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The release date for Ripper: Letter from Hell will be sometime later this year in Canada and the US. As for Europe, I do know the rights have been bought but I do not know if the film will have a theatrical release or go straight to video. I hope everyone gets to see this film on the screen as I enjoyed watching the film and Martin is an interesting role for Bruce.

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High-Bandwith (10meg)

You will need quicktime to view the trailer

By the time she was 16, Molly Keller had already lived to tell a very bloodcurdling tale: she was the only survivor of a violent massacre while on an otherwise peaceful island vacation with her friends. Disturbed by her horrific past, Molly focuses all of her energies in researching the psyche of serial killers. This leads her to the forensic science program at Berkeley under famed author and man hunter, professor Martin Kane.

But before long, the evil that had claimed Molly's friends is seemingly loose once again - this time on the campus. A reluctant Molly joins the study group which is fixated on tracking the gruesome murderer. But events take an eerie turn when the students discover that the killer's modus operandi matches London's oldest unsolved murders: those of Jack-the-Ripper. Molly's friend's fall victum around her, one at a time, while the remaining group works feverishly to uncover the identity of the copycat killer.

As the past reawakens, Molly is forced to face the terrifying secret behind the stalker's return, and the entire class soon realizes that it's a history they don't want to repeat.

CAST: Bruce Payne, A.J. Cook, Ryan Northcott, Derek Hamilton, Kelly Brook, Claire Keim and Jurgen Prochnow.

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Prophecy Entertainment has been kind enough to share these images with Bruce's fans.

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May 2nd, 2001 Reel West

As the dynamics of Vancouver's film industry continues to mature, we are witnessing growth in the indigenous based production community - A fundamental mainstay for any thriving production town. And unlike the fine art of film manufacturing, growth in the independent ranks may serve up an opportunity for Vancouver to export its own brand of product. A product that could quite possibly have the fresh element that big league film distributors can market.

Considering the facts, we are one of very few film towns that have enjoyed a steady diet of schooling in American-style film construction. We have the knowledge to create the "look and feel" that audiences around the world eat-up…

From the small handful of locally founded production companies leaps Prophecy Entertainment, Inc. - A three-year-old company with the infrastructure to develop, produce and distribute indigenous product.

With more than a dozen titles for international acquisition in vault, Prophecy has enjoyed advancement in the filmmaking process and it's lead them to their latest venture, "Ripper - Letter from Hell" - A thriller that melds "pop" vibe with a dark undertone.

The movie stars A.J. Cook as Molly, a woman that is the sole survivor in the violent massacre of her friends. After rehabilitation she devotes herself to understanding the psyche of serial killers and eventually receives a scholarship to study under a famed doctor of the art. Mysteriously the same killer from her past makes a visit to the campus and begins the merciless slaughter of her classmates.

"Ripper is the first film that we can say has elements to compete in bigger distribution venues," begins Petros Tsaparas, president & CEO of Prophecy. "We're hoping for a fall release that specifically targets Halloween. I think a scary time of year will make a difference for this particular genre."

Touted as their most ambitious project to date, Prophecy has secured distribution deals with a number of companies including Remstar (Canadian theatrical) and Lionsgate (U.S. video and television).

"We go through a margin of growth with every film. After "Beyond Redemption" we advanced and made "The Silencer," and it was that much better," said Melanie Kilgour, President of Marketing & Distribution. "We followed those two films up with "The Operative" and again it was that much better. Finally Ripper came to fruition and it's a product we feel will allow us to begin a long journey in a different league. So we're constantly learning, thankfully, and the business teaches us daily to eat humble pie along with drinking the champagne.

Ripper was also logistically challenging to make. A film like this would cost Hollywood fifteen million U.S. to produce and we were able to pull it off for less."

"Currently we're doing about one to two movies a year, but our future plans revolve around executing more," begins Evan Tylor (President of Production for Prophecy. "And right now we're aggressively putting together the distribution foundation to successfully support that greater undertaking. Under our present structure it would be hard to sustain three of four moves a year that would hold up to the quality of Ripper.

We run our operation as close to a barebones as possible, no one lines his or her pocket and every cent we put in shows up on the screen. Our philosophy is making movies to allow us to make more movies, and if we start getting greedy, it will kill the goose that lays the golden egg."

"In regards to international distribution, we've spent enough time going to different markets and festivals to create a solid network," continues Kilgour. "And that's resulted in key relationships with partners in Japan, all over Asia and Europe. It's allowed us to pre-sell a lot of our product in development stage.

