A look at the FROM HELL script

Hey folks, Harry here. A few weeks back the producer on FROM HELL, Don Murphy wrote and called this project “The JFK of Jack The Ripper Movies,” and I thought he was probably full of shit.

But when I had a chance to take a read of Terry Hayes’ script adaptation of Alan Moore’s comic series... Well... I read.

I would have to say I absolutely agree with the sentence, “The JFK of Jack The Ripper Movies.”

You see, for me while JFK doesn’t necessarily point out exactly who killed the president, it made it abundantly clear that something was peculiarly wrong with the ‘official story’ and that a conspiracy was involved in not only the assassination, but also in the investigation that followed.

Well, in FROM HELL... by the end of the script you have no doubt that this is the way it happened. A conspiracy was at the root of it all, and it is a hell of alot more complicated than one guy with a scalpel.

Reading this script, I played THEMES FROM 221B BAKER STREET... a compilation of themes from Sherlock Holmes movies and it instantly put me in the time and place that I wanted to be in.

The closest to this take on the JACK THE RIPPER story was a little seen film that Bob Clark (yeah the guy who directed A CHRISTMAS STORY) made called MURDER BY DECREE. It too feels like a conspiracy, but because it’s Sherlock Holmes solving the case it feels rooted in fantasy, whereas here in FROM HELL... it feels legitimate.

It’s strange... I’ve never really seen a ‘straight’ Jack The Ripper movie that I’ve liked so far. It seems that everytime they cross him with other characters though... I fall in love. Like in MURDER BY DECREE and TIME AFTER TIME. But here.... Oh man... I sooo want to see this movie get made.

First off we have a great detective character here named Abberline, and he is simply fantastic. You see... He’s been an opium addict for years... chasing his dragon in his off hours. But he is also a great detective. But he does have his weaknesses. He has a working class background, son of a saddlemaker, that didn’t pursue his father’s trade and instead dreamed of being a detective. He’s never lost a case, and is determined to solve this one.

Unlike the other Jack The Ripper films, we get to know the victims... the prostitutes... who they were, why they were killed and how they were linked. And believe it or not... we care about these women who simply were ex-clothes mill workers that were put out of work by machines created at the birth of the industrial revolution.

We also get a look behind the scenes of the secret world of Freemasonry, a world I’ve been fascinated with ever since John Houston’s fantastic MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.

And... We get to know who Jack the Ripper was... We learn that in a strange bizarre way he wasn’t a monster, and by the end of things.. we feel a wee bit sorry for Jack the Ripper...

I hope to hell this movie gets made... If for no other reason than making people a little antsy about eating grapes. I love movies that create new phobias.

The script by Terry Hayes is a tight read. It’s dark and grimey. The pacing is fast and towards the end as the movie is bustling towards it’s conclusion I found myself rushing to read faster. I had to know what happened at the end. I was involved into the story.

I love conspiracy theories and this is one of the best. It involves everyone from the medical fields to the police to the secret service to royalty. And... it makes perfect sense. That’s the key.

Now in a strange way I hope this isn’t shot on location. There’s a part of me that wants this shot a lot like how Tim Burton shot SLEEPY HOLLOW. Painted backdrops, studio sets and complete control of atmospherics.

And... Danny Elfman... Oh yeah... I’d love to hear him score this too. Or maybe John Ottman. It just feels like a creepy old film with a good amount of viscera thrown in for a blood hued texture that just creeps one out.

So... if you folks hear about any movement on this film... let me know... The script would make a great movie. And with the Hughes Brothers attached to direct... I am excited.