31 Days of Horror Day 15 From Hell

From Hell
2001
20th Century Fox DVD

To anyone that reads this blog often will know I am a huge comic book fan.After horror films,comic books are the second big passion of my life. I started reading Alan Moores serialized story "From Hell" back when it was being published in Taboo. Then the publisher went under and I didn't read the rest of the comic.

Around 2000 I heard that the Hughes Brothers,of Menace to Society fame,were adapting then now finished comic into a film.I have no idea why I didn't go see it back then. And for some reason I never bothered to rent it. Or even finish the comic.

Around 2006 I found the DVD for $5 in the infamous 5 buck bin in Walmart.But like lots of DVDs I bought it and it sat on my shelf unwatched for close to 4 years.

The film,which differs from the comic,tells the tale of a detective trying to solve the Jack the Ripper murders. This detective,played by Johnny Depp,uses very unique ways to solve crimes and is also a drug addict. Heather Graham is the female lead. She is a hooker and has seen her hooker friends be murdered.

I do like the theories behind Jack the Ripper's identity and motives in the film. And out of the handful of Jack the Ripper films I have seen this is the best one.So much better than the Jess Franco 70s Jack the Ripper.

I love how the DVD is packed with extras. We get a commentary with the directors.An alternate ending and at least 20 deleted scenes.

Since seeing this I have went and read the entire comic. Which is a great comic but would be fairly hard to adapt to film.

From Hell gets a B.