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Rating: 2.5 out of 5
There have been many famous serial killers throughout history. Some of the most known ones are Ted Bundy’s crazy ass, John Wayne Gacy, the Zodiac Killer, the Summer of Sam killer, and so many others. Hell, if you want, you can watch Netflix’s Mindhunter or one of the episodes of American Horror Story, where all these serial killers meet once a year. The one who still is iconic today is the mysterious serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who typically killed prostitutes in the mean streets of London. He terrorized in late 1888 with five victims: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. Even though the case was never solved, many theories have speculated around the killer. One thing is true, Jack the Ripper is still a force after all these years. Plus, LL Cool J made a song about him.
In 1888 in London, the city is about to change forever. The poor live shitty lives in the city’s deadliest slum, Whitechapel. Mary Kelly (Graham) and her small group of companions work the streets as prostitutes. Being a prostitute is hard on the group as their daily life is miserable, and they see no end in sight. Their lives quickly change when one of their friends, Ann, returns and states that her beloved Albert will help them out. While making sweet love to Albert, Ann is suddenly kidnapped and thrown into a carriage while Albert is taken away somewhere else. After the kidnapping, gruesome murders of the group start happening, and it becomes apparent that they are being hunted down, one by one. The murders are so gruesome that even the people who live in Whitechapel are startled by them. The murders soon catch Inspector Fred Abberline (Deep) ‘s attention, a brilliant yet troubled man whose police work is often aided by his psychic abilities. While helping the prostitutes, he and Mary begin to fall in love. As Abberline starts to investigate the murders and digs deeper, he soon uncovers a conspiracy behind the meaning of the murders. As the truth suddenly becomes clear, he soon realizes that no one is safe in the city of London and the person who is doing the killings is truly from Hell.
Honestly, the movie is pretty entertaining. It isn’t mind-blowing, but the sense of mystery is something that makes this movie go. No one truly knows who Jack the Ripper really was. A man genuinely shrouded in mystery as his reign of terror ruled over London for a while. From Hell, is a movie that is dark and has that eerie feel and looks to it. The scenes of London are genuinely dark as it seems like no sun comes to the city, and the streets are downright filthy. That is the sense that you get from watching this movie and know that no one is truly safe in the slums of London, especially women.
Where the film messes up is with the story. It plays this mystery game where we try to figure out who is Jack the Ripper. The whole plot plays on the theory that Freemason had influence over the murders and that one of them is the actual killer. It also plays on the idea of Prince Albert and the Queen of England being part of the entire scheme. It tries to hold your attention, but in the end, when Gull goes crazy, that is when you officially want to say DONE!
I know the source material is from the book, but the whole letter from Jack the Ripper titled From Hell is so creepy. That one letter just made your skin crawl because it’s short, to the point, and has the catch me if you can vibe. Also, dude sent it with a kidney. You can’t crazier than that. The model for future generations of killers. Damn them all to Hell.
Even though I don’t know the true killing style of Jack the Ripper, this film makes him a MASTER surgeon who carves up a woman in disgusting ways. Also, it’s London, you telling me no one walks down the streets. Even in alleyways, no one walks down the streets. I just feel like if this was an actual version, the dude should be lurking from the shadows, not riding around in some fancy carriage.
One thing the film does is that it has some interesting characters. Johnny Depp, as Inspector Frederick Abberline, was strong and pretty good. The one wrong thing was how much of a drug addict he was. The film added that the consumption of drugs makes him dream scenes from the murders like a psychic. Even though he was a drug addict, he did his job professionally and to the best of his abilities. The beautiful Heather Graham as Mary Kelly was surprisingly good. Even though her character is one of the killer’s victims, she plays the love interest of Abberline and eventually falls in love with him. Out of all the girls, she felt like the one who had a strong head on her shoulders and a dream she wanted to accomplish.
Overall, From Hell is a creepy but somewhat entertaining mystery film that tries to give what it believes is the identity of the famous killer. The atmosphere of the film is good as it gives London that dreary and cold look to it. Depp and Graham are respectable in their roles and hold this movie afloat. Can you figure out who the legendary killer is?
