From the title alone I gathered Ripper's Revenge was a horror film that would be written and directed by Steve Lawson (Jekyll and Hyde, Pentagram). The film itself bears all the hallmarks he is known for, dimly lit interiors, sparse exterior shots, and a grubby portrayal of Victorian London. It turns out that this is actually a sequel to 2021's Ripper Untold, something good that the film has going for it.
It is a year on since the killings of Jack the Ripper and reporter Stubb (Chris Bell - The Mummy: Resurrection, Ripper Untold) has fallen on hard times. That is until he discovers a letter left in his bag that purports to be from the infamous killer, bragging of a new kill. Stubb is dubious, afterall, he was the one who fabricated the letters previously in order to sell papers, but after checking out the details he finds to his surprise that what was said is true. While he wants to publish the story, knowing it will get him the money he so desperately needs, he also has a struggle of conscience, wondering if the publicity the story would bring would inspire the killer to increase their body count.
As a sequel this was quite wonderful. Stubb was a minor character in Ripper Untold, and so moving him to the protagonist role was an inspired move. It helps that Bell is the actor in this role, as he was just about the only good thing in The Mummy: Resurrection, and here, playing a more relatable character, he shines. The fact that I didn't realise this was a sequel until right at the end shows that this worked as a stand alone film. To be fair, Lawson uses seemingly the same sets and definitely the same pool of actors from film to film and so seeing so many familiar looking people and places here didn't really set off any alarm bells. Familiar faces included Marcus Langford (The Mummy: Resurrection, Hellriser) reprising his role as apparently the only constable in London, Carl Wharton (The Mummy: Resurrection) as Wingate, the officer in charge of the investigation, and Rafe Bird (The Mummy: Resurrection) as the newspaper artist. With just the ten characters, a bunch of which barely feature, and you have another low budget Victorian horror that is as interchangeable as all the rest.
The story here was good for a lot of the ninety minute run time, with Stubb's fear for his prostitute girlfriend Iris (Rachel Warren), and his fear at being personally contacted by the notorious ripper making for some entertaining moments. With things appearing to be wrapped up by the hour mark it was sad to see the last act devolve into the typical histrionics that these films often feel the need to include. The last half hour was plot twist after plot twist, each more ridiculous than the last, leading to a film that just kind of ends without any satisfying resolution. There is a small body count, with a bunch of these kills not shown on screen, but then the focus is always on Stubb himself who despite what the authorities want to believe, isn't actually present during the murders. The soundtrack did a good job of creating the right sort of feel, nothing spectacular, but it fitted the scenes well.
Despite feeling extremely familiar to other film's of Lawsons, at least this time around there is a valid reason, what with it being a sequel and all. I admit I did enjoy this one, mainly thanks once again to the surprisingly good performance from Bell. Ripper's Revenge is due for release on April 4th from High Fliers Films.
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