Sherlock Holmes unveils the secrecy of Jack the Ripper - clue by clue - murder by murder.
The Jack the Ripper Murders. Sherlock Holmes lifts the veil of secrecy, corruption and terror at the heart of the throne of England itself. Clue by clue... Murder by murder...

Sherlock Holmes hunts his deadliest adversary... The madman known as Jack the Ripper!

Can the genius of Sherlock Holmes stop the terror of Jack the Ripper?


The murders by the infamous British criminal, Jack the Ripper, catch the attention of Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer), but he does not receive the expected call from Scotland Yard because he is being purposefully excluded from the investigation. Instead, Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland), a psychic who volunteered information to the police about the murders, provides the Great Detective with the necessary incitement to action. As the murders proceed, it becomes clear to all concerned that it is more important to stop them than to announce their solution, and Holmes enters the fray with the help of his trusty aide, Dr. Watson (James Mason). The former mistress of a "prominent personage," Annie Crook (Genevieve Bujold), provides crucial information leading to a final confrontation on London's docks.


Murder by Decree (1979) is a British-Canadian thriller film involving Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the case of the serial murderer Jack the Ripper. As Holmes investigates London's most infamous case, he finds that the Ripper has friends in high places.
The film's story of the plot behind the murders is taken from the book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution by Stephen Knight. The original script contained the names of the historical suspects, Sir William Gull, 1st Baronet and John Netley. In the actual film, they are referred to as Thomas Spivy (Gull) and William Slade (Netley). This plot device was later used in other Jack The Ripper-themed films.


Release Date: February 9, 1979 @ the Ziegfeld

Distrib: Avco/Embassy

Boxoffice: $8,234,000