He is tall and thin, wearing a black cloak and helmet, and is said to look like a respectable gentleman. Spring heeled jack terrorises london and its suburbs. The feature film spring heeled jack is loosely based on reported events that took place in london during the victorian era. Some thought he was the devil, but he was actually the original superheroleaping over the buildings of victorian england with the help of springs in the heels of his shoes. In the chaotic streets of the suburbs of london, the first victorian urban legend was waiting to be born, beating out sweeney todd by a full 9 years, spring heeled jack brewed in the fears of an uncertain populace.
Waterford returned to ireland with his new wife and reportedly turned his back on cruel jokes to live a respectable life, until his death in 1859. The strange affair of spring heeled jack 1 a burton. Legends of spring heeled jack, the uncatchable demon of. I am struck by the similarities between accounts of spring heeled jack and certain other cryptic figures. Starting in 1837, with a sighting as recent as 1987, this paranormal creature was said to be capable of very high leaps reminiscent of someone bouncing on springs.
As we mentioned in the pulps to comic books chapter, the 19th century character, springheeled jack was a onepenny precursor to batman who was created in 1939. Springheeled jacks story begins in 1837, when unassuming servant girl mary stevens reported a strange encounter. The first accounts of springheeled jack were made in london in 1837 and the last reported sighting is said in most of the secondary literature to have been made in liverpool in 1904. However, there was another victorian age, running parallel with this, an age that. With matthew butlerhart, kayleigh costin, alice bird, philip north. Later sightings were reported all over great britain and were especially prevalent in suburban london, the midlands and scotland.
Spring heeled jack the terror of london never miss a paranormal mystery. She died on july 30, 1995 in sonning common, oxfordshire, england. One of the most fascinating characters is spring heeled jack. There are many theories about the nature and identity of spring heeled jack. The spring heeled jack was a humanoid cryptid that was said to be active in the victorian era, and became so famous he is now considered part of english folklore history. Guisepublic domain in victorian england, the scariest boogeyman was a firebreathing devilman who could jump unnaturally high. The curse of the wraydons 1946, a 1946 british film featuring spring heeled jack this disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title spring heeled jack. A composite description of spring heeled jack was a man with devilish facial features, a frightening grin, glowing red eyes, and a terrifying highpitched laugh. For a later springheeled jack scare in campbeltown, scotland, see daily mirror, 6 th december 1937. A local businessman was making his way home from work, when a cloaked figure with inhuman features leapt over the imposing gates of the local graveyard in one fluid motion. Twenty years later, in the 1830s, spring heeled jack emerges again.
Springheeled jack, the terror of epping forest was a 1950 stage. Sightings of this strange and terrifying character quickly spread, yet this strange and diabolical figure was never captured. The army in 1870 set traps to catch him after scared sentries reported being terrified by a man who sprang on to the roof of their sentry box. Spring heeled jack was a english folklore character who allegedly existed during the victorian era and reported to have been sighted all over england. Victorian england, an age of great industry, enlightenment, of learning and of advancement. An article about springheeled jack hand selected for the wikipedia for schools. He has a very interesting back story and what starts out as a trip to change history a tiny bit ends up forcing spring heeled jack into a descent into madness.
Spring heeled jack a famous urban legend that originated in. The first claimed sighting of spring heeled jack was in 1837. The mystery of springheeled jack book by john matthews. Jan 09, 2017 whether man or beast, spring heeled jack was never caught. The film focuses on sams inner battles as he comes to terms with the. Springheeled jack is described as having devilish features, such as clawed hands and the ability to breathe fire. His was a nightmarish character who terrified londoners frequently women with his devillike visage and strange, dark costume. Spring heeled jack is an entity in english folklore of the victorian era. Spring heeled jack made his first appearance in the sheffield times where it was accounted that he would scare local residents and play pranks within the city of sheffield, a city in south yorkshire, uk, then would bound away in enormous leaps. Mar 25, 2016 a typical spring heeled jack attack as depicted in the penny dreadfuls. Feb 11, 2020 among the oddest criminal cases in history is that of springheeled jack.
Senere observationer blev rapporteret fra hele england, fra london op til sheffield og liverpool. Although this story ties in with the events that supposedly took place, this film can. Spring heeled jack the mysterious entity of london youtube. The quest and boots are clearly a reference to spring heeled jack, whereas the character is a reference to both spring heeled jack and another, similar character from a nursery rhyme, jack be nimble. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the plot summary submission guide. The black country of the 19th century was a somewhat superstitious, inwardlooking place. A very special thank you to laive who have provided korean subtitles for this video. The mystery of spring heeled jack alltime conspiracies. It was based on the play springheeled jack by maurice sandoz. Throughout the 1800s, there have been cases of people in england that witnessed a man jumping over extreme heights. On the whole, society classed jacks attacks as pranks and outrages. Oct 25, 20 assassins creed syndicate walkthrough part 7 spring heeled jack lets play gameplay commentary duration. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. From victorian legend to steampunk hero kindle edition by matthews, john.
