10 Horror Films That Will Make You Nostalgic For The 1980s

3. New York Ripper

Evil Dead 1
Fulvia Film

If you’ve ever wondered what New York’s 42nd Street looked like before Mayor Giuliani cleaned it up and made it safe for the Disney corporation, then New York Ripper gives you a pretty good idea. It was full of run down theaters promoting triple bills of filth and sleaze, separated by adult bookstores and dives that advertised live sex shows.

In this hellhole lurks “a maniac who likes to slash young girls to death”, which at the time would’ve reminded New Yorkers of the David Berkowitz murders a few years earlier. Known as the Son Of Sam, Berkowitz killed six people, claiming he was obeying the orders of a demon that manifested itself in the form of a dog. New York Ripper takes this idea and puts its own spin on it, with a killer who’s not only obsessed with ducks but also speaks like one.

“You can’t understand,” he tells the police. “You’ll never understand. You’re too stupid. Quack! Quack! Quack!” And so it goes for the rest of the film, reaching surreal heights when the killer tortures a naked victim while quacking hysterically at the listening detectives. There’s an explanation, delivered at the very end, for why the culprit is obsessed by ducks, but you won’t believe a single word of it.

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Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'