Saturday is Horror Day #215 - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Mild-manner Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jack Palance) has a theory regarding the dual nature of man - he posits that it is possible to separate men into good and evil, thus allowing their good nature to overcome and the evil to be quelled. But his ideas are met with scorn by the medical community, and the other doctors tell him that even if he concocts the potion he is speaking of, there will be no way of testing it ethically. So Jekyll returns to is lab undaunted, determined to use the potion on himself. So he takes the potion.... 

The next morning, he returns to the place where he went the night before, the Windmill Music Hall, and 

learns of his actions the night before as his alter ego, Edward Hyde. Seems like Hyde had a good time, drinking and carousing, and particularly spending time with one of the hostesses, Gwen Thomas (Billie Whitelaw). Jekyll repeats the experiment in the following days, and Hyde, who apparently is quite the hedonist, returns to the Windmill and Gwen. But more and more, Hyde's violent urges come out, and he is vicious and relentless.

Jekyll's best friend, Devlin (Denholm Elliott) is concerned about Henry, as are his servants, including  his faithful manservant Poole (Gillie Fenwick). When Hyde leans toward ending the experiment, he discovers to his horror that Hyde doesn't need the potion to come out  to play, and it requires more of the anti-potion to put that particular genie back in the bottle. With Hyde becoming more and more out of control, Jekyll doesn't know what to do....

This version of Jekyll and Hyde is actually a TV movie from 1968. I remember watching it as a child (I would have been about 11 then), and rewatching it as I grew older. I was always drawn to Jack Palance's Hyde. From what I read, the role was originally given to Jason Robards, but due to complications, ended up with Palance, and the make-up was changed, the final result meant to resemble a satyr. As a teenager, I remember being quite taken with Mr. Hyde. I wondered if I would feel the same as a fully grown adult - I did. Palance is mesmerizing in the dual roles, between the mild-manner Dr. Jekyll and the sensual hedonistic Hyde. The story is undoubtedly a familiar one to most audiences, based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I haven't seen them all, but I always liked this one a great deal.

TV movies and shows were filmed differently, I can't explain quite why that is, not being an expert, but it's quite visible, and actually lends a Gothic feel to the movie. From the moment I began to watch, I got strong Dark Shadows vibes - and no wonder, as Dan Curtis of Dark Shadows fame was a producer. Also, if you listen during one of the scenes and you think you recognize an eerie little tune that is being played, you probably do as that song went on to become Quentin's Song from Dark Shadows. 

I was concerned that I might not like the film as much as I did years ago, that it wouldn't stand up to the test of time. I am happy to report I did and it did, and if you are a fan of Jekyll and Hyde, or Jack Palance, I recommend you add this to your viewing repertoire. I give this film 4 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #202 - The House That Dripped Blood

 The House That Dripped Blood

A seemingly harmless house for rent seems to be the catalyst for mysterious happenings.

Method for Murder:

Charles (Denholm Elliott) has a case of writer's block, and the only cure is to take his wife Alice (Joanna 

Durham) and get away from it all so he can get back to writing. They settle down to write in the house leased to them by agent AJ Stoker (John Bryans). Charles quickly immerses himself in his work about a serial killer named Dominick, who strangles his victims. Things are going well... until Charles begins to actually see Dominick. But that isn't possible, is it? Dominick is just a character... or is he?

Waxworks:

Philip (Peter Cushing) has retired and decides to rent the house from Stoker. Searching for something to do, he comes across a waxwork museum, and becomes fascinated by the wax figure depicting Salome with the head of John the Baptist. But fascination turns to obsession, and them more...

Sweets to the Sweet:

Reid (Christopher Lee) brings his young daughter Jane (Chloe Franks) to the house. Deciding against   sending her to school, he engages a nanny/teacher, Ann (Nyree Dawn Porter). As Ann grows attached to Jane, she finds the man's attitude toward his daughter to be rather harsh as well as stifling. But perhaps there is a reason why he does the things he does...

The Cloak:

Paul (Jon Pertwee) has made a career of playing vampires, but the new movie he has been cast in is less than inspiring. He makes fun of the cheap seat they've constructed to represent his castle, and the cloak they gave him is laughable. He decides to take matters into his own hands and ends up at a small costume shop. The proprietor sells him a much butter cloak at a ridiculously low price. But when Paul puts on the cloak, strange things begin to happen.

This anthology of four stories was made in 1970, and stars four well-known talented actors. Typical of its time, it relies less on blood and gore than on actual story and psychology. Not everything is what it appears to be, and figuring out the twist is fun. One of the writers of the film was Robert Bloch, whom you may remember as having given us Psycho. I liked all of the stories, but especially the last two. The story that binds these four concerns a Scotland Yard detective who is working on a missing persons case. There are no jump scares in this film, and perhaps it's not terrifying, but it's certainly entertaining and worth watching. I'll give this film 3.75 Stars.