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| Tookey's Review |
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| Pro Reviews |
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| Mixed Reviews |
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| Anti Reviews |
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| Cast |
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| Released: |
1931 |
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| Genre: |
IMPORTANT
REMAKE
HORROR
SCIENCE FICTION
COSTUME
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| Origin: |
US |
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| Colour: |
BW |
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| Length: |
90 |
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A doctor (Fredric March) accidentally turns himself into a homicidal maniac.
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Reviewed by Chris Tookey
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There had already been four previous attempts to film Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, but this - the first talkie version - was easily the best, and is even today considered a classic of the horror and science fiction genres. The source of Dr Jekyll’s psychosis in sexual frustration is made surprisingly clear: a reminder that this was made in the days before the puritanical Hays code. The main reasons this is a classic, though, are Mamoulian’s innovative direction; Karl Strauss’s stunning cinematography; and Fredric March’s central performance, which may today look over-the-top (especially thanks to some exaggerated make-up effects) but was deemed impressive and terrifying enough to win him an Academy Award. The critical response, though mixed, was unusually favourable for a horror film - perhaps because of the film’s origins in an acknowledged literary classic.
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, Miriam Hopkins 
, Rose Hobart