JACK THE RIPPER. Kinski as the Infamous Serial Killer

Can you imagine a better candidate for the role of a psychopathic killer? Klaus Kinski stars in Jack the Ripper.

London, late 19th century. The city is shaken by a series of brutal murders, with prostitutes as the victims. Panic spreads, the press dubs the murderer “Jack the Ripper,” and Scotland Yard launches an investigation led by Inspector Selby. A blind old man witnesses another killing and notices the scents surrounding the Ripper, including the aroma of alcohol used for disinfecting surgical tools. His testimony convinces the police that the murderer belongs to the upper social classes, leading them to Dr. Dennis Orloff—a respected physician known for his charitable work, who, beneath the façade of a respectable citizen, hides a dark secret: as a child, he was abused and sexually exploited by his prostitute mother. Meanwhile, the resourceful Cynthia, Inspector Selby’s fiancée, wants to aid the police in capturing the Ripper and ventures into the streets of nocturnal London disguised as a prostitute.

Few criminal cases have captured the public imagination as powerfully as the story of Jack the Ripper—the elusive and still unidentified serial killer who, between August and November 1888, murdered five prostitutes and mutilated their bodies in the impoverished Whitechapel district of London. Some researchers attribute more victims and a longer period of activity to him. Suspects have ranged from a Polish surgeon, a Jewish barber, a famous painter, and a renowned writer to Queen Victoria’s personal physician and even one of her grandsons—Prince Albert Victor. The unsolved mystery of the Ripper has fascinated historians, journalists, and writers for nearly 150 years, while filmmakers—from Alfred Hitchcock to Albert and Allen Hughes—have repeatedly revisited the subject. Among them is also Spanish director Jesús Franco.

Franco was undoubtedly one of the most prolific filmmakers in cinematic history, with nearly 200 titles spanning various genres, including science fiction, horror, crime, spy films, adventure, action, war dramas, historical epics, exploitation films, erotica, and even pornography. Most of his works were low-budget productions made in rapid succession for quick profit, yet they still bore his signature style, characterized by handheld cameras and zoom lenses. Occasionally, Franco managed to overcome financial constraints and refine his style, yielding interesting results—such as in Jack the Ripper. The film stands out in his oeuvre, appearing more like the work of a professional than a guerrilla filmmaker. Though shot in Switzerland, the filmmakers meticulously recreated Victorian England, complete with lavish sets and elaborate period costumes.

The film looks spectacular—Zurich, doubling for London, is suitably foggy, grimy, and dark—but its narrative does not align with historical facts. The details are inaccurate: the Ripper did not rape his victims or dispose of their body parts in the Thames, and the women themselves were not young and beautiful but mostly neglected alcoholics in their forties. However, this is hardly a flaw, as Jack the Ripper is a work of fiction rather than a documentary, and the unresolved nature of the case allowed the filmmakers creative freedom. A bigger issue is Franco’s screenplay, which lacks suspense and often defies logic. The killer’s identity is revealed from the start, and some plot developments stretch believability well beyond the acceptable limits of suspended disbelief. The most glaring example is the subplot involving the blind vagrant, who constructs a psychological profile of the murderer solely based on his scent.

Aside from its production values, the greatest strength of Jack the Ripper is Klaus Kinski in the title role. This was the fourth and final collaboration between Franco and the German actor—following Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969), Paroxismus (1969), and Count Dracula (1970)—and it is hard to imagine a better candidate for the role. Kinski infused the character with unexpected ambivalence and complexity: his restrained portrayal of Orloff is as convincing as his frenzied depiction of the Ripper in a killing spree. Known for his volatile temperament, Kinski remained surprisingly composed on set, even when filming extended into the late hours, never demanding extra payment for overtime. “He did everything without complaining. […] I was really impressed by that,” producer Erwin C. Dietrich recalled. Kinski’s time on set was brief, and his assessment of working with Jesús Franco was even briefer: “After eight days, I was finally done with this shit.”