The film's production note from the 1974 issue of Variety.
In the 1970s, a horror film based on the infamous "Jack The Ripper" murder story titled Black The Ripper was announced, with a set release date of around 1974 through 1976.[1]
Plot[]
When in a karate studio, a man named Mike is training some students, his mission is interrupted by a mysterious phone call from a stranger, the caller turns out to be a adult Mike knows, and the adult informs him that he will not be there as his sister was murdered, when Mike hears about this, he goes out to solve the mystery of the killer.
Development[]
The film's idea, a Blaxploitation horror film, was first conceived in the 1970s or perhaps even earlier than that but this cannot be confirmed. It is thought that Frank Saletri (the writer of the earlier genre horror movie Blackenstein) may have been the director. There are suggestions that the film could have possibly been filmed in Las Vegas, where Saletri lived.
The film was first mentioned in a brief note in the May 8th, 1974 issue of Variety magazine that named Saletri and a cast of unknown actors-- the film was two months into production. Later that year, in December, an advertisement promoting its future release was included in an issue of Monsters of the Movies magazine. Months later, the February 25th, 1976 issue of Variety claimed that the film was planned as a Memorial Day release.[2]
Why It Was Cancelled[]
- People who worked on the film it was simply was not thought worthy of preservation.
Results[]
- The film was permanently cancelled, and will very likely never be released.
- Those who claim to have seen it say that the film seems hastily put together and incomplete, with several seemingly missing scenes.
Trivia[]
- There is an opening credit sequence over a song credited to Mara Farmer, but no ending credits. In the opening credits, alongside Saletri as director, Michael Finn is listed as writer. While not confirmed, it is possible that this is the same Michael Finn who directed the 1974 genre film The Black Connection.
Gallery[]
Debunked[]
