Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (TV 2008)

Dr. Jekyll, unable to stop himself from transforming into the murderous Mr. Hyde, wants his attorney to secure him a speedy trial, a guilty verdict and a quick execution.

Director:

Paolo Barzman

Writers:

Paul B. Margolis, Robert Louis Stevenson (novel)

Stars:

Dougray Scott, Krista Bridges, Tom Skerritt

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dougray Scott	...	Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Krista Bridges	...	Claire Wheaton
Tom Skerritt	...	Gabe Utterson
Danette Mackay	...	Mrs. Poole
Cas Anvar	...	D.A. McBride
Ellen David	...	Detective Newcombe
Vlasta Vrana	...	Judge Shoehan
Ian Finlay	...	Chief of Staff
Kathleen Fee	...	Mrs. Lanyon
Patrick John Costello	...	Walter Swain (as Patrick Costello)
Carlo Mestroni	...	Terrance Gartrell
Susan Almgren	...	Mental Health Expert (as Susie Almgren)
Arthur Holden	...	Fowler
Adrianne Richards	...	Blonde Hooker
Kathleen Mackey	...	Alice

Storyline

Dr. Henry Jekyll is a well-regarded physician whose evenings are spent researching a rare and sacred Amazonian flower so potent it's said to literally separate the soul, giving life to man's Dark Self. The obsessive experiments to isolate its psychotropic properties happen to coincide with a series of brutal murders gripping the city with fear. Jekyll knows it's no coincidence. While his nights are lost to him, he awakens with bloody mementos and violent memories of the screams of his victims. He knows the Dark Self is coming into his own. It's even given himself a name: Mr. Edward Hyde. Anxious to plead guilty, waive trial, face sentence, and be put out of his misery, where he can no longer do harm, Jekyll solicits the help of Claire Wheaton, a compassionate attorney attracted to unusual and lost causes. Agreeing to represent Jekyll, her case for extreme mental imbalance is convincing. Confined to an asylum, Jekyll realizes that he has lost control, that Hyde now emerges in both body...

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Plot Keywords:

attorney | psychotropic | soul | serial killer | physician | 

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Taglines:

Everyone has a dark side

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doktor Jekyll

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muse Entertainment Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dougray Scott watched various videos on the Internet of people with multiple personality disorder as research for his role.

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Goofs

In two of the scenes where the reporters are broadcasting in front of the court house, the plaque identifying the building states "Abbotsford Superior Court". Abbotsford is in British Colombia, Canada; the film's setting is Boston, Mass.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man: Ha, ha, ha! You're looking sweet, mama!

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Soundtracks

"Evil Night Together"
Written and Performed by Jill Tracy

User Reviews

Average Horror Film With a Weak Trial Drama

Dr. Henry Jekyll (Dougray Scott), unable to stop himself from transforming into the murderous Edward Hyde, wants his attorney to secure him a speedy trial, a guilty verdict and a quick execution.

The star power in this film is Tom Skerritt, which does not say much for this film. But we also have Kim Bubbs (as a secretary), a friend of Killer Reviews. So, that was good enough reason for me to watch it! (See Kim in "The Thing".)

The horror part is pretty average -- this story has been told so many times, you really cannot add a new element to it any more. (What is interesting, at least to me, is that this film seemingly exists in a world circa 2008, but that would be a world where the classic Jekyll/Hyde story never existed... weird.)

The trial scenes... wow, big fail. There is no cross-examination, there is too much conjecture from the defense attorney outside of closing arguments. The person who wrote this film is not familiar with court procedures apparently. There are worse court scenes in films, but this still makes the list of bad ones.