AMERICAN RIPPER

[Dana Jean]

Well, although I don't think Holmes is Jack the Ripper myself, since we don't really know for sure who he was, I do think they had some very strange coincidences. They could "fit" their guy into the known elements along with many other suspects. I guess they had over 100? I didn't realize that.

I do think just watching the show for the Holmes information alone was worth the show. The final one being his grave and the weirdness surrounding his burial. That was quite intriguing.

It is my hope that someday, somehow, we can definitively know who Jack the Ripper was. As I stated earlier, they have DNA'd to death the things they can (scarf pieces, DNA on licked stamps or envelopes, and even then, we don't know if those letters came from Jack himself or copy cats). But, as science gets more intricate, maybe there will be some breakthrough test that will get us closer to knowing.

Did they ever get to pull anything out of the Chicago river to test? I do think that was an interesting idea that Holmes owned the concrete factory, but didn't sell any concrete. And the body of water right there on the docks of the business was loaded with significant artifacts in the water the size and shape of bodies-- I thought that was interesting. And from a historical point of view, I would think Chicago would have been gung ho to search those waters and bring things up to look at. Unless of course, too many bodies have been dumped there and the players are still alive and not wanting that information to rise from its watery grave.

 

[Maddie]

I need to check this out! I've not followed much on Jack the Ripper but watched lots of docs on H.H. Holmes in the past. It just reminded me to check whatever happened with this movie I never did see where Leonardo DiCaprio will portray him, and found this updated article which apparently its still under development. That is going to be one to not miss!!!


Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio Have Two Movies in Development | IndieWire

 

[Dana Jean]

I need to check this out! I've not followed much on Jack the Ripper but watched lots of docs on H.H. Holmes in the past. It just reminded me to check whatever happened with this movie I never did see where Leonardo DiCaprio will portray him, and found this updated article which apparently its still under development. That is going to be one to not miss!!!


Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio Have Two Movies in Development | IndieWire

Oooo, this is interesting.

 

[johntfs]

One of the better fictional takes on the murder is the graphic novel, From Hell, by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell. There's a movie of the same name featuring Johnny Depp, but the movie can't hold a candle to the book.

 

[Marnie]

I watched the first two episodes. The Holmes story is fascinating but the focus of this show is apparently to prove that he was Jack the Ripper. That is preposterous. Jack the Ripper was a sexual sadist who targeted women. He left his victims in the street. A classic disorganized killer as the FBI characterizes serial killers. Holmes murdered men and women mostly for profit. He took great pains to dispose of the bodies to extent of constructing an entire building designed to allow him to commit crimes and get rid of the bodies. A classic organized killer. There is no apparent evidence that he was even in London during the time of the Ripper murders. The guy on the show who is his ancestor apparently desperately wants Holmes to be the Ripper which is a bit creepy in itself. The Jack the Ripper angle is clearly ratings driven and detracts from what otherwise might be an interesting show if they had kept the focus on investigating Holmes' crimes in Chicago. This show reminds me of the recent Amelia Earhart show where they claimed to have found a photo of her in the custody of the Japanese. You couldn't recongize your own mother in that photo. They had no clue when it was taken. They made no effort to check the log of the ship they believed had picked up or any of the logical things to prove this. Yet they stated the evidence was conclusive. Afterward someone discovered the photo had been taken a couple years before this event and it couldn't have been her.

'Preposterous' is the first word that came to mind when I watched American Ripper. I also found the exploration of Holmes' history and where he grew up fascinating including the speculation around his first kill(s). It offered a bit more information and depth than all the other TV shows that focus mostly on his well known grisly crimes and 'The Castle'. Minus the hyped up soundtrack, like you, I thought the content of American Ripper could have been very interesting. I found myself trying hard to ignore the fact that they were on a mission to make every smidgen of evidence fit their far fetched theory in order to tune into to the more interesting aspects. What a waste of legwork. I think the show is really clutching at straws and does ignore much of the tools used by law enforcement today to explore the more plausible ideas around Jack The Ripper's identity (if he existed). I particularly like the theories that use Geographical profiling to illuminate the identity of the Ripper. There have been a couple of UK TV shows that have covered this but an earlier one is written about here: Has profiling discovered the real face of Jack the Ripper? | The Independent

A newspaper article a couple of years ago also covered this topic: 'We know where Jack the Ripper lived' - experts - Telegraph

One has to remember that most known serial killers have appeared to live quite ordinary lives -- until their dastardly deeds came to light.

American Ripper reminds me of Patricia Cornwell's wild goose chase a few years ago and rebooted more recently -- I consider this and American Ripper curious vanity projects.

I think there's some very well argued evidence that shows that the various ideas around his identity were inventions created by a press hungry for sales (like that never happens now!). Some have even argued that Jack the Ripper was entirely invented by the press -- a single killer responsible for unlinked crimes. The documentary below puts forward an a theory that a journalist created 'Jack the Ripper' and the letters to sell newspapers, an argument originally put forward by Dr Andrew Cook I think: Jack the Ripper: Cased Closed and elaborated in the documentary: Jack the Ripper: Tabloid Killer
Jack the Ripper: Tabloid Killer | Lion Television - Lion Television

 

[Dana Jean]

'Preposterous' is the first word that came to mind when I watched American Ripper. I also found the exploration of Holmes' history and where he grew up fascinating including the speculation around his first kill(s). It offered a bit more information and depth than all the other TV shows that focus mostly on his well known grisly crimes and 'The Castle'. Minus the hyped up soundtrack, like you, I thought the content of American Ripper could have been very interesting. I found myself trying hard to ignore the fact that they were on a mission to make every smidgen of evidence fit their far fetched theory in order to tune into to the more interesting aspects. What a waste of legwork. I think the show is really clutching at straws and does ignore much of the tools used by law enforcement today to explore the more plausible ideas around Jack The Ripper's identity (if he existed). I particularly like the theories that use Geographical profiling to illuminate the identity of the Ripper. There have been a couple of UK TV shows that have covered this but an earlier one is written about here: Has profiling discovered the real face of Jack the Ripper? | The Independent

A newspaper article a couple of years ago also covered this topic: 'We know where Jack the Ripper lived' - experts - Telegraph

One has to remember that most known serial killers have appeared to live quite ordinary lives -- until their dastardly deeds came to light.

American Ripper reminds me of Patricia Cornwell's wild goose chase a few years ago and rebooted more recently -- I consider this and American Ripper curious vanity projects.

I think there's some very well argued evidence that shows that the various ideas around his identity were inventions created by a press hungry for sales (like that never happens now!). Some have even argued that Jack the Ripper was entirely invented by the press -- a single killer responsible for unlinked crimes. The documentary below puts forward an a theory that a journalist created 'Jack the Ripper' and the letters to sell newspapers, an argument originally put forward by Dr Andrew Cook I think: Jack the Ripper: Cased Closed and elaborated in the documentary: Jack the Ripper: Tabloid Killer
Jack the Ripper: Tabloid Killer | Lion Television - Lion Television

Welcome!

I had to remove the link to the book sale, but left the name so others could seek it out if they choose.

 

[GNTLGNT]

...Hi Marnie!....