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FROM HELL (20th Century Fox, DVD) Head Count: Tag-line: None on this release. Death Toll: Nine deaths, mostly at the hands of Jack The Ripper. Cutting Remarks: Yet another Jack The Ripper story may have seemed somewhat daunting, but in the directorial hands of the Hughes Brothers, Victorian London comes to life as a living, seething place more vicious than Compton or the Bronx could ever hope to be. Johnny Depp’s London accent isn’t nearly as bad as critics have made out, while Heather Graham’s attempts as Mary Kelly are rather less successful. What definitely hits home is the viciousness of the Ripper’s murders, with some fine FX, albeit mostly after the fact. The most chilling thing of all, however, is how the Ripper turns out to be part of the Establishment. From Hell is also laudable for its darkly supernatural/masonic edge, which seems to have been kept to a minimum by the major studio which spawned it. Most Memorable Demise: One prostitute receives a particularly bloody throat-slashing. Look Out For: The moment when the Ripper’s identity is revealed. Take a look at those eyes... brrrrr. Killer Quote: "Well, one thing's for certain: an Englishman didn't do it!" - Ian Richardson’s heavily-sideburned snob talks rubbish. DVD Details: This double-disc set piles on extras with a combined running time which seems to exceed the movie's. There's a whole slew of 'Making Of' style material: one featurette concentrates on the challenge of turning a village outside Prague into late 19th Century London. The Hughes Brothers themselves walk us around the set, showing an amusing lack of reverence for the FX dummies representing real-life victims. Then there's a half-hour documentary on the various Ripper suspects - which includes one Doctor who sounds almost certain to be the man - and even a featurette on absinthe! On top of all that, you get a hoard of deleted scenes - with optional Albert Hughes commentary - plus an excellently candid, if often non scene-specific, audio commentary from Albert Hughes, writer Rafael Yglesias, cinematographer Peter Deming and Robbie Coltrane, who turns in a fine supporting role in the movie. A truly great package. Release Date: October 7, 2002. [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Check it out at Amazon US] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present