History’s most infamous unidentified killer is heading back into the London fog, and this time he’s wearing Klaus Kinski‘s face. Cauldron Films has announced the worldwide 4K UHD debut of Jack the Ripper, Jesús “Jess” Franco‘s grimy, blood-spattered 1976 riff on the Whitechapel murders, arriving December 15 as a Limited Edition Slipbox 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo sporting a brand-new 4K restoration.
Set in the late 19th century, Jack the Ripper drops viewers into a Whitechapel gripped by terror as a string of savage killings targets the district’s prostitutes. Inspector Selby (Andreas Mannkopff) grows obsessed with bringing the killer to justice, but the case turns uncomfortably personal when his girlfriend Cynthia (Josephine Chaplin) finds herself in the murderer’s orbit.
One of the many films Franco cranked out during his fertile partnership with Swiss producer Erwin C. Dietrich, Jack the Ripper marries the gaslit streets, period trappings and creeping Gothic dread of classic European horror with the director’s trademark taste for sleaze and savagery. Kinski delivers the kind of coiled, unnerving intensity only he could, backed by Herbert Fux and Franco’s longtime muse Lina Romay. It’s a uniquely Euro-trash spin on the Ripper mythos, where fog-shrouded Victorian atmosphere collides head-on with the explicit appetites of ’70s exploitation.
The two-disc set was restored from a 4K scan of the original negative along with the best surviving materials. The 2160p presentation boasts Dolby Vision HDR (HDR10 compatible), with English audio in 5.1 surround, 2.0 stereo and 2.0 mono, plus optional English SDH subtitles. A new audio commentary from Ryan Verrill and Dr. Will Dodson digs into the film’s history and critical standing.
Bonus features include:
- He Caught Jack the Ripper – an interview with actor Andreas Mannkopff
- Erwin C. Dietrich’s Tribute to Jess Franco’s Jack the Ripper
- Klaus the Ripper – a video essay by Troy Howarth
- Whitechapel Shadows – a video essay by Eugenio Ercolani
- Deleted scene
- Theatrical trailer
The limited edition comes housed in a rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Adam Perocchi of Readful Things, along with a folded poster and a full-colour booklet containing liner notes by Dr. Stella Marie Gaynor and Howarth.
Jack the Ripper slashes its way onto 4K UHD on December 15. Watch the trailer below.