Contributing to our success, we try very hard to develop material that we'd go out and spend eight dollars to see, and if we feel it does that, then we know we'll hit a good percentage of the market out there.

The infrastructure we've put in place also includes Four Wall Films. It's an acquisition company designed to support independent producers and help get their films out to the market. We feel there's enough of an audience base that doesn't necessarily what to see what people can do with a hundred million dollars, and would rather see what people can do with a million bucks and a load of blood, sweat and tears."

Another big upside to the growing Vancouver producer pool is the advancement of local talent. According to Tsaparas, Ripper was a positive vehicle for local talents like A.J. Cook (Molly), a young actress who later secured a major role in Disney's "Out Cold."

"We hope the movie helps every cast member with their careers and allows them better opportunities in the future, "concludes Tsaparas. "But hopefully Ripper has what it takes to carry its own weight into the marketplace.

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Feb 23rd, 2001

Moving Pictures

There's a certain kind of independent film that turns up again and again at the AFM, and Prophecy Entertainment's Ripper: Letter From Hell is an excellent example of the genre.

It's a horror film, made on a less than lavish budget (perhaps $2-4 million) by a feisty Canadian company, based in Vancouver, that is kicking up its heels at this year's market, boasting such titles as High Explosive, The Silence, Laserhawk and Barbecue... A Love Story. An added advantage is the casting (as a grizzled detective) of an internationally recognized actor (German thesp Jurgen Prochnow) to spice up a line-up f largely unknowns. To top things off, the cast also includes in a supporting part of a British TV personality (Kelly Brook, formerly of Channel Four's The Big Breakfast) with screen acting aspirations.

Ripper: Letter From Hell concerns a young psychology student fascinated with the murderous, century-old rampage of Jack the Ripper. The more the student and his cohorts discover about these grisly incidents, the more they wish they had found another fascination in life - such as ice hockey. There's the requisite suspense and mayhem, and the assertion from Prophecy that Ripper is creating a buzz at the market. The film's big screening was yesterday at the Zanuck Theatre on the 20th Century Fox Studio lot. However, there will also be less formal, trailer screenings throughout the market.

In addition to flogging Ripper, Prophecy says it has seen a shift in management since Mifed, a move into more spacious offices, and the launching of the company's new media unit, 4wallfilms, a website and "theatrical release entity" promoting independent cinema. High among the recent events, the company adds, is the complexion of Ripper, which has been presold in Benelux, Canada, Germany and Spain.

Images from: http://www.kellybrookonline.com/newsstories/ripper.htm

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Times Colonist The Ripper In Production Clippings

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Monday, September 25, 2000

Cameras finally roll on thriller

BY MICHAEL D. REID Times Colonist staff.

Two months after its originally scheduled start date, Ripper is ready to roll in Victoria.

Delayed several times to accommodate the schedules of a cast headlined by veteran German actor Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot), the Prophecy Pictures thriller was set to start principal photography today at East Sooke's Silver Spray Resort, site of a dramatic cliffside scene.

Written and directed by John Eyres (Monolith,Judge and Jury),the thriller about a serial killer on a rampage in an as-yet-unnamed North American city features a cast of familiar faces from North America and abroad that are deemed essential to market the film internationally.

The confirmed cast includes Oshawa-born actress A.J. Cook, who stars in the Fox series Higher Ground and played Mary Lisbon in The Virgin Suicides; Calgary-born Ryan Northcott (Mystery, Alaska); and Derek Hamilton, who starred in the teen thriller Disturbing Behaviour. Ripper also stars a number of familiar international actors, including British actor Bruce Payne, best known for his role as the villain in Highlander: End Game, actress and television personality Kelly Brook, formerly with BBC's The Big Breakfast and French actress Claire Keim (Feroce).

The film marks the second visit to Victoria for Prochnow, who plays a homicide detective. He was here last summer to play a vineyard owner who falls for Rosanna Arquette in the thriller Poison.

Filming on Ripper is scheduled to wrap Oct. 22, said unit publicist Lesley Diana. "There will be lots of action, murder-mystery and stunts," she said of the script, which has been described as being reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians in style and tension.

The filmmakers will shoot at familiar locations, including a B.C. Hydro facility, Glendale Lodge and the ubiquitous Royal Roads University, which will masquerade as a college.

Interiors will also be filmed at Cruz Studios, Cameron Avery's production facility at Work Point Barracks where recent upgrades have included construction of office space, $250,000- worth of acoustical equipment and security fencing to allow after-hours filming on the DND property.

