James Ferman (who ordered all prints of the film to be escorted by police to the airport and removed from the country without ever being screened), the film, today, is every bit as vile and shocking as the stories surrounding it would lead you to believe.
Popular British actor Jack Hedley (For Your Eyes Only; Colditz) stars as Lieutenant Williams, a jaded New York cop assigned to investigate a series of brutal murders perpetrated by a serial killer with a penchant for slicing up sexually active (and attractive) women while taunting them in a Donald Duck voice. With no leads to follow except for the likelihood that the suspect is male and left-handed, Williams consults a local university psychoanalyst in the hope of building up a more detailed profile of the madman.
Shortly afterwards, the detective gets a big break when the latest victim, Fay Majors (Almanta Keller), survives an attack on her and is able to give a detailed description of the man she believes was responsible. But Williams' luck changes for the worse when it becomes apparent that the killer is always one step ahead of him, tracking his movements and constantly aware of his whereabouts. The investigation reaches a crisis point when Williams is mocked by being forced to listen to the slaying of Kitty (Daniela Doria), a hooker he has recently been seeing, and the mutilated body of the suspect identified by Fay is discovered. Just as the case appears to be impossible to crack, Fay makes a shocking discovery...
New York Ripper, the most notorious shocker from director Lucio Fulci (The Beyond; City Of The Living Dead), comes to Blu-ray on 27th June 2011 rebuilt with previously missing scenes that make it the longest and most complete version of the film ever seen in the UK at the RRP of £19.99. And, in another first, the disc comes not in your usual run-of-the-mill Blu-ray case but in an eye-catching, Shameless Screen Entertainment exclusive, bright lemon "Yell-o-ray" case.
Featuring English, Italian and Spanish 2.0 DTS HD and Dolby 2.0 audio options and optional English subtitles, plus the following extras:
- Feature introduction by Antonella Fulci, daughter of Lucio Fulci and curator of his work;
- Beyond Fake Blood – exclusive interview with Antonella Fulci and writer Dardano Sacchetti;
- Collectors' booklet adapted by Stephen Thrower from his definitive book, Beyond Terror, The Films Of Lucio Fulci.
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