In 1888 Jack the Ripper is chased through the streets of London and cornered on London Bridge. He is shot as he falls off the bridge into the Thames. A loose stone from the bridge tumbles into the water with him. The stone lies at the bottom of the Thames for almost a hundred years. The bridge is eventually sold and transported to Lake Havasu, Arizona. The bridge is then reconstructed. The reconstruction was completed in 1971. All except one stone. In 1985 the missing stone is found and sent to Arizona. The people of Lake Havasu are planning a big dedication ceremony to mark the completion of the bridge with the final stone in place.
Dave and Alice Williamson (Michael Boyle and Barbara Bingham) are on their way to Las Vegas. They stop at Lake Havasu for the night. Alice is enchanted by the bridge and wants to walk across it. Dave is tired and wants to get a motel room and sleep. Alice tells him to go ahead and check in to the room. She says she will be there in a moment. He agrees.
While Alice is walking on the bridge she cuts her finger on bleachers set up for the dedication. A drop of blood from her finger falls on the newly laid stone. Suddenly the blood expands and steams. The spirit of Jack the Ripper is released from the stone and he materializes. Alice runs from the bridge but is caught by Jack and killed.
The revived Jack the Ripper (Paul Rossilli) begins a campaign of terror when he begins repeating the same murders he committed in 1888. Police officers Don Gregory (David Hasselhoff) and Joe Nez (Randolph Mantooth) are tasked with finding Alice’s killer. When more murders happen Don begins to piece together some strange theories concerning the culprit. The evidence is starting to point to the real Jack the Ripper as the killer but no one believes Don.
“Terror At London Bridge” AKA “Bridge Across Time” AKA “Arizona Ripper” was released in 1985 and was directed by E.W. Swackhamer. It is a made for television horror thriller and a fantasy film. The movie was filmed on location at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
David Hasselhoff may seem like a strange choice as the hero of a horror film but in 1985 he was finishing his wildly successful run as Michael Knight in the series “Knight Rider”. Randolph Mantooth had completed his run as Paramedic John Gage in the popular television series “Emergency!” in 1979. There are a lot of actors that were in their prime at the time as well as some veteran actors.
Even with the standard “Jaws” 1975 directive of never closing the tourist attraction no matter how many people are slaughtered and the no one believes the crazy theory of the police guy, this movie was a lot of fun. The location is charmingly atmospheric. It may be Arizona but you feel like the fog may roll in any minute. Yes, some of the acting is a little over the top at times but that’s part of the fun. After all, we’re talking about London Bridge in the middle of the desert and Jack the Ripper a hundred years out of place. Since I’m a sucker for Jack the Ripper movies I enjoyed it.