The New York Ripper

A serial killer is stalking New York City, targeting young women and leaving their bodies badly mutilated. The murderer taunts the police with bizarre phone calls delivered in a duck-like voice, and the attacks appear random, cutting across social backgrounds. A burned-out police lieutenant, Fred Williams, takes charge of the case and enlists a college psychoanalyst, Dr. Paul Davis, to build a profile of the killer. A surviving victim gives them a physical lead, but the investigation turns out to be built on a false trail, and the killings continue.

Lucio Fulci directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Dardano Sacchetti and Gianfranco Clerici. It was his fifteenth feature as director, following The House by the Cemetery in 1981 and preceding Conquest in 1983. Jack Hedley plays Lieutenant Williams, with Almanta Suska, Howard Ross, Andrea Occhipinti, Alexandra Delli Colli and Paolo Malco among the cast; 34 actors and 48 crew members are credited. The Italian production was released in March 1982 and runs 93 minutes.

Audience response has been moderate: on IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 from around 14,000 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 6.3 from 333 votes. A film critics' rating of 3.1 from eight reviews is noticeably lower than the audience scores.