Lo Squartatore di New York, Movies

The Twin Towers in The New York Ripper

The old World Trade Center is a staple in many 1970s and 1980s grindhouse classics such as “I Spit on Your Grave”, “Zombie”, “The House on the Edge of the Park”, and “Cannibal Holocaust.” A close viewing of Lucio Fulci’s “The New York Ripper” reveals four distinct scenes in which the Twin Tower are seen.

In the Brooklyn opening scene of the movie the Twin Towers are briefly visible when the camera pans to show Manhattan.

The second time we see the Twin Towers is during the scene where the young woman boards the Staten Island Ferry. What is intriguing about this scene is that the towers cannot only be seen just after the departure of the ferry, but there is also a quick cut to the towers during the murder scene in the car.

The Twin Towers can also be seen in this German New York Ripper lobby card below but, to my knowledge, this shot is not an actual shot from the movie and must be a production photo or unused footage.


The next time we see the World Trade Center is when the NYC police deploys a helicopter to assist in tracking down the location of the murderer’s phone calls.

Not long after this scene, the World Trade Center is visible on several occasions when Lieutenant Williams arrives at the location where the calls were made but….

And if you look very carefully, you’ll also get a glimpse of the Twin Towers when Williams climbs the fire escape to enter Kitty’s apartment.