Summary
- Jack the Ripper’s mysterious disappearance fuels cinematic fascination, with various adaptations exploring his identity and legacy.
- Sherlock Holmes crosses paths with the Ripper in “A Study in Terror,” blending fact with fiction and setting the stage for future adaptations.
- From horror to satire, Jack the Ripper movies offer diverse interpretations, from Hammer Horror’s supernatural twist to comedic takes like “The Ruling Class.”
One of the most infamous real-life serial killers has been immortalized on the big screen in several Jack the Ripper movies. What makes this particular murderer so popular as a cinematic subject is that he was never caught in real life, and just disappeared one day without a trace – leaving his identity a mystery. Jack the Ripper was a serial killer who terrorized the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. He evaded police despite killing multiple sex workers and performing ghastly mutilations. Over the years, this evil killer’s story has been adapted many times on the small and big screens.
The last documented Jack the Ripper murder took place in 1891, and the movies started coming almost as soon as they became popular in theaters. No less than Alfred Hitchcock directed one of the earliest movies about Jack the Ripper when he was still making silent-era films. His movie, as many others were, was based on the 1913 novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes called The Lodger, which was based on the Whitechapel Murders. Whether a story about the original Jack the Ripper killings, or copycat killers, there are plenty of great Jack the Ripper movies for people interested in this evil historical figure.
Related Penny Dreadful: How Jack The Ripper Connects To The Original Show
The original Penny Dreadful series drew from many elements of Victorian London’s history, including the notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
20 A Study In Terror (1965)
Sherlock Holmes Investigates The Ripper
A Study In Terror leads off the best movies to feature Jack the Ripper because it very much sets the stage for some of the movies that would come after it. It’s here that the idea of blending the real story of the Ripper, and all of the gaps in the knowledge surrounding the killer, with an established fictional character’s narrative truly begins. In this case, that character is Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock investigates a series of deaths when he is anonymously sent a package that turns out to be a set of doctor’s tools with the scalpel missing. He makes it his mission to figure out who Jack the Ripper is as a result. The story isn’t the best here, but the movie does feature some great performances like John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Judi Dench as Sally Young.
The idea that this movie presented though, of Sherlock and the Ripper facing off, is what makes this movie so influential because another movie would take on the same idea – and do it better – less than 15 years later.
19 The Ripper (1997)
A New Theory For The Ripper’s Identity
Movies made for television don’t often get great budgets like theatrical releases from bigger studios do. That means there is less time for the filming schedule and often, less pay for everyone involved as well. Despite seemingly everything working against a made-for-TV-movie making it to air and finding a following, 1997’s The Ripper did. The British movie brought a unique take on Jack the Ripper, one that the royal family probably didn’t love.
In this version of the story, an inspector from a poor background is trying to make a name for himself and better his social standing. While he’s struggling, the Jack the Ripper case ends up in his lap when a woman witnesses the Ripper attacking a woman. He assigns other members of the police force to protect her and investigates, only to find that he suspects the prince of being the Ripper.
While the story itself isn’t drastically different from so many other mysteries involving the Ripper, it’s the suspect that makes it stand out.
18 The Ruling Class (1972)
Peter O’Toole Brings Satire To The Ripper
Most movies that feature a storyline involving Jack the Ripper are mysteries or horror. That is not the case for The Ruling Class. The movie is a British satire and Jack the Ripper isn’t exactly the main character.
Instead, the movie follows Peter O’Toole as he plays Jack Gurney, who becomes the 14th Earl of Gurney, but who his family doesn’t exactly trust to be the head of the family since he is also a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is Jesus Christ. His uncle tries to control his life so that he can eventually take over, but Jack perseveres, marrying, getting a therapist, and even moving beyond the delusion that he is Jesus to believe himself Jack the Ripper.
With his new belief, he takes a violent approach to life and his standing in the House of Lords. It’s a bleak story, but also darkly funny. O’Toole earned critical praise for his work in the movie and he was nominated for an Academy Award. The movie itself received mixed reviews, and there are certainly aspects of it that would not be looked favorably on today, but it’s a drastically different take on bringing Jack the Ripper into the movies.
17 Van Helsing: The London Assignment (2004)
Van Helsing And Jack The Ripper Cross Over With Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
This animated movie is actually a short film rather than a feature-length story. It’s a prequel to Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing movie. Jackman voices the character this time around as well. The short sees Van Helsing travel to London to investigate a series of murders that he believes have supernatural origins. He’s not wrong as the story allows for Jack the Ripper’s actions to play into the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with some supernatural bindings.
