125 Years On – Who Was Jack The Ripper?

On this day 125 years ago in 1888, Jack the Ripper, perhaps one of the world’s most infamous serial killers, claimed his first victim. He went on to commit 5 murders in the Whitechapel area of London, targeting female prostitutes. His name comes from a famous letter which was sent to the media over a year after his last crime, but is now widely believed to be a hoax. However, Jack the Ripper has remained in the public concsiousness over the years. Here are seven of the best investigations and interpretations of who he was...

1. From Hell

Based on the graphic novel by the same name, From Hell, the 2001 film starring Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, investigates the Jack the Ripper murders through the eyes of clairvoyant detective Frederick Abbeline. Although not a particularly accurate adaptation, From Hell depicts Victorian London and the Whitechapel area quite vividly and eerily.

2. The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden

The definitive Jack the Ripper investigation if this is what you are truly interested in; Sugden goes through as many details as humanly possible and the five murders that have haunted London since the late 19^th century. Sugden also addresses other investigations and weighs up the facts and his interpretation of the accounts. There really is no better source...

3. Ripper Street

Set in London’s East End 6 months after the Whitechapel murders, Ripper Street revolves around how life has continued on there and crimes that continue to be committed. The plot follows detectives from the H division who begin to become concerned after more women are murdered in the area and they begin to think the Ripper has returned. Although it begins quite slow, Ripper Street has certainly hit its stride in recent episodes and is a wonderful depiction of life in a poor area of Victorian London.

4. The Lodger: A Story of London Fog

A story about an infamous serial killer? Of course Alfred Hitchcock had to make an adaptation of the Jack the Ripper story and this 1927 silent film is no exception to any of his other eerie pieces. Starring Ivor Novello, some of the script had to be re-tuned to make his character more sympathetic, however it does not make it any less menacing.

5. Jack the Ripper

This TV movie starring Michael Caine is perhaps one of the most underrated retellings of the Jack the Ripper story. The creators of this investiagation of the serial killer believed that they had, in fact, provided the solution to the age old puzzle by the end. According to producers, they had access to Home Office files that had not been released before and Caine’s performance as Detective Abberline was considered one of the best. The movie went on to win a Golden Globe in 1988.

6. Is It Real? Jack the Ripper

This National Geographic documentary centring around the Jack the Ripper case is just one of dozens investigating the most elusive man in history. It examines two suspects who were suspected of involvement with the crime and is renowned as a haunting and brilliant take on the mystery.

7. The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow

Written by a former Scotland Yard detective, The Complete Jack the Ripper provides an unique viewpoint of the Jack the Ripper mystery. Rumbelow had access to information that many other Ripper biographers would not have been able to get their hands and his study has allowed him to become the official Jack the Ripper expert.