Other people thought that spring heeled jack was a madman or an alien. The first alleged sightings of springheeled jack were made in london in 1837 and the last reported sighting is said in most of the secondary literature to have been made in liverpool in 1904. In the section after 1950, under literature, add a reference to the strange affair of spring heeled jack by mark hodder. With tod slaughter, hugh cross, peter collingwood, michael ingham. The tortures of the damned shall be implanted in your heart by me the wretched, despised outcast whom you have christened springheeledjack. In the 1950s, whiteclad, hopping, mannequinlike creatures caused a panic in east germany. The name evoked awe from both criminals and upstanding citizens alike. Their conclusion was that in her fright the young lady had much mistaken the. The legend of springheeled jack it started with a ring at a gate, and ended with a. The legend of spring heeled jack today i found out. She was married to robert carter and michael ingham. The crimes committed by spring heeled jack were so bizarre that many people believed the perpetrator or some of the imitators, at least were insane. In september 1845, such rumours of seeing jack in great yarmouth, norfolk, led to a brutal assault due to mistaken identity.
High quality spring heeled jack gifts and merchandise. Spring heeled jack is a comingofagemonster film telling. Release dates 1 also known as aka 0 release dates uk 16 january 1950. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the mystery of springheeled jack. Spring heeled jack is set in 2004, when the titular character resurfaces after a 100year absence to continue his killing spree. Despite a catalogue of appearances in graphic novels, audio plays, tv, and filmattracting writers as different as philip pullman, mark hodder, and stephen kingspringheeled jack remains one of the characters from the archives of the strange and unexplained about whom almost nothing is known. But weird demonic creature caused massive hysteria in victorian england. Please see the links under article milestones below for its original nomination page for older articles, check the nomination archive and why it was removed this article appeared on wikipedias main page as todays featured article on june 1, 2005. Sep 22, 2008 jolene by spring heeled jack usa from the album songs from suburbia. With stephanie aubertin, linus closs, adric cluff, clayton drake. D the band are now focusing on building up their songs yet again and getting ready to go out gigging. The first recorded claimed sighting of spring heeled jack occurred in 1837 1. Springheeled jack was written about in many newspapers, and then went on to appear as the subject for penny dreadfuls, plays, and punch and judy shows. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from spring heeled jack at the discogs marketplace.
All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. There are a number of factions and groups of people that are seemingly involved in separate events. Spring heeled jacks motive seems to have been to cause fear the motivation behind spring heeled jacks attacks was perplexing. He was born out of similar surroundings almost two centuries ago, and this article chronicles its presence in america. Joanna duncan was born on january 21, 1922 in abbottabad, pakistan as joan brenda duncan. However, many individuals in other regions of the world such as the united states have reported seeing andor experiencing spring heeled jack. This urban legend was very popular in its time, due. It was the last to feature the doctor travelling alone until hotel historia in 2008. Jacqueline simpson and steve roud, dictionary of english folklore oxford university press, 2000, pp. Springheeled jack did a firebreathing phantom haunt victorian. Equally, it was the age of spiritualism, parapsychology, and restrictive social practices. Updated 2112020 he wore a tight fitting helmet and skintight clothing described as something like. Springheeled jack monster in my pocket wiki fandom.
Springheeled jack is a mysterious creature existing in the chronicles of darkness. Spring heeled jack public domain super heroes fandom. Spring heeled jack wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Spring heeled jack is featured in the video game assassins creed syndicate, set in 1868 london. Spring heeled jack mcgill school of computer science. The curious tale of springheeled jack was a doctor who magazine comic strip. For the uninitiated springheeled jack is a legendary figure from victorian british folklore who bounded on to the scene with his first appearance in 1837. The curse of the wraydons is a 1946 british thriller film directed by victor m. Springheeled jack was described by people who claimed to have seen him as having a terrifying and frightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy, clawed hands, and eyes that resembled red balls of fire. An english folklore surrounds springheeled jack, a gentleman that can leap at inhuman lengths.
Spring heeled jack also springheel jack, springheel jack, etc, is a character from english folklore said to have existed during the victorian era and able to jump extraordinarily high. Also known as aka it looks like we dont have any akas for this title yet. See, for example, mark hodder, the strange affair of springheeled jack snowbooks, 2010. Jan 19, 2018 it wasnt long before police identified the culprit as spring heeled jack for four decades the figure had attacked young women, taking an impossible leap onto the rooftops to make his getaway the first known sighting of spring heeled jack was in 1837 a young woman called mary stevens was attacked by a diabolical figure in a london. Springheeled jack a firebreathing, ironclawed spectre haunted the.
One report claimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and a tightfitting white garment like an oilskin. Almost everyone knows of jack the ripper and his fearsome reputation as one of the most notorious and uncaught serial killers of all time. This story saw the doctor who universe address the myth of springheeled jack, making him an alien figure the tale originally involved penny dreadfuls, a type of fiction commonly seen as the precursor to comics. Meet springheeled jack, the leaping devil that terrorized. Intermittent reports of further spring heeled jack sightings continued after this. Fifty years before jack the ripper tore through london, another famous jack terrorized young women and coach drivers in victorian england the evil prankster was called springheeled jack, a moniker that spawned from his ability to jump over tall fences and hedges during quick getaways. Spring heeled jack was first reportedly seen in 1837 in the black country, an area in the west midlands that was the heart of the 19 thcentury industrial revolution in england. From victorian legend to steampunk hero by john matthews is a fascinating look at a sometimes overlooked character who has had a significant impact on sensational and gothic literature as well as the publics imaginations and fears for nearly two centuries now.