The film's production design is being handled by Mark Harris, best known for his work on Hollywood blockbusters such as The World Is Not Enough and The Avengers.

The start of production on Ripper comes as good news for the local film and television production community, which has had an uncharacteristically slow production summer. Other projects have included a mini-shoot in which crews replicated a hurricane forthe CBS-TV thriller Hard Target with Kim Delaney; filming of a Hyundai commercial for the European market ;as well as a commercial shoot for the cholesterol-lowering drug Pravacol.

Ripper, which is being filmed here in its entirety, will be the most ambitious project shot here since the Final Destination shoot that turned Bastion Square into Paris last January.

Monday, October 2, 2000

Bald body double wanted for Ripper

BY MICHAEL D. REID Times Colonist staff.

You know you want to be in pictures. But are you willing to shave your head for it?

That's what the producers of Ripper want to know as they search for a body double for one of the film's stars.

"We're looking for a man of medium build with dirty blonde or light brown hair for one day's work," said a casting assistant with the Prophecy Pictures thriller currently shooting at locations in and around Victoria

Whoever is selected will be standing in for Bruce Payne.

The British actor best known for his performance as Kell, the formidable villain who challenges Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul in Highlander: EndGame.

Acting experience isn't essential, but you do have to be willing to take it all off - on your head, that is.

Payne plays the role of Professor Martin Kane in writer-director John Eyres's thriller about a serial killer on a rampage in a North American city.

The film also stars Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot), A.J. Cook (The Virgin Suicides) and Kelly Brook, the British film and television personality who hosted BBC's Big Breakfast

The producers of Ripper had also been seeking extras for an elaborate "rave-like party sequence" to be filmed at Cruz Studios, but those quotas have been filled. Other locations include Royal Roads and Silver Spray Resort.

By Sunday night, no other opportunities were available on the film for other actors, said the casting rep.

Anyone interested in applying for the body-double gig, call Annie at ......

In other local film news, a publicist for Fighting Like Cats and Dogs has confirmed that scenes for the big-budget Warner Bros. fantasy will not be shot in Victoria as originally planned this fall. The ambitious visual effects adventure blends live-action, puppetry and computer-generated technology to spin the tale of a rogue feline's attempts to take over the world. It features 50 dogs, dozens of cats and 13 humans.

The decision to back out of Victoria is mainly because of the complexity of the shoot under way on soundstages in Vancouver

"It's just become too much to have to take the crews and equipment on the ferries over to Victoria with everything that's been going on," said Dixie Cutler.

The Greater Victoria Film Commission has been fielding dozens of inquiries from film and television producers eyeing the region for upcoming shoots, however, said Jennifer Screech, director of location services.

Friday, October 13, 2000

Ripper works with mindplay, not gore

Behind the Screen

MICHAEL D. REID

IMAGINATION, NOT GORE, is the key ingredient in Ripper say the collaborators on the literate horror flick about the exploits of a modern-day Jack the Ripper that has been shooting in and around Victoria since Sept. 25.

"There are no gory scenes in the movie-but there are a lot of gory things that happen," says the film's director John Eyres.

"I'm trying to tilt it more towards Hitchcock. I believe in letting imagination do the work because imagination suits everybody. When you show exactly what it is, you lose part of the audience."

That doesn't mean you won't see a severed head or torso.

"We have a severed torso but you haven't seen it quite this way, we hope," says Evan Tylor, the boyish Vancouver-based producer who co-wrote the film's story with co-producer John Curtis, head of Prophecy Pictures.

The film, which stars Jurgen Prochnow (DasBoot), A.J. Cook (TheVirginSuicides), Bruce Payne (Highlander: End Game) and Derek Hamilton (Disturbing Behaviour), centres on a serial killer whose murder spree in a west coast American city bears an eerie similarity to the style of the legendary 19th century London murderer.

Friday, October 20, 2000

Jack's not coming back

Behind the Screen

MICHAEL D. REID

IN A Few Good Men (1992), a gruff commander played by Jack Nicholson lashes out at Tom Cruise's aggressive, truth-seeking U.S. Navy defence lawyer with the now-famous line: "You can't handle the truth!"

The same could be said of those who still maintain Nicholson is coming to Victoria to return a favour by making a cameo appearance in Ripper. The $5 million horror flick about the exploits of a modern-day Jack the Ripper began shooting Sept. 25 and wraps this weekend with filming of scenes at a lakeside cabin and interiors at Cruz Studios.