Mr. Hyde needs the souls of his victims in order to keep the woman he loves alive, which is what prompts the brutal murders. Van Helsing has to then stop him. This blending of Jack the Ripper with Stevenson’s story has actually been done in a handful of movies made in the past as well, but allowing it to be a part of the Van Helsing lore makes for some fascinating crossover. The short format works in the movie’s favor as there are no meandering plot points to distract the viewers.
16 Time After Time (1979)
Jack The Ripper Time Travels
Time After Time (1979) PGAdventureDramaSci-Fi
Time After Time (1979) is a science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer. It stars Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells, who pursues Jack the Ripper, played by David Warner, through time to modern-day San Francisco using a time machine. The film explores themes of good and evil, juxtaposing the Victorian era with contemporary society. Mary Steenburgen co-stars as Amy Robbins, a museum employee who becomes involved in Wells’ pursuit.
Director Nicholas Meyer Release Date September 28, 1979 Writers Karl Alexander , Steve Hayes , Nicholas Meyer Cast Malcolm McDowell , Mary Steenburgen , David Warner , Charles Cioffi , Kent Williams , Andonia Katsaros , Patti D’Arbanville , James Garrett
Inspired by the novel of the same name, this movie sees writer H.G. Wells as the inventor of a real time machine and the unknowing friend of Jack the Ripper. When his friend is being investigated by police, he steals the time machine to travel to the future and get out of harm’s way. Wells follows to bring him to justice. They end up in 1979, the same year as the book and movie releases, of course.
Time After Time makes for an incredibly fun sci-fi story. It isn’t a mystery because the audience already knows who the killer is, but there are elements of a thriller as Wells is hot on the trail of his former friend and finds the woman he’s drawn to in danger as well. The movie has remained popular in the decades following its release, and there was a 2016 television series developed following the same premise. The show, however, was canceled after only a handful of episodes.
Mary Steenburgen, who plays Amy, the woman who falls in love with H.G. Wells, plays a similar role in
Back to the Future Part III
. Her
Back to the Future
role was created with her in mind because of this movie.
15 Jack The Ripper (1988)
Michael Caine Investigates The Ripper Murders
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There have been several movies simply titled Jack the Ripper and one of them stars cinema icon Michael Caine. The veteran actor starred as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline, the Scotland Yard detective tasked with bringing down the serial killer haunting the streets of London. The movie makes this more of a detective story, with Abberline teaming up with his partner and dealing with a tabloid journalist who seems to be stirring up trouble.
There is even a man arrested, but the authorities covered it up, explaining the change from the real-life mystery. Released in two parts on British television, Jack the Ripper earned an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. It should also be noted that this movie arrived 100 years after the original Jack the Ripper was killing people in London, and that can’t be a coincidence. The film theorized that The Ripper was Sir William Gull, who served as the physician for Queen Victoria, and his crimes were covered up as a result.
DID YOU KNOW:
in real life, the authorities do not know the exact number of Jack the Ripper’s victims. He was never captured, so the official number remained as five women.
14 Jack The Ripper (1976)
Klaus Kinski Is A Doctor Who Is Killing As Jack The Ripper
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A movie titled Jack the Ripper was released in 1976 with the iconic Klaus Kinski starring as the serial killer. Unlike many films about the killings, this one is not about Detective Abberline seeking out the killer. Instead, this is a German thriller about Jack himself, who in this case is a doctornamed Dennis Orloff. Directed by the prolific Spanish filmmaker Jesús Franco, the movie changes a lot of history and has a detective’s girlfriend go undercover to attempt to catch the killer in the act.
In the end, this is a mostly fictional version of the Jack the Ripper case, with the only similarity being that The Ripper is killing people in London during the same era. The movie also tries to explain the Ripper’s actions by making his mother a prostitute and this is his way of paying her back for her abuse. Those fans familiar with Franco’s work might be surprised at the quality of the movie, as he received a much larger budget and it shows here, making this one of his more polished movies.
13 The Phantom Fiend (1932)
A Straight Remake Of An Alfred Hitchcock Movie
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There have been many movies released adapting The Lodger. In 1932, a British thriller based on the novel hit America with the name The Phantom Fiend. The change in title was likely because it hit five years after Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation, and it helped the two movies stand apart. The two movies were also polar opposites with the audiences, as Hitchcock’s silent film was a hit and this movie was a commercial flop.
One reason the movie likely failed is that Hitchcock’s movie was beloved and this was seen as a pale copy.
