

Murder by Decree
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 is drawn into the case of Jack the Ripper, who is killing prostitutes in London's East End. Assisted by Dr. Watson, and using information provided by a renowned psychic, Robert Lees, Holmes finds that the murders may have their roots in a Royal indiscretion and that a cover-up is being managed by politicians at the highest level, all of whom happen to be Masons.
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6.3/10
186 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- English
- jack the ripper
- sherlock holmes
Top billed cast
















Behind the camera
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalPG9 Feb 1979
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical20 Mar 1980
CanadaCA
- Theatrical1 Feb 1979
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1519 Aug 1979
FranceFR
- Theatrical13 Jun 1979
GermanyDE
- Theatrical14 Sept 1979
RussiaRU
- Physical16+DVD «Universal Pictures Rus»11 Aug 2009
Frequently asked questions
Murder by Decree was released on 1 February 1979.
Audience reviews
3- J9/10
John Chard
5/8/2015
Elementary my dear Ripper! Murder by Decree is directed by Bob Clark and adapted to screenplay by John Hopkins from the novel The Ripper File written by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd. It stars Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Frank Finlay, Anthony Quayle, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold & John Gielgud. Film pitches Sherlock Holmes (Plummer) and Dr. Watson (Mason) into the hunt for…
- C6/10
CinemaSerf
3/26/2023
Christopher Plummer dons the famous deerstalker in this well produced and stylish looking outing for "Sherlock Holmes". Here, together with stalwart colleague "Dr. Watson" (James Mason) they find themselves drawn into the mysterious investigation of a series of gruesome Whitechapel murders. What is being locally described as the "Jack the Ripper" crimes is baffling "Lestrade" (Frank Finlay) to the point that his job …
- W6/10
Wuchak
6/17/2026
**_What if Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson took on the 1888 Jack the Ripper case?_** This isn’t as colorful as “A Study in Terror” or the Hammer versions; nor is it as sordid & gory as Klaus Kinski’s 1976 rendition or Anthony Perkins’ future “Edge of Sanity,” nor as entertaining as the future “From Hell.” You could call it a respectable version of The Ripper case that’s dialogue-driven and eschews exploitation with t…
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