Despite unending rumours, Hollywood's most charismatic superstar was never even approached to consider lending his support to the film that stars Jurgen Prochnow (DasBoot), Bruce Payne (Highlander: EndGame) and A.J. Cook (The Virgin Suicides).

According to highly placed insiders, the filmmakers toyed with the idea of having Jack the Ripper slowly turn and face the camera in a flashback from Victorian-era London. The grinning face would be instantly recognizable as that of the mischievous mega-star, although it could never be claimed it was Nicholson.

The producers had even gone so far as to recruit a Los Angeles-based lookalike, but there was a big problem

"The problem was this actor looked exactly like Jack - as long as he had those sunglasses on," said an amused reliable source. "But you obviously can't have him wear those sunglasses in 1888, and what does the guy look like without them?"

At press time, the filmmakers were reportedly still unsure whether the gimmick was worth the trouble.

If Nicholson had flown in as speculated, it wouldn't have been his first on-camera experience here. Thirty years ago, Hollywood's sultan of suaveness visited Victoria to shoot scenes for Bob Rafelson's classic Five Easy Pieces.

SOURCE: Prophecy Entertainment Inc.

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RIPPER: LETTER FROM HELL PREMIERE

On Feb. 22nd you could be in the audience of the LA premiere showing of Bruce's NEW film

Ripper: Letter from Hell

There will be 10 -15 seats available. Some of the cast may be there. I'm not sure if Bruce will be there.

Please email me if you are interested in going. It is a great chance to support Bruce's work and help promote the film!

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Jack the Ripper recently resurfaced in Victoria. The quite B.C. city played host to Ripper, a feature film that is currently in post production after shooting from September 25th to October 22nd. The show is being produced by Vancouver-based Prophecy Entertainment and directed by John Eyers.

The Movie stars A.J. Cook as Molly, a woman who was the only survivor of a violent massacre of her friends. After rehabilitation she devotes herself to understanding the the pysche of serial killers, eventually receiving a scholarship to study under a famed man hunter. Unfortunately, the same killer makes a visit to the campus and begins to kill her classmates.

" I am very pleased with the cast and crew we've assembled for this project," said Prophecy president John Curtis. "We have searched worldwide for this movie and have ended up with an extremely talented cast." Curtis is co-producing the film with Evan Tylor. It is scheduled to be distributed in Canada by Remstar distribution.

 

December 2000 Reel West Magazine

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Ripper Prophecy Entertainment Announces Filming

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Vancouver, BC

Prophecy Entertainment Inc. (CDNX: PEI), the producer and distributor of independent motion picture entertainment, announced today that it has begun production of its fourth motion picture, Ripper. Filming will take place in Victoria, B.C. from September 25th to October 22nd.

``I am very pleased with the cast and crew we've assembled for this project,'' stated producer and Prophecy Pictures President John Curtis. ``We have searched worldwide for the right actors for this movie and have ended up with an extremely talented young cast from Germany, France, Britain, the USA and Canada.

'' Ripper is a horror movie about a group of college students unraveling the mystery of Jack the Ripper and his incarnation. The film stars A.J. Cook (The Virgin Suicides) as Molly, Bruce Payne (Dungeons & Dragons, Highlander 4) as Martine Kane, Jurgen Prochnow (Gunblast) as Detective Kelso, Kelly Brock (BBC's The Big Breakfast, Sorted) as Marisa, Ryan Northcott (Mystery Alaska) as Jason, Derek Hamilton (Disturbing Behavior) as Eddie, and Claire Keim (Feroce, Juliette, Le roi Danse) as Chantal.

``Ripper is our most ambitious undertaking to date,'' stated Evan Tylor, Prophecy's President of Production. ``Its completion is keeping in line with Prophecy's mandate of bringing the best in independent film to audiences around the world. The stunts, the locations and the storyline will have movie goers sitting on the edge of their seats.''

Prophecy is continuing its relationship with the Royal Bank of Canada, which is financing the majority of the film's production costs through a $4 million credit facility. To date, the Company has secured royalty agreements, on a pre-sale basis, exceeding $1.2 million.

About Prophecy:

Prophecy Entertainment Inc. (CDNX: PEI) creates, produces and distributes motion picture and television product to audiences around the world through traditional and emerging digital media. The Company's distribution arm represents over $25 million in motion picture product and sells films to 40 countries worldwide. Prophecy has established relationships with major North American companies such as Lions Gate Films, Trimark Pictures, Alliance-Atlantis Entertainment, and international companies such as Canal Plus and Highlight Communications.

SOURCE: Prophecy Entertainment Inc. Sept 27th, 2000

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