One reason this likely failed is that Hitchcock’s movie was beloved and this was seen as a pale copy, all the way down to the same actor (Ivor Novello) playing the Lodger, Michael Angeloff, in both movies. In this story, he was never referred to as Jack the Ripper and was instead called The Bosnian Murderer. If anything, the fact that this “talkie” flopped while Hitchcock’s movie was a box office success shows how much Hitchcock meant to a film’s success, as his direction made the story shine through, even without dialogue.
12 The Lodger (1944)
Adapted From The Novel Of The Same Name
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In 1944, The Lodger was adapted for the third time, this time in an American horror movie starring Merle Oberon, George Sanders, and Laird Cregar. This was based on the novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes and was inspired by Jack the Ripper (just as the novel was). As with every version of this story, the killer isn’t Jack the Ripper, but the titular Lodger, played here by Cregar. The story is about a lodger in a London family’s home who also happens to be brutally murdering women in the Whitechapel district.
The serial killer here was called “the lodger” rather than Jack the Ripper since both the movie and novel only used him as an inspiration. That also means the detective chasing the killer changed (George Sanders’ Inspector Warwick) and the victims also changed, although both were still using prostitutes. The movie received mixed reviews, although most critics admitted it was a scary experience. At least one critic at the time reportedly called it the best movie ever made about “Bloody Jack.”
11 Hands Of The Ripper (1971)
Hammer Horror Makes Dracula’s Daughter The New Ripper
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Hammer Horror made movies about a lot of monsters, including Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. However, in 1971, the British horror studio set its eyes on Jack the Ripper with Hands of the Ripper. This movie is not really about Jack the Ripper, but about his daughter. Anna was two when she saw her father, Jack the Ripper, murder her mother. When murders mirroring the Whitechapel murders start up again, a psychoanalyst realizes it is one of his young patients.
The killer now is Jack’s daughter, 17 and possessed by her dead father’s spirit. As expected from Hammer, this is one of the gorier Jack the Ripper movies. It is also interesting because it is one of the few movies that add the supernatural to the tale of The Ripper, as having the original killer possess the mind of his daughter from beyond the grave offers up one of the most unusual retellings of the London serial killer. The movie received mostly positive reviews, sitting at 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Edge Of Sanity (1989)
Anthony Perkins Mixes The Ripper & Dr. Jekyll
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As the star of one of the best serial killer movies of all time, Anthony Perkins had his own big shoes to fill in 1989’s Edge of Sanity. It is a combination of Jack the Ripper and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s an odd film with an even odder Perkins performance (frequently covered in odious makeup) as he’s playing Dr. Jekyll, but it’s a Dr. Jekyll obsessed with cocaine. He spends half the movie freebasing and the other half murdering sex workers.
It’s all very unsettling and the film was considered by some critics to be “Brian De Palma-lite.” The movie takes the theory that Jack the Ripper was actually Mr. Hyde (called Jack Hyde in this movie), and he was killing while under the influence. The reviews were mixed, with most critics seeing that the movie was attempting to turn the entire idea into a dark comedy, and Perkins’s performance was purposefully over the top. However, the movie was not a success when released, and the ending with The Ripper getting away with it all was unsettling.
9 Jack The Ripper: The London Slasher (2016)
A Young Woman Sets Out To Find The Ripper’s Identity
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This German-language horror movie takes place at the center of Jack the Ripper’s streak of murders in London. Like many Jack the Ripper movies, it doesn’t just focus on the killer, but also on a young woman who makes the journey to London with big dreams to become a photographer. However, instead of the charming City of London, she finds chaos and murder. What makes the movie interesting is the main focus on the female character.
She ventures on her own journey to try and uncover who the real killer is when her brother is falsely accused. The movie received mostly positive reviews but is one that went under the radar despite being an awards contender. Actress Sonja Gerhardt was praised for her role as Anna Kosminski, the young woman setting out to find and stop the notorious serial killer and she went on to win Best Actress at the Bavarian TV Awards and the German Television Awards. The movie also earned a Best Cinematography nomination at the German Television Academy Awards.
8 The Lodger (2009)
A Copycat Jack The Ripper Killer In Modern-Day California
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The Lodger introduces audiences to two parallel stories. This movie isn’t about Jack the Ripper himself but about a copycat killer and takes place in modern Hollywood and starts with the brutal killing of a sex worker on Sunset Boulevard. The detective on the case soon realizes that the killer is using the same modus operandi as Jack the Ripper. This isn’t the first adaptation of the Marie Belloc Lowndes novel, but it has an incredible cast with Alfred Molina, Rachael Leigh Cook, Shane West, Simon Baker, and Philip Baker Hall.
