From Hell: Engraved In Stone

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9.5 (12)
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9.5
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9.7(12)
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9.8(12)
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9.7(12)
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9.3(12)
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8.8(12)
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(Updated: October 06, 2023)
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
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10.0
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9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This edit replaces the original movie for me.

I didn't like the original movie at all, I couldn't finish watching it and I'm glad I didn't because focusing the story on the whores and giving Frederick Abberline superpowers were terrible ideas that this edit got rid of. now it's one of my favorite films, the deleted scenes that were added are so much better for the narrative.
But I didn't get why to removed the death scene of Frederick Abberline's wife, which actually happened in history although she died 3 months after her marriage and not after having childbirth like what happened in the movie, keeping it will make the ending much more powerful, it will explain why Abberline uses opium, that is my only issue with this edit, this scene could be put after Dr. Gaul asks Abberline for how long he uses opium.

Overall I enjoyed this edit a lot.

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
J
Top 500 Reviewer 30 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
The original From Hell had the unenviable task of trying to adapt an Alan Moore story...no easy task at the best of times, and even worse to boil down 9 years of publications filled with liner notes and easter eggs. Like a mad genius or an obsessive savant - or likely a combination of the two - Moore had imagined the interwoven lives of a couple dozen individuals and how it lead to an infamous series of murders that can only be called conspiracy of the highest order. The film script attempts to preserve the lyricism and detail of Moore's work while also giving a less-cerebral audience some emotional investment and entertainment value. It's safe to say that the filmmakers managed only mixed results at this probably-impossible task.

TM2YC tries here to give us a film version closer to Moore's original work, and in that I think he succeeds. As written in the notes, the material available simply doesn't allow a truly accurate rendition of the graphic novel, but what's here is certainly closer. The look of the film is jet black like the comics, and the tone is grim and dry. I'd say that (as written in the notes) the visual quality of the film does suffer somewhat from this conversion, and that does make some of the scenes seem a bit too visually-extreme for me (demonic eyes, for example). I also remember spending much of the film on first watch just trying to figure out what the hell was happening. Here, the narrative is streamlined and, I thought, almost telegraphed from the start. It'd be ideal for a first-time viewing, less-interesting on a re-watch.

All that said, I don't think this actually makes it much BETTER of a movie than the theatrical cut. This is the problem with adaptations... a more accurate one isn't necessarily better for the new medium. The film as-is still retains all kinds of bits and bobs that weave an amazing tapestry in the graphic novel but just seem incredibly contrived and half-baked in the movie. The romance is still undercooked and honestly comes almost out of nowhere here, and our detective has had his character gutted and so we have little emotional attachment to him. The "alternative" ending for me was better, as it paid off the sudden introduction of a new prostitute, and it gave some satisfaction for the only character that really had an arc: Mary Kelly. However, the film as a whole is quite straightforward and uninvolving in this form. It's not a work of suspense, and there's not really enough horror...it's a mystery more than anything, but not one with clues that a viewer could logically work out unless they have a lot of previous knowledge.

I think my preferred edit of the film would be more radical, lots of cutting, rescoring, maybe playing with flashbacks during investigations. I don't honestly think a great adaptation of Moore's work is possible, so better to just make it a great movie of its own. That said, that's not the intention here, so I have to judge this on its own merits: which are plentiful. It's a well-executed and creative work that is indeed more faithful to the original material. If that's what you're looking for, you should definitely give this a watch.

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
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9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
An excellent effort. Although it'd be impossible to use the Hughes' film to center Sir William Gull as the protagonist of the film as with the book, this edit goes a long way to restoring the grit and terror of the Eddie Campbell artwork and toning down the de-saturated, dated early-00s colour grading. The relationship between Abberline and Kelly is downplayed but not completely eliminated, making it an emotional element of the film that does not overpower the societal critique that is the moral center of the book and (now, particularly) the film. (Incidentally, I highly recommend watching the documentary "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution" for a bit more background on the Royalist Conspiracy JTR theory after viewing this wonderful fan edit. There are clips on the original DVD, but the whole film is available on YouTube.)

Until the (inevitable?) hours-long cable mini-series remake that puts Gull and his virulent misogyny and mystical bloodletting on display, this edit is a wonderful gift to diehard From Hell fans.

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Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
R
Top 10 Reviewer 156 reviews
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Overall rating
 
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
The B&W makes this a bit more sinister and dark. The deleted scenes added back are seamless. Gonna watch a few more times. One of my favorite movies but now I think this is the version I will always watch. Thanks for the hard work

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Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
I just watched this last night. It's been a good while since I watched the original from hell, so I can't say much as to the changes. I watched with 2 other people, and no one noticed anything out place. I went back to check the cutlist. I never would have guessed how much of the film came from deleted scenes. That's truly invisible editing. Great call on ditching the Manson song. I can't even imagine it over the credits.

The biggest change is probably the colouring.. It's gorgeous throughout, and makes the whole town seem more threatening and cold. There's one shot towards the end where Ian Holm's eyes go jet black like Bela Lugosi, which is reason enough for the change.

Well worth the time, and It'll probably be less time til my next viewing. Well done to Tm2yc.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
J
Top 500 Reviewer 11 reviews
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