Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)

A Victorian scientist tests a serum that transforms him into a sensuous murderess.

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (based upon the story by), Brian Clemens (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick, Gerald Sim

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Bates	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll
Martine Beswick	...	Sister Hyde
Gerald Sim	...	Professor Robertson
Lewis Fiander	...	Howard Spencer
Dorothy Alison	...	Mrs. Spencer
Neil Wilson	...	Older Policeman
Ivor Dean	...	William Burke
Paul Whitsun-Jones	...	Sergeant Danvers
Philip Madoc	...	Byker
Tony Calvin	...	William Hare
Susan Brodrick	...	Susan Spencer
Dan Meaden	...	Town Crier
Virginia Wetherell	...	Betsy
Geoffrey Kenion	...	First Policeman
Irene Bradshaw	...	Yvonne

Storyline

In Victorian London, Dr. Henry Jekyll attempts to create an elixir of life using female hormones stolen from fresh corpses. He reasons that these hormones will wipe out all common diseases and extend his life since women live much longer than men. However, once Dr. Jekyll drinks the serum himself, he transforms into a gorgeous but evil woman. He soon needs female hormones for his serum to maintain, so a number of London women meet bloody deaths.

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Plot Keywords:

experiment gone wrong | looking at oneself in a mirror | psychotronic film | london england | death | 

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Taglines:

This film is filled with... SHOCK! AFTER SHOCK!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martine Beswick said when she was offered the role, she laughed at the idea at first. But then she thought it would be interesting to explore the male/ female inside people. She added it was also great working with Ralph Bates, especially when they had to transform from Jekyll to Hyde, which she said was quite challenging and very interesting.

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Goofs

The film is set in the 1880s due to the references to the Jack the Ripper murders, but features Burke and Hare who were around 60 years earlier and in Edinburgh, whilst the Ripper murders were in London.

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Quotes

Sister Hyde: There'll be a different kind of victim tonight, not a streetwalker but a pure young virgin. That will end the tug-of-war between us.

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Connections

Version of Dirty Dr. Jekyll (1973)

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Soundtracks

He'll Be There
Music & Lyrics by Brian Clemens
Performed by Julia Wright (dubbed by Jackie Lee)

User Reviews

The stunning Martine Beswick helps make this one of Hammer's very best. Wonderfully entertaining, I give it my highest recommendation.

Hammer's Dracula and Frankenstein movies starring Christopher Lee and/or Peter Cushing are probably their best known, but dig deeper and you'll find some even more original and inventive movies from the studio. Like 'Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde', one of the very best. Ralph Bates had appeared in a couple of not very good Hammer movies prior to this, but he's perfectly cast as Dr. Jekyll and the choice of the stunning Martine Beswick as his alter ego makes this really something to see! Beswick had already been a Bond girl and co-starred with Raquel Welch in Hammer's unforgettable trash classic 'One Million Years B.C.' before this. She later appeared in cult favourites like Oliver Stone's 'Seizure' and 'The Happy Hooker Goes To Hollywood', but this to me is the definitive Beswick role. She is so sexy and evil in this movie, you'll never forget her once you see it. Gerald Sim plays Jekyll's horny colleague Professor Robertson, and Jekyll and Hyde's lives are complicated by their respective love interests (sister and brother) Susan (Susan Broderick) and Howard (Lewis Fiander). Broderick is really lovely. She seemed familiar but it wasn't until I looked her up that I realized where I had seen her before. David Hemmings buys something from her antique store towards the beginning of 'Blowup'. Fiander incidentally appeared with Gerard Sim in 'Dr.Phibes Rises Again' the year after this, but did very little subsequent horror work. As well as the great cast, the movie is helped enormously by a fresh script from Brian Clemens, and the solid direction from Roy Ward Baker, who had both previously worked on 'The Avengers'. It's funny, most fans immediately name Terence Fisher as Hammer's best director, but Baker directed three out of my Top Five Hammer movies (the others being 'The Vampire Lovers' and 'Quatermass And The Pit'), so I'd choose him instead. 'Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde' is wonderfully entertaining, and I give it my highest recommendation. If you've ever enjoyed a Hammer movie but haven't seen this one you're in for a real treat!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$202,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1