Here in Scified's dark little corner we have covered the notorious Jack the Ripper before. A serial killer active during the fall of 1888, Jack the Ripper was responsible for the murder of at least five prostitutes across the Whitechapel area of East End London, England. With the vicous murders left unsolved, and the killer never caught "The Whitechapel Murders" have become legendary across the world, and the subject of many TV shows, serials, movies, books and even comics.
The best known adaptation of the Whitechapel murders in comic books is of course the graphic novel "From Hell" by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, which postulated that the killer was royal physician Sir William Gull, seemingly possessed by some "other" force. From Hell was adapted to the big screen in 2001 by directors Albert and Allen Hughes, starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm.
A Victorian Batman was introduced in1991's Gotham by Gaslight!
In From Hell American actor Depp played Inspector Frederick Abberline, one of the leading detectives that investigated the Whitechapel Murders. Yet despite his many years of service, that saw him rise to Scotland Yard, the real Abberline was unable to successfully identify and catch Jack the Ripper.
Fan movie Ripper gives Abberline a much needed ally in the form of Gotham by Gaslight's victorian reimagining of the Batman. As Jack the Rippers reign of terror comes to a close this iteration of the Dark Detective is able to catch Jack the Ripper red handed, leading to a shocking revelation that echoes Alfreds warnings from Christopher Nolan's 2008 modern classic The Dark Knight...
The acting and production value of this fan film mirrors the rising trend seen in more recent fan movies, showing that with a little investment fans can be capable of delivering commercially viable media born from their imigination and their devotion to their beloved character and/or franchise.
