Jack’s Back *** (1988, James Spader, Cynthia Gibb, Jim Haynie) – Classic Movie Review 4896

Writer-director Rowdy Herrington’s rousing 1988 horror thriller reanimates the Victorian Whitechapel prostitute murders and moves the action to the present and the killing location to Los Angeles.

There, an American killer is stalking through town, leaving a trail of bodies of women horrifically murdered 100 years to the day after Jack the Ripper’s crimes in a series of Ripper copycat killings.

James Spader is excellent in a slightly creepy but appealing dual role performance as a pair of telepathic twins, John and Rick Westford, who become fatally involved in the case.

One of the twins is a young doctor who is suspected by the police as the killer. But then he is murdered and his identical twin brother claims to have seen visions of the true killer.

Smartly directed by Herrington and smoothly shot by cinematographer Shelly Johnson, the film provides an exciting mystery entertainment. Although tough toned and adult, it is not too grisly.

Also in the cast are Cynthia Gibb, Jim Haynie as Sergeant Gabriel, Rod Loomis, Rex Ryton, Chris Mulkey, Danitza Kingsley, Robert Picardo, Wendell Wright, Bobby Hosea, Anne Betancourt and Diane Erickson.

An old Brit movie tells the original tale in Jack the Ripper (1959) and Johnny Depp provides another take on Jack the Ripper in From Hell (2001).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 4896

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