Molina plays Detective Manning, a man in charge of finding the Lodger serial killer and ends up in a cat-and-mouse game with the elusive suspect (played by Baker). This movie has a twist ending that subverts the source material and in this version, the Lodger is not the killer at all, and it turns out to be a much darker mystery that needs to be solved. However, the movie ends with one last twist with the Lodger himself that makes one wonder if the truth was as it seemed at all, which Manning still doubts.
7 Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (2018)
Batman Vs. Jack The Ripper
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Jack the Ripper is a serial killer murdering sex workers and the city believes he might be the same man as the mysterious Batman.
Heading to the world of animation, DC Comics released a Batman animated movie geared more toward the adult crowd with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. The movie is based on the comic book Elseworlds series by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola (Hellboy). The movie takes the Batman characters and re-imagines them in a Victorian-era version of Gotham City. In this, Jack the Ripper is a serial killer murdering sex workers and the city believes he might be the same man as the mysterious Batman.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight received mostly positive reviews and is one of the better Batman Elseworlds movies. These films all take Batman and put him in different situations, often in other fictional worlds, such as one where he battles Dracula and another in Medieval Japan. The voice cast is also different from other Batman animated movies, with Bruce Greenwood voicing Batman, Anthony Head voicing Alfred, and Scott Patterson as Commissioner Gordon, who just so happens to be Jack the Ripper.
6 Jack’s Back (1988)
James Spader Plays Twins, One Of Whom Might Be The Ripper
Jack’s Back (1988) RHorrorCrimeMystery
Jack’s Back is a thriller directed by Rowdy Herrington, starring James Spader in a dual role. The film centers on a series of murders that seem to mimic those of Jack the Ripper, leading to an investigation that uncovers dark secrets. As the mystery unfolds, the protagonist grapples with their identity and the nature of the crimes, creating a suspenseful narrative that keeps audiences engaged.
Director Rowdy Herrington Release Date May 6, 1988 Writers Rowdy Herrington Cast James Spader , Cynthia Gibb , Jim Haynie , Robert Picardo , Rod Loomis , Rex Ryon , Chris Mulkey , Wendell Wright Runtime 97 Minutes
Actor James Spader has played many roles, from voicing Ultron in the MCU to being a main character in The Blacklist. In 1988, he took part in a crime/thriller based around Jack the Ripper.
Jack’s Back is a movie that doesn’t include Jack the Ripper, the person, but his methods of murder. A doctor in Los Angeles is accused of copycat killings similar to Jack the Ripper and the prime suspect ends up dead, leaving police to try and find the real culprit. In a turn of events, the doctor’s twin brother claims to have visions of the real killer.
Spader was impressive in this early movie role (after his performance in Pretty in Pink but before his role in Sex, Lies, and Videotape.” He plays a young doctor and his twin brother, one of whom wants to save his brother’s reputation as the accused copycat Jack the Ripper killer. Critics praised the movie, and it has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with much of the praise going to Spader’s performance, labeling him as a future star. Spader earned a Best Actor nomination at the 16th Saturn Awards for his role in the film.
5 Shanghai Knights (2003)
Jackie Chan & Owen Wilson Face Victorian-Era Heroes & Villains
Shanghai Knights PG-13ActionAdventureComedy
Shanghai Knights follows Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson) as they travel to London in the 1880s to avenge the murder of Chon’s father and retrieve a stolen Imperial Seal. The film combines martial arts action with comedic elements, featuring Victorian-era settings and historical figures. Directed by David Dobkin, this sequel to Shanghai Noon expands on the dynamic between the two protagonists while introducing new characters and challenges.
Director David Dobkin Release Date February 7, 2003 Writers Alfred Gough , Miles Millar Cast Jackie Chan , Owen Wilson , Fann Wong , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Tom Fisher , Aidan Gillen , Donnie Yen , Oliver Cotton Runtime 114 Minutes
Shanghai Knights was a fun follow-up to the Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan hit action-comedy Shanghai Noon. While the first movie took the two to a Western town and paid homage to several classic Western stars, this one headed to London and introduced the two heroes to a plethora of legendary Victorian Era heroes and villains. These included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlie Chaplin, and Jack the Ripper.
The movie also gave its version of why the Ripper suddenly disappeared and the killing stopped. It remains one of the funniest movies about Jack the Ripper, and the way that the Ripper’s trail of terror came to an end was perfect, with his death coming at the hands of a victim he never should have crossed. In this take, Oliver Cotton (The Borgias) played Jack the Ripper. The movie also changed how Doyle came up with his Sherlock Holmes ideas and why Charlie Chaplin became an actor.
