I’ve learned a new word, ‘tailbangers.’
From Hell (2001)
Directed by Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Story by Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell
Starring:
Johnny Depp
Heather Graham
Ian Holm
Robbie Coltrane
Ian Richardson
Jason Flemyng
There comes a time in the life of any creative person that they become intrigued with the mystery and violent history of Jack the Ripper. There’s plenty of information out there but no answers. He, his motives, and his actions remains an enigma. The story of Jack the Ripper has had its theories and speculations. This film takes the theory of an intelligent man with medical knowledge to its most extreme tethered ends of conspiracy ideas and wild unabridged speculation. Somehow this film makes the most sense out of any avenues I’ve discovered by reading or watching numerous television specials.
The film is loosely based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, who detests the film so strongly that he disavowed all film contracts for any of his w
orks in the future. However, I personally like the film and have never seen the graphic novel myself. I get the feeling that this could be much like Stephen King’ s disliking of The Shining despite wide public acceptance of the Kubrick film version.
The film was directed by the Hughes Brothers and is complex enough to prohibit my detail of it without making it sound detached. What you can expect is a highly intellectual film that is part whodunit, with gothic visuals and horrific murder scenes, though only shown in strobe-like flashes. Johnny Depp plays detective Frederick Abberline, an Absinthe and Opium addicted investigator that relies as much upon his psychic visions as he does his own intelligent fact finding. Heather Graham plays a fine part as Mary Kelly, one of the rough and tumble tailbangers (the word for prostitute in that day) whose group is being stalked and systematically wiped off the earth. Abberline’s clues lead him into conflict with the Freemasons and suspicions that lead to top officials in the British Monarchy.
I have to admit, the first time I watched this I didn’t quite follow it and turned it off before half way. I was expecting something more along the lines of straight horror than mystery and conspiracy. But I gave my full attention the next time and was glad I stuck with it. The actors offer fantastic portrayals, everyone of them, and the visual aspect is just as arresting. It has an ending that is both triumphant and tragic, which is not an easy feat by any means. It is an interesting film that will entertain your mind.
A tale of mystery, conspiracy and intrigue combined with a horror thriller makes this an entertaining pick for those looking for an intellectually stimulating story.
I give it 4.2 nasty slashes of a shiny blade upon the blood drenched cobblestones of the dismal London death scale.
Fun facts:
In the Graphic Novel version, the narration follows the killer throughout the story, not the investigation. So you can surmise that the film was substantially rewritten.
Great care for detail was put into the films set up of the crime scenes and the wound patterns on the victims. Photos of the actual murdered victims were used to set up the scenes. The photos can be seen hanging on the walls at the police station in the film. The only murder that they did not reproduce in accurate detail was the last (believed to be Mary Kelly in real life) because it was so violent and graphic the directors feared an X-rating on the film.
The real letter from Jack the Ripper sent to Police Headquarters in 1888 started with the heading, From Hell…thus the title of the film.
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parlor of horror 