# From Hell - How accurate? \*POTENTIAL SPOILERS\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711 "2001-10-26T03:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/1 "2001-10-26T03:45:28Z")
All right, I saw _From Hell_ on Tuesday evening. My opinions of the movie were very, very positive (although the film was _extremely_ disturbing and graphic, more so than - IMOSHO - _Se7en_). However, that’s not what I’m concerned about here… The movie described several “facts” about the Ripper murders: How the victims were killed, the relation the victims had with one another (not only were they all whores - in the movie - but they all were good friends). My question is this: How well does this mesh with the known, REAL facts of the case? Basically, how much of the movie is fact, and how much of it is fiction? I know that the vast majority of it is made up - the identity of the Ripper, for one, or his motives. But what about the victims? And the way the murders were carried out? Were the victims really chopped up as the movie described (certain “organs” being missing)? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/2 "2001-10-26T03:58:08Z")
I have mentioned [this site](http://www.casebook.org/) in other threads, but insist on doing it again. It has all the Ripper stuff a man could want, and look at the organisation of the message boards. I have spent many an enjoyable hour here checking out theories including this one. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/3 "2001-10-26T04:12:18Z")
[This Site](http://www.crimelibrary.com/jack/jackmain.htm) has quite a bit on the case, also. I liked the movie, also, even though I wasn’t exactly impressed by Heather Graham’s performace and the whole contrived romance between her character and Depp’s. I did like the movie’s style (reminded me quite a bit of Bram Stoker’s Dracula) and how much of the gore was more hinted at than actually shown. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/4 "2001-10-26T05:58:27Z")
Well, if you want to know about the truth of the claims in From Hell, specifically, (or at least the evidence presented for it being true) I can’t think of a better place than Alan Moore’s graphic novel. (the source of the movie.) Not only does it have a much more detailed version of the story, it has copious footnotes relating the story to known facts about the case, and the various theories. Moore seems to have gotten a lot of his theory from “Jack the Ripper- the Final Solution”. (I can’t remember the author- it’s in the book.) The graphic novel shoud answer all of your questions- although not if Gull really did it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/5 "2001-10-28T02:12:26Z")
Just got back from seeing _From Hell_. I liked it. I was a bit apprehensive, after seeing the documentary of Jack the Ripper on The History Channel (or was it A&E?), that it would just be _wrong_. As it was, the film did not contradict my very limited knowledge of the murders. I realized that much creative license would have to be taken, such as the relationship between Inspector Abberline and Mary Kelly, but not being a follower of Jack the Ripper’s career it did not bother me. **don’t ask** ’s link concludes: > [@](#): > > In the end, From Hell straddles that fine line between fact and fiction so often found in Hollywood’s “historical epics.” While the Hughes brothers are to be commended in capturing much of the authenticity of the times, location and the case, the film should certainly not be viewed as an authentic representation of the Ripper crimes as a whole. So don’t use it as a source for your Criminal Science class, but enjoy it as entertainment. I enjoyed it. **SPOOFE** : You really thought _Se7en_ was less disturbing? I thought the effects in _From Hell_ were nicely done, but I didn’t really find them disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/6 "2001-10-28T11:43:09Z")
Well, Johnny, the thing is that I’ve got this over-active imagination. The graphicness in _Se7en_ was always shown, right in our faces. But in _From Hell_, much of the graphic detail was hidden from us, and implied rather than shown… and I think what my imagination inserted in the blank spaces is worse than what most other people would see. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2001, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/7 "2001-10-28T20:09:31Z")
Strictly from an old-time Hollywood standpoint, you have to love the set design in this film. This is a big-budget, _Cleopatra_-esq set that is an exact replica of the section of Whitechapel where the murders took place. I also understand that they recreated the victims’ wounds from actual photographs and descriptions. Really? Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/8 "2001-10-29T00:40:53Z")
Just saw the movie today, really enjoyed it. It dealt with the subject intelligently, and the set design was terrific. I got a little grossed out here and there however . . . ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/9 "2001-10-29T00:48:16Z")
Well, here’s a spoiler-inducing question; how old were the victims in _From Hell_ and how much did they look like models? The trailers would suggest the victims were gorgeous blondes in their early 20s. Jack The Ripper’s victims were all middle-aged and looked like they’d had very hard lives, but I’ll be surprised if Hollywood plays it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Mofo\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mofo\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mofo_Rising)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/10 "2001-10-29T02:09:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*Well, here’s a spoiler-inducing question; how old were the victims in _From Hell_ and how much did they look like models? The trailers would suggest the victims were gorgeous blondes in their early 20s. Jack The Ripper’s victims were all middle-aged and looked like they’d had very hard lives, but I’ll be surprised if Hollywood plays it that way. \*\* Well aside from Heather Graham, most of the actresses look fairly old and worn down. Of course this is Hollywood’s idea of old and worn down, so they would still look good if they cleaned up. But I would say that none of them are particularly sexy or titillating. None of them looked like models. (Except for that French girl. Wooooh! I was so diasappointed she didn’t get naked.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-hell-how-accurate-potential-spoilers/89711/11 "2001-11-05T14:32:35Z")
I’m surprised that there are so few reviews of _From Hell_ by the Dopers. Didn’t anyone (who hasn’t posted) seen it?