4 Man In The Attic (1953)
An Adaptation Of The Lodger Where He Is The Actual Killer
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The late and legendary Jack Palance starred in a remake of The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes, titled Man in the Attic. While it may not be one of the best serial killer films, the actor is always a more than welcome presence, and it’s one of the best Jack the Ripper movies. Palance plays a soft-spoken, ultra-secretive pathologistwho rents an attic apartment in the middle of London. After doing so, he finds himself falling for the landlady’s daughter, yet she rejects his advances. Then, the bodies of young women start appearing on the streets.
Unlike other adaptations of the story, this one has the lodger as the killer. In many cases, the Lodger is a red herring that leads the viewer in one direction, while the serial killer is someone else entirely. However, Palance delivers a terrifying performance as a kind and secretive man who has a mean side and becomes a violent and destructive killer when pushed and when he snaps, he proves to be a deadly killer. Man in the Attic also ends with the twist that the Lodger might still be alive, similar to the novel the movie was based on.
3 From Hell (2001)
Detective Abberline Takes Center Stage In This Ripper Adaptation
From Hell RHorrorMysteryThriller Where to Watch
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From Hell was released in 2001 and was directed by The Hughes Brothers. It’s based on the From Hell graphic novel by Eddie Campbell and Alan Moore and stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham. The plot revolves around a detective that’s investigating the Jack the Ripper murders and becomes romantically interested in one of his possible victims.
Director Albert Hughes , Allen Hughes Release Date October 19, 2001 Writers Rafael Yglesias , Terry Hayes Cast Robbie Coltrane , Ian Holm , Heather Graham , Johnny Depp , Ian Richardson Runtime 122 minutes
The Hughes Brothers directed From Hell, based on the graphic novel of the same name. The film follows the story of Jack the Ripper with Johnny Depp in the lead as Inspector Frederick Abberline, as he is determined to catch the Ripper before he wreaks more havoc and chaos in London. The story has certain details that make it unique, including how Abberline is aided by visions he has while high on opium and the addition of a top-name actress Mary Kelly (Heather Graham).
From Hell remains one of the most successful of the Jack the Ripper movies, with a nice box office take and above-average reviews. Much of its success comes from the source material, written by the brilliant Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. However, The Hughes Brothers were at the height of their careers here and presented a captivating tale with great performances by Depp and Graham. In the end, this was another version that showed Abberline learning who the killer was, only to have the government cover it up.
2 The Lodger: A Story Of The London Fog (1927)
Alfred Hitchcock Directs A Jack the Ripper Movie
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No less than Alfred Hitchcock directed one of the Jack the Ripper movies. The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog is based on the novel The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes and uses the story of Jack the Ripper without ever saying who he is. A young blonde model returns home after hearing of the recent killings and that same night, a new secretive guest rents a room at her family’s lodging house. As the killings continue, the family starts to suspect their new guest and bizarre circumstances occur surrounding whether he’s innocent of the crimes.
This is considered one of the best Hitchcock silent films of his career. The movie has the exact same cast as the later talkie called The Phantom Fiend, but the Hitchcock version was a huge box office success and was one of the best British silent movies ever released. The movie also takes a look at the mob mentality of a community (similar to Frankenstein years later) as the townspeople almost beat the lodger to death before they learn the real killer (known as the Avenger) was caught and arrested, realizing they were attacking an innocent man.
1 Murder By Decree (1979)
A Sherlock Holmes Adventure
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The film followed Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson as they search the streets of London for Jack the Ripper.
Mixing Jack the Ripper movies and Sherlock Holmes was a no-brainer. Bob Clark (Black Christmas, A Christmas Story) directed Christopher Plummer in the legendary role of detective Sherlock Holmes. The film follows Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson (James Mason) as they search the streets of London for Jack the Ripper. The movie is based on the writings of Stephen Knight, who theorized that the killings were part of a Masonic plot (something that From Hell also suggested).
This ended up as one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies since the Basil Rathbone days. That is an impressive feat, since Rathbone played Sherlock Holmes in 17 different movies, starting with The Hound of Baskervilles. As for Plummer’s only role as Holmes, he sets out to find the killer when the police and the detectives there can’t, which makes it another more fictional version of the story. This movie used two real figures as Jack the Ripper suspects, with their names changed — William Gull (renamed as Thomas Spivy) and John Netley (renamed William Slade).
Related Every Sherlock Holmes Movie & TV Show In Development
Several upcoming movies and TV show adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes novels will take different approaches and put new spins on the same story.