Goodbye my friends. I'm only waiting for my last payment.
Goodbye my friends. I'm only waiting for my last payment.
Member since:05.01.2004
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I'm a great fan of horror stories and to some extent a lover of horror movies although I do prefer my films to be subtle rather than a mixture of blood and gore. I was 18 in the late 1960's when Hammer Horror was at its peak so perhaps this influenced my choice of films. I just love atmospheric films when the heart stars to pounds and the music builds up to a climatic finale in any film. My reading matter is similar, a touch of the supernatural with some real content so it's not surprising that I have long been fascinated with stories of "Jack the Ripper". I've read many books over the years and seen a few films but nothing quite prepared me for the film "From Hell".
To be totally honest my main attraction was Johnny Depp starring in the film, along with such great actors as Robbie Coltrane, Ian Holm and Ian Richardson. The film itself didn't get a good review but I decided to see it for myself. It was released in 2001 but never amounted to much and soon was released on video and DVD. I couldn't understand why such a good film flopped so badly but that is mainly down to the critics and some flaws in the casting and the plot. The film was based on the book by the same name, a masterpiece of research by the author Allan Moore with sketches by Eddie Campbell; it took ten years to produce and encompassed many theories on the identity of the "Ripper". Incidentally the letters sent to the police at the time were signed "From
Hell".
The film opens with Sergeant Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane) dragging the reluctant Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) from an opium den to work on the case of the "Ripper". Abbeline has some physic ability, which he dampens or uses to solve crimes aided by the use of opium, laudanum and absinthe a fairly standard use of opiates in the 19th century. The year is 1888 and in the area of Whitechapel a killer is on the loose, a criminal whose name will strike fear into the hearts of every prostitute who works the area for a living. Prostitutes had been murdered before but never in such a brutal way. Abberline senses certain things around the crime scene and with "flashbacks" he knows this is no ordinary killer but a man bent on destruction with a knowledge of anatomy that suggests a butcher or a doctor.
In the eerie streets of London Abberline and Godley pursue the killer, often getting near but never in time to stop the butchery. The "Ripper" taunts the police with letters signed "from hell" and Abberline's superior Sir Charles Warren (Ian Richardson) puts on the pressure in an effort to show that the Ripper will be caught. Abberline comes into contact with the queen's own physician, Sir William Gull (Ian Holm), an egotistical man who further muddies the waters of the case. Abberline is sure that a physician is committing the crimes and the underhand activities of Gull only reinforce his belief. Each murder brings him closer to understanding but can he trust his opium-fuelled brain when his visions draw him nearer to a possible truth, a conspiracy that could rock the foundations of the monarchy?
His investigations lead him to meet Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a fiery Irish prostitute and so a love affair begins with Abberline paying her to keep off the streets, but blinded by love he can no longer trust his visions and as the victims fall so his theories become more bizarre including Masonic activities and even Albert, the grandson of Queen Victoria who has been known to visit prostitutes. As he draws nearer to understanding the truth behind the murders so he sets himself up for a downfall. Can he avert it in time and save Mary? That's for you to find out for yourself.
The atmosphere of the film is highlighted by the use of colour, mainly red and black in the murder scenes although the actual murders are only shown in brief glimpses with a minimum of blood and gore. Still the "flashbacks" and visions are powerful and add to the intensity of the film. Each scene is captured by the sense of brooding horror in the lurid colours and the skylines of London. Sometimes the scenes became almost surreal in their atmosphere of fear brought on by the stunning soundtrack that whispered or echoed fear in every note. Perhaps the greatest part of the film lay in its twisted landscapes, it's visual complexity. This is no London of pea-souper fogs and echoing footsteps, rather an artistry that may have distracted rather than complimented the film.
I couldn't fault the performance of Johnny Depp although his accent did jar occasionally, he played the part of a man tormented by visions and fuelled by drugs while still keeping in character. Robbie Coltrane gave an excellent performance although his character would have benefited from more exposure. Ian Holm almost stole the show although his character was a minor role, his performance as the villain of the piece was faultless. Heather Graham seemed to be out of her depth a lightweight amongst a star-studded cast. All the right ingredients were there, a superb storyline, great directing from Albert and Allan Hughes, a haunting soundtrack by Trevor Jones, so why did the film fail to live up to its promise? I have my own ideas, maybe it was too visually stunning and led the viewer away from the story, maybe the role of Mary Kelly was too weak, or perhaps the idea of physic thoughts underneath a veil of drugs was too radical.
It certainly worked for me, I loved the film and the subtle touches which brought an old story into new life. I'd read many books on the "Ripper" and the storyline, although not unique, kept me intrigued, how many films have been made without the true villain (Jack the Ripper) putting in an appearance? A twist on a gothic horror should have propelled the film into the top ten best films but it seemed the critics failed to agree. Maybe the artistry had taken the place of the story; maybe the characters were not given enough material to work with? For those like me who prefer atmosphere to gore I'd recommend this without hesitation, if you like your horror splattered by blood then it's still worth a look, you may find the taut tension better than you had expected.
The DVD is available on Amazon as a two-disc set, priced £17.99. New and used are available from £4.50. If you don't fancy buying the film then why not try Amazon's new rental system? It starts at £5.99 per month for three DVD's or try one of the other rental systems. E-Bay have the usual offers, from 99p to £4.99 to buy it outright. Alternately buy it with another DVD such as Sleepy Hollow. A must view for Depp fans who will find yet another of his many acting skills given full reign. Thanks for reading
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
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Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
FROM HELL referring to the return address on a letter penned by the Ripper is about ... more
people who are in hell trying to survive the grimmest circumstances. At the core are five impoverished prostitutes who share a desperate friendship drawn tighter as...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
While Jack The Ripper ruled the streets of London, terror reigned. His savagery implied ... more
insanity, but his diabolical precision argued that there was a method to his madness. In 1888 London, the unfortunate poor lead horrifying lives in the city's slums...
![From Hell - Single Disc Edition [2001] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78500879.jpg "From Hell - Single Disc Edition [2001] [DVD]")
Sep 12th, 2005
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