Time travellers from the 23rd century have travelled back in time to investigate the case. Explore releases from spring heeled jack at discogs. Contentsshow history springheeled jack comes from victorian era folklore, and descriptions of him vary from being demonic in appearance to merely a gentleman of the age. The tale of spring heeled jack is a famous urban legend that is quite popular in england where the story originated. Well, if you are not from england or europe, you most likely didnt. Spring heeled jack also springheel jack, spring heel jack, etc. For the uninitiated spring heeled jack is a legendary figure from victorian british folklore who bounded on to the scene with his first appearance in 1837. The more springheeled jacks fame grew, the less frequently reports about him were made until 1843 when a new wave of sightings swept the country. In a story similar to the ghost stories popular at the time, she says was walking through londons clapham commons at night when a dark figure leaped out of.
Springheeled jack tv movie 1950 company credits imdb. Springheeled jack was a cultural and folkloric trope that was defined by its rich heterogeneity and therefore bigger than any singular interpretation one may care to cage him in. Springheeled jack was seen in various places around the country over the years, but these were often passed around through word of mouth and very rarely reported in the press. Springheeled jack is a cryptid that was sighted in england. We tend to regard the victorian era as an age of science and reason, not unlike our own. The first claimed sighting of springheeled jack was in 1837. Whether man or beast, spring heeled jack was never caught. Assassins creed syndicate walkthrough part 7 springheeled jack lets play gameplay commentary duration.
Many years after jack made his final appearance on. Tv, and filmattracting writers as different as philip pullman, mark hodder, and stephen kingspringheeled jack remains one of the characters from the archives of the strange and unexplained about whom almost nothing is known. The spring heeled jack is apparently some kind of demon, phantom, or other extradimensional being, and was said to take great delight in acts of mischief, startling people with his frightening appearance and leaping. Playing with fire by derek landy, springheeled jack by philip pullman, dark days by derek landy, the strange affair of sprin. In particular, mothman from the usa, who also was reported to leap or fly at inhuman speeds and distances, black shuck, also from the british isles a monstrous shapeshifting hound who also belched flames and smoke, and a strange monkey man who terrorised the streets of. Inspired designs on tshirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. One of the universal traits for jack, despite his appearance, is his ability to leap high into the. His main focus seems to be teenager sam walker, who with the help of his mates and an immortal victorian woman, must try and overcome the powers of evil to prevent. The first ever sighting of spring heeled jack took place in 1837, in. Gover and starring tod slaughter, bruce seton and henry caine. Another version starring tod slaughter was produced in 1950 by bbc titled springheeled jack. However, they were jokes that caused a great deal of distress.
It wasnt long before police identified the culprit as spring heeled jack for four decades the figure had attacked young women, taking an impossible leap onto the rooftops to make his getaway the first known sighting of spring heeled jack was in 1837 a young woman called mary stevens was attacked by a diabolical figure in a london. She is known for her work on springheeled jack 1950, the scarlet pimpernel 1955 and all for mary 1954. The film was released in the usa by hoffberg productions inc. Springheeled jack is an entity in english folklore of the victorian era. Spring heeled jack, described by many as a tall, thin, bounding figure with batlike wings, clawed hands, wheels of fire for eyes, first caught the publics attention in victorian london in 1838. Spring heeled jack is set in 2004, when the titular character resurfaces after a 100year. By some accounts, he also has the ability to breathe bluishwhite flames from his mouth. May 29, 2006 strangely, when spring heeled jack first appeared in literature, he was unwaveringly a villain, but over the years, he has morphed into a heroic icon. Springheeled jack or the terror of epping forest is a 1950 british play by the writer geoffrey carlile and the actormanager tod slaughter who was known for. During the 1850s and 60s springheeled jack was also seen all over england, particularly in the midlands.
Spring heeled jack well shj fans, we have yet more news for you. Springheeled jack is a humanoid creature with pointed ears and nose, clawed hands, glowing red eyes, and most notably his ability to leap to amazing hights. The first claimed sighting of spring heeled jack that is known occurred in 1837. Spring heeled jack, the fire belching phantom known for its ability to execute impossibly high leaps, is a singular figure in the annals of the anomalous. Aug 07, 2014 the name of this manbeastdemon was spring heeled jack, and his legend is still alive and well today. The first report of jack was from a businessman returning home late one night from work, who told of being. There are many theories about the nature and identity of springheeled jack. Fewer people have heard of a character who was equally infamous, and feared, about fifty years before the time of jack the ripper.
The urban legend of spring heeled jack gained immense popularity in its time due. Sep 04, 2007 for this was the realm of spring heeled jack, one of the most popular and frightening characters from recent english lore. For although the attacks were undoubtedly vicious, neither were they rape or robberies. Maybe jack didnt have springs in his heels at allthere is a faction who have him pegged as an alien from a